Cinderella Man

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Cinderella Man

PG-13

Released Jun 3, 2005

2h 24m

Biography

Drama

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Popcornmeter

80%

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208 Reviews

91%

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250,000+ Ratings

During the Great Depression, ex-boxer James J. Braddock (Russell Crowe) works as a day laborer until his former manager Joe Gould (Paul Giamatti) offers him a one-time slot against a rising young contender. After he wins a shocking upset, Braddock goes back into the ring full time, against the wishes of his frightened wife, Mae (Renée Zellweger). Dubbed "The Cinderella Man" for his rags-to-riches story, Braddock sets his sights on the defending champion, the fearsome Max Baer (Craig Bierko).

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Critics Consensus

With grittiness and an evocative sense of time and place, Cinderella Man is a powerful underdog story. And Ron Howard and Russell Crowe prove to be a solid combination.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

Howard's movie skillfully delivers that primal, heart-pounding satisfaction that is the promise of all boxing tales.

Nov 1, 2007

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Jay Ruttenberg

Time Out

As for the fights themselves, Howard brings nothing new to the canvas. Like the movie as a whole, they work fine enough, even while encased in leaden certitude.

Aug 17, 2007

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Mark Salisbury

Time Out

The fight scenes have a stinging authenticity and, although at 144 minutes it outstays its welcome, this is Howard's best film since Apollo 13

Jun 24, 2006

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David Walsh

World Socialist Web Site

As a film, Cinderella Man is terribly weak, thoroughly sentimental and predictable.

Feb 15, 2021

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Giamatti gives a daring, bold performance that easily could have drifted into a cartoonish character.

Rated: 3.5/4.0

Sep 5, 2020

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Micheal Compton

Bowling Green Daily News

In a season where adult films are at a minimum, it is a breath of fresh air.

Nov 18, 2019

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Garrett B

One of my all new favorite boxing biopics.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/18/25

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Shane O

Great acting, some scenes dragged a little and it was a bit cheesy but over all worth a watch

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/24/25

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Drew B

A powerhouse of a movie. Every performance pitch perfect. Crisp dialogue. A movie with something to say about The Great Depression. At its core; beyond being inspirational, beyond the blows we see coming at the screen, is a love story. Which for me is the hook. I love this movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/07/25

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Bless L

One of Crowe best, he wd make a great Bond

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/03/25

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Chris H

Great film. Ron Howard working his magic.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/14/24

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Cody W

After learning about the history of legendary boxer James Braddock, I thought I would give CINDERELLA MAN a try, and boy did it really deliver.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/13/24

Full Review

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Ron Howard

Director

Russell Crowe

Jim Braddock

Renée Zellweger

Mae Braddock

Paul Giamatti

Joe Gould

Craig Bierko

Max Baer

Paddy Considine

Mike Wilson

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Synopsis

During the Great Depression, ex-boxer James J. Braddock (Russell Crowe) works as a day laborer until his former manager Joe Gould (Paul Giamatti) offers him a one-time slot against a rising young contender. After he wins a shocking upset, Braddock goes back into the ring full time, against the wishes of his frightened wife, Mae (Renée Zellweger). Dubbed "The Cinderella Man" for his rags-to-riches story, Braddock sets his sights on the defending champion, the fearsome Max Baer (Craig Bierko).

Director: Ron Howard
Producer: Brian Grazer
Screenwriter: Akiva Goldsman, Cliff Hollingsworth
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Imagine Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Some Language|Intense Boxing Violence)
Genre: Biography, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 3, 2005, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 20, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $61.6M
Runtime: 2h 24m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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