![]() As Gould, Giamatti gives a daring, bold performance that easily could have drifted into a cartoonish character. Will he get the nomination this year as Best Supporting Actor? If not, there needs to be a serious investigation into the nomination process. ![]() This is a borderline Oscar worthy performance, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it receive recognition during year end awards.įinally, as Braddock's manager Jim Gould, Paul Giamatti offers an Oscar worthy performance for the third year in a row. Zellweger is magnificent in radiating a sensitivity that brings to mind Talia Shire's "Rocky" performance.yet also has a powerful strength to it and a stunningly believable loyalty and devotion. However, I must stress that this bothered me only initially largely due to the strength of Zellweger's performance. I'd have preferred more creativity in these areas as I'm sure that anyone who has seen both films won't be able to avoid the comparisons. Because the film is a period piece from the Depression era, the character has touches of her "Chicago" performance in it including hair style and costuming. Crowe's performance is certainly the first I've seen this year worthy of Oscar consideration.Īs his wife, Mae, Renee Zellweger bothered me a bit initially. Crowe captures beautifully Braddock as a determined, fierce boxer who doesn't get knocked out.while at the same time a powerfully devoted father and husband. Watching Crowe with his onscreen family (Zellweger and three children) was reminiscent of Paddy Considine's scenes from "In America." Rather ironically, Considine is also in this film as one of Braddock's best friends. Braddock, who was known as a "Gentleman," has an inspiring story and Crowe brings a deep humanity to the character.a man who is proud, but voted, but determined. Russell Crowe is simply magnificent as Braddock, a real life depression era boxer who became a hero to the common man during this era as a man who got a second chance and made the most of it. The result is a film that is beautifully paced because Howard pulls us into the relationships in the film and intersperses it with wonderful boxing action. In other words, he trusts the story and the actors to do their jobs. In many ways, Howard avoids a lot of cinematic tricks and fancy camera work and allows the story to tell itself. The film gradually picked up pace.allowing for a slow buy in emotionally with the characters. Yet, this seemed to be a temporary issue and, as the film progressed, actually seemed to be a natural way for the film to start. It created a bit of concern about the fight scenes. I was a tad worried in the first 15-20 minutes of the film.the pacing was a bit slow and camera work was just a touch shaky. I'd pretty much lost faith in Howard after the horrid Grinch fiasco, however, in his bid to become known as a grittier director he's shown remarkable directorial growth in this film with a straightforward yet remarkably powerful cinematic experience. Braddock, "Cinderella Man" is the latest film directed by Ron Howard and stars Russell Crowe (as Braddock), Renee Zellweger (as his wife Mae), Paul Giamatti (as his longtime manager) and a host of others in smaller, yet remarkably well cast roles. The story of depression-era fighter James J. You've laughed.you've cried.you've been chilled to the bone by the film and its story and its characters. It's a good kind of 's the kind of exhaustion you experience when you've had such a complete sensory experience in a two hour period that your body is tense, your eyes are moist and your left holding the sides of your theater chair completely paralyzed and unable to stop experiencing the film you've just witnessed. Ever so often, you run across a cinematic experience that leaves you exhausted.
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