| Million
Dollar Baby
Clint
Eastwood. Hilary Swank. Drama.
Synopsis: A boxing trainer with a lot of baggage reluctantly
agrees to
train a female amateur.
Review: This is an excellent movie, and the bar has already
been set
relatively high in 2005 with this Eastwood entry.
Frankie Dunn (Eastwood) is a former boxer who is training/managing
another
promising boxer until the fighter changes managers. Changing managers
must
be a common occurrence in the boxing world, because the issue of
changing
one’s manager issue seems to be a plot point in 75% of all
the boxing
movies I've ever seen.
But Frankie is OK, because he owns a run-down gym. So he figures
he'll
just forget about training fighters and just focus on the gym. Until
Margaret Fitzgerald (Swank) shows up. Maggie is a 31-year old woman
who wants Frankie to train her. He won't, of course, but not because
he's retired. Frankie "doesn't train girls."
And Frankie doesn't want anyone encouraging Maggie, but his assistant/janitor
‘Scrap-Iron’ Dupris (Morgan Freeman) gives Maggie some
pointers and lets her practice after the gym is closed. But it's
a movie, so Frankie eventually gives in and Maggie becomes quite
an accomplished boxer under Frankie's tutelage.
It would be wrong of me to divulge anything more about the plot.
The acting from the three primary actors is excellent. The boxing
sequences seem realistic; the venues are small and not nearly as
glossy as those presented in most boxing films.
But this really isn't a boxing film as much as it's a film about
two people struggling with their feelings of detachment from their
families. It's about boxing on the surface level, but it's really
about so much more. And it's depressing.
This film
doesn't end with anyone standing on the steps of a Philadelphia
landmark or with a standing ovation in Moscow. In conclusion, I
believe that unless you require that every obstacle be overcome,
every hazard be sidestepped, I think you'll really enjoy this movie.
OVERALL
GRADE: A-
|
