OK, first off, let's get this mini review out of the way LOL...
Million Dollar Baby has been on the 'maybe next week' list for a while now - honestly, even though it won multiple Oscars, the whole female boxer succeeding against the odds blurb wasn't the most inspiring. However, it is well worth viewing, even at this late stage.
This movie starts slowly, with an average story focussing on the unfortunates on the wrong side of the tracks. Instead of looking down on the shining metropolis as in most LA based movies, Eastwood looks up to the skyscrapers from the grubby inner city streets, an angle I haven't seen since Falling Down.
But the heart of the movie begins when we are transported back to Maggie Fitzgerald/Hilary Swank's home town, and the smallminded, petty, wrongheaded version of life there. Maggie's mother, instead of thanking her daughter for the generosity she shows, only thinks how her welfare entitlements will be ruined. Instead of supporting Maggie in her choice of career, her mother and family belittle her. This, and another pivotal family scene, make us understand and sympathise with Swank's character.
After the first encounter with Maggie's real family, the surrogate father and daughter roles Frank Dunn/Clint Eastwood and Swank occupy swell to fill the entire movie. Eastwood and Morgan Freeman continue to get better with age, while Swank's acceptance speech at the Oscars makes slightly more sense after viewing the actual movie. But between the central Eastwood and Swank character relationship, even Freeman almost drowns in the plot, and the lesser characters could even be said to be a distraction.
The climax to the movie is emotionally searing, and perhaps in light of current events (the Schiavo case) makes more of an impact than it did even a few months ago. The movie goes beyond the expected cliche of a female Rocky and the acting is superb. It is heavy going towards the end, but if you are into strong dramas, this is a great movie to catch.
Pauly
Million Dollar Baby has been on the 'maybe next week' list for a while now - honestly, even though it won multiple Oscars, the whole female boxer succeeding against the odds blurb wasn't the most inspiring. However, it is well worth viewing, even at this late stage.
This movie starts slowly, with an average story focussing on the unfortunates on the wrong side of the tracks. Instead of looking down on the shining metropolis as in most LA based movies, Eastwood looks up to the skyscrapers from the grubby inner city streets, an angle I haven't seen since Falling Down.
But the heart of the movie begins when we are transported back to Maggie Fitzgerald/Hilary Swank's home town, and the smallminded, petty, wrongheaded version of life there. Maggie's mother, instead of thanking her daughter for the generosity she shows, only thinks how her welfare entitlements will be ruined. Instead of supporting Maggie in her choice of career, her mother and family belittle her. This, and another pivotal family scene, make us understand and sympathise with Swank's character.
After the first encounter with Maggie's real family, the surrogate father and daughter roles Frank Dunn/Clint Eastwood and Swank occupy swell to fill the entire movie. Eastwood and Morgan Freeman continue to get better with age, while Swank's acceptance speech at the Oscars makes slightly more sense after viewing the actual movie. But between the central Eastwood and Swank character relationship, even Freeman almost drowns in the plot, and the lesser characters could even be said to be a distraction.
The climax to the movie is emotionally searing, and perhaps in light of current events (the Schiavo case) makes more of an impact than it did even a few months ago. The movie goes beyond the expected cliche of a female Rocky and the acting is superb. It is heavy going towards the end, but if you are into strong dramas, this is a great movie to catch.
Pauly
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