Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
The true story of boxer Jim Braddock who, following his retirement in the 1930s, makes a surprise comeback in order to lift his family out of poverty.
Cinderella Man is a well-crafted Depression-era boxing biopic elevated primarily by Russell Crowe's deeply committed central performance and strong support from Paul Giamatti. The underdog comeback narrative is inherently compelling but follows a fairly conventional sports biopic structure with few surprises. Ron Howard's direction is competent and the period recreation is solid without being visually distinguished. The ending, while emotionally satisfying and historically grounded, plays out largely as expected. Novelty is modest — the film does what it does with craft and sincerity, but the formula is familiar territory for the genre.