Plot: What’s it about?
I’ve got a rather sordid history with this movie in that it’s one I’ve been sent for review on DVD, Blu-ray and now 4K. I don’t know what, if anything, I was thinking in year’s past but this has been one that for whatever reason, has slipped through the cracks. Well, no longer. This 4K edition marks the film’s twentieth anniversary, so I’m no longer in my early 30’s – I’m now older and wiser and I can fully appreciate Russell Crowe as boxer Jim Braddock. Some light-hearted tones aside, I did decide to take a broader view of this film and I’m sure the studio had high hopes for this one come Oscar time. You had Ron Howard who’d won Best Picture (and Best Director) for A Beautiful Mind just a couple years earlier and he’d teamed with Russell Crowe there as well. Paul Giamatti had just been nominated for Best Supporting Actor in Sideways the year prior and Renée Zellweger had just collected her Oscar for Cold Mountain (she’d win again several years later for Best Actress). Oh and Russell Crowe was at the top of his game. Couple that with a heart-wrenching story and the Oscars were bound to show up in droves. Or were they?
The film is the true story of James Braddock (Russell Crowe), a champion boxer in the early part of the 20th century. We see him in the ring, winning again and the nice life that he’s made with his wife, Mae (Renée Zellweger). However life has a way of throwing you a sucker punch and we then flash forward a few years to see the toll the Great Depression has taken on on him and his family. Due to a broken right hand he can no longer fight and thus the boxing commission revokes his license as he’s no longer an “entertainer.” He’s got one friend, his traier Joe (Paul Giamatti) and Braddock works odd jobs to make ends meet. However, as fate would have it Joe comes to him with an offer – an upcoming fighter has bowed out of a match and Braddock is his last minute replacement. To everyone’s chagrin, Braddock wins the fight and makes his way to the heavyweight championship. Braddock is once again on top of the world.
The old saying “you can’t make this stuff up” does come into play here. But this is a true story and if you’re so inclined, feel free to look it up (I did). I’m sure I’ll say this again below, but there’s really nothing wrong with this film. It checks all the boxes, has a great, heartwarming story and there’s no shortage of talent on either side of the camera. But, to me, this just felt a bit…pointless. And that’s a bad thing to say as I did enjoy most of the film. I felt it about 20 minutes too long and you can only see so many scenes with downtrodden faces, but hey I’m willing to cut the filmmakers and actors some slack. Braddock’s story was inspirational, no doubt. Still, the film was nominated for three Oscars and it came home empty-handed. But if you’re into inspirational, true films then you could do a lot worse.
Video: How’s it look?
Downtrodden and dirty are two words I’d think are the best representations of how this looks. That’s not a fault of this new 4K 2.39:1 HEVC image, of course – it’s the way the movie was shot. Generally speaking, films that take place in the Great Depression aren’t bright, bold and cheery. And if they are, they’re a bit misleading, wouldn’t you think? Having never seen this film before, I had no idea what to expect only knowing that Universal’s catalog titles (on 4K) do tend to look, by and large, very pleasing. And this is no exception. The color palette is composed mainly of earthy tones, browns and whatnot that give the film a very “lived in” look and feel. You either get that or you don’t. At any rate, expect sharp edges, bold contrast and an overall pleasing image.
Audio: How’s it sound?
Like many other “boxing” films, there really isn’t a lot of the actual sport in the film, but what we do have really packs a punch. Sorry, I tried my best to resist and simply couldn’t help myself. Having used my best material in the first two sentences, I’ll say that the new Dolby Atmos soundtrack does sound rather good. Vocals are pure and crisp, Russell Crowe’s deep, commanding voice always sounds nice coming out of the center channel. Surrounds are used rather sparingly, but when they are it’s very effective. This isn’t one that’ll knock the windows out, but it serves purpose and does it well.
Supplements: What are the extras?
We have good news and bad news. The good is that there are no shortage of supplements that cover pretty much every aspect of the film. The bad is that they’re in standard definition and there’s nothing new. So if you bought that DVD of this film back in the mid 2000’s, you’ve seen all of these before.
- Audio Commentary – The first track features director Ron Howard as he gives us the low down on the film, its history and what he’d hoped to accomplish with it. Editing, working with Crowe and the like are all covered.
- Audio Commentary – Next up we find screenwriter Akiva Goldsman who has a lot of the same things to say that Howard did. That’s not bad, and I enjoyed hearing things from a writer’s perspective.
- Audio Commentary – Finally we’ve got co-writer Cliff Hollingsworth who gives us more of a matter-of-fact track with some anecdotes about the story, Braddock’s life and the like.
- Deleted and Extended Scenes – Given that the film is nearly two and a half hours, these were wisely cut for time and pacing.
- Becoming Jim Braddock – Russell Crowe give us his .02 on his training regiment and his commitment to bringing Braddock to the screen.
- The Fight Card – We get the lowdown on what Crowe and Zellweger brought to their respective roles, but also get a look at the ensemble cast.
- Pre-Fight Preparations – Four featurettes that focus on the script, the “reality” of the film, how Crowe transformed into Braddock and something I really couldn’t understand.
- Focus on Script
- Creating the Reality
- Russell’s Transformation
- Inflatable People
- Lights, Camera, Action – We get a sense of how committed Ron Howard was to the project and get a look at some technical details as well.
- For the Record – Trainer Wayne Gordon and consultant Angelo Dundee give us their insight on some of the fight scenes.
- The Man, The Movie, The Legend – Howard reflects on Jim Braddock and how he might relate to audiences now.
- Jim Braddock – We get a look at some of Braddock’s descendants.
- The Sound of the Bell – Thomas Newman’s musical score is explored.
- Music Featurette – We get a bit more with Newman as his relations with the composer are examined.
- The Human Face of the Depression – If you ever think you’ve got it bad, take a look at this.
- Braddock vs. Baer – We get the actual fight shown, of course, in black and white.
- Ringside Seats – Some of the show’s brass sit down and watch Braddock and Baer’s fight.
- Kodak Gallery – Basically a glorified commercial for Kodak.
- Photo Montage
The Bottom Line
Despite some of my comments, Cinderella Man wasn’t a bad film by any means. I think the best word for it would be “manufactured.” Granted, I’m always a sucker for true stories and the amount of talent on display is second to none. It took me a couple of decades to finally get myself to watch, but hey…better late than never.
