Cinderella Man

Theatrical Release Date: 2005 06 03 (USA)

UPC: 025192583926

Studio: Universal Studios

MPAA Rating: PG13   Contains:[Violence, Adult Situations, Adult Language, Suitable for Teens]

Summary: The true story of an athlete who achieved his greatest success against the most daunting odds of his life is brought to the screen in this historical drama. In the 1920s, James Braddock (Russell Crowe) from Bergen, NJ, was a promising contender in professional boxing; he had strength, spirit, and tenacity, but the combination of a serious hand injury and a 1929 defeat in a bout with light heavyweight champ Tommy Loughran sent his career into a serious tailspin. As Braddock's career in the ring dried up, the Great Depression put a stake through the heart of America's economy, and Braddock found himself working at the New York docks for pitiful wages as he tried to support his wife, Mae (Ren?e Zellweger), and three children. Desperate for money, Braddock turned to his former trainer and manager Joe Gould (Paul Giamatti), who was unexpectedly able to scare up a bout for him, battling John Griffin at Madison Square Garden. While conventional wisdom had it that Braddock was too old, out of shape, and out of practice to have any chance of winning, he defeated Griffin, and continued beating his opponents with a powerful left hook that had been intensified by years of punishing dock work. In a nation desperate for good news, Braddock's surprising comeback became a tonic to struggling workers and unemployed people, and all eyes were on Braddock when in 1935 he took on powerful heavyweight champion Max Baer (Craig Bierko) in what was both literally and figuratively the fight of his life. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Film Presented – Venice International Film Festival Best Picture – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Actor – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Director – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Boston Society of Film Critics Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama – null Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – null Top Ten Film – Dallas/Fort Worth Film Critics Association Best British Supporting Actor – London Film Critics Association Best Picture – Phoenix Film Critics Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Chicago Film Critics Association Best Original Screenplay – Writers Guild of America Best Original Screenplay – Writers Guild of America Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Kansas City Film Critics Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Toronto Film Critics Association Best Actor – Screen Actors Guild Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Screen Actors Guild Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Online Film Critics Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Iowa Film Critics Association Best Original Screenplay – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Original Screenplay – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Editing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Editing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Makeup – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Makeup – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Supporting Actor – Kansas City Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actor – Chicago Film Critics Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Supporting Actor – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Supporting Actor – Iowa Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actor – Online Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actor – Screen Actors Guild Best Supporting Actor – Toronto Film Critics Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Supporting Actor – Boston Society of Film Critics

Features: Deleted scenes with commentary by director Ron Howard
Ringside Seats - the filmmakers give a blow-by-blow commentary on the original Baer-Braddock fight
The Man, the Movie, the Legend: A Filmmaking Journey - director Ron Howard and actor Russell Crowe discuss the intricate process of transforming Russell Crowe into Jim Braddock
Jim Braddock: The Friends & Family Behind the Legend - Braddock's greatest fans comment on the man and the myth behind this American hero
The Fight Card: Casting Cinderella Man - uncover the process that resulted in one of the finest all-star casts
For the Record: A History in Boxing - go back in boxing history with legendary trainer Angelo Dundee
Cinderella Man gallery presented by Kodak

Cinderella Man

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 12/06/2005

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Pre-1954 Standard

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 145 Minutes

Sides: 2

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1, Side A -- Cinderella Man
1. The Next Champ [7:58]
2. Past Due [8:23]
3. Washed Up [6:59]
4. Decommissioned [5:14]
5. Cut Off [10:14]
6. Emergency Relief [5:06]
7. One Last Chance [5:00]
8. Going in Hungry [9:42]
9. Sizing Up the Champ [4:09]
10. Back to Even [7:47]
11. Getting Serious [1:23]
12. Don't Back Down [2:43]
13. Count Your Blessings [8:03]
14. Know What You're Fighting For [5:25]
15. Giving Hope [8:00]
16. Find a Way Out [4:25]
17. Tremendous Underdog [3:39]
18. The Main Event [10:10]
19. Championship Round [10:06]
20. End Titles [13:00]

Perry Seibert

Cinderella Man probably isn't Ron Howard's best film, but it might be his most quintessential one. A man whose talents have always rested on getting audiences to like and root for characters, Howard uses every weapon -- acting, casting, lighting, editing, art direction, music -- at a filmmaker's disposal to win viewers over. He won more than half the battle to make Braddock likable as soon as he cast Russell Crowe. Braddock offers the kind of role he does better than anybody -- a man with a maelstrom of emotions swelling under the surface who, when given the opportunity, is able to exorcise those feelings in physical activity. He allows Braddock to lose much of his dignity without making him pathetic. Howard's ability to get good performances, his judicious lack of a saccharine score, and the detailed but never showy period details add up to a very Howardesque quality that might be called melodramatic realism. There are almost always interesting supporting performances in Howard's films, and Cinderella Man is no exception. Paul Giamatti, an actor simply unable to do anything out of character no matter who the character is, serves up yet another award-caliber performance. Set in a world that would not seem to reward intelligence, Giamatti's character thrives on that very attribute. He knows how to manipulate those around him, but never does so in a harmful way. His scenes with ace character actor Bruce McGill are textbook examples of great no-frills acting. The film has moments where it overreaches for the melodrama, and the drive of the film stalls slightly during the extended third act, where the audience is left waiting for too long for the final fight to start, but Cinderella Man is at its heart old-fashioned, crowd-pleasing entertainment made and performed without cynicism. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Brian Grazer  Producer 
Todd Hallowell  Executive Producer 
Ron Howard  Director 
Ron Howard  Producer 
Penny Marshall  Producer 
Thomas Newman  Composer (Music Score) 
Akiva Goldsman  Screenwriter 
Cliff Hollingsworth  Screenwriter 
Russell Crowe  Actor 
Renée Zellweger  Actor 
Paul Giamatti  Actor 
Craig Bierko  Actor 
Paddy Considine  Actor 
Bruce McGill  Actor 
Ron Canada  Actor 
David Huband  Actor 
Connor Price  Actor 
Ariel Waller  Actor 
Patrick Louis  Actor 
Rosemarie DeWitt  Actor 
Linda Kash  Actor 
Nicholas Campbell  Actor 
Gene Pyrz  Actor 
Alicia Johnston  Actor 
Troy Amos-Ross  Actor 
Mark Simmons  Actor 
Art Binkowski  Actor 
David Litziinger  Actor 
Rance Howard  Actor 
Angelo Dundee  Actor 

Country: USA