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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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

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alan g

Mostly fabricated and untrue. For once Ron Howard completely misses the mark. Possibly defames some of the background characters by changing historical facts. If you want an underdog story watch Rocky.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

09/30/24

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Richard H

You know it’s crazy sometimes when you come up on a movie and all of a sudden you get glued right into the action automatically this story just caught my eye one night. I was watching it In the background as I gradually got drawn and deeper and deeper Into it as it ran. It’s an amazing movie that I can grab your attention and enjoy in this movie had done just that. You won’t be disappointed. Well done on the acting all around. Great story.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/03/24

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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