The true story of boxer Jim Braddock who, following his retirement in the 1930s, makes a surprise comeback in order to lift his family out of poverty.
The stereotypical sports movie about a character which goes from glory to hell and back to the glory again.
The story is OK, but nothing new. Crowe performs well, but it is not one of his best movies. Giamatti is great, as always but Zellwegger is too cheesy in her role.
Just an entertaining movie without any more intentions.
This is a fine boxing movie, one that relies more on the fighters personal story than endless scenes of boxing brutality. James Braddocks final rise to the championship was an inspirational example during the lull in between the headline-grabbing reigns of Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis, when the heavyweight title changed hands several times.
My only complaint with Ron Howards film was its portrayal of Max Baer, the champion Braddock defeated to win the title. For dramatic purposes, they changed his personality and made him into a bullying, vicious person, to the point of making a crude comment about Braddocks wife. They needed a bad guy so they made one.
I became interested in Max Baer when I was a teen and read a lot about him over the...