Amazon.com: Cinderella Man: Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Paul Giamatti, Craig Bierko: Amazon Instant Video

Cinderella Man

Academy Award winners Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger star in the triumphant true story of a boxer who fights to win a second chance for his family and becomes an unlikely national hero.

Starring: Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger
Directed by: NBCU
Runtime: 2 hours 25 minutes
Release year: 2005
Studio: NBC Universal

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Synopsis: Academy Award winners Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger star in the triumphant true story of a boxer who fights to win a second chance for his family and becomes an unlikely national hero.

Starring: Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger

Supporting actors: Paul Giamatti, Craig Bierko, Paddy Considine, Bruce McGill, David Huband, Connor Price, Ariel Waller, Patrick Louis, Rosemarie DeWitt, Linda Kash, Nicholas Campbell, Gene Pyrz, Chuck Shamata, Ron Canada, Alicia Johnston, Troy Amos-Ross, Mark Simmons, Art Binkowski, David Litzinger, Matthew G. Taylor

Directed by: Ron Howard

Genre: Biography, Drama, Romance, Sport

Runtime: 2 hours 25 minutes

Captions and Subtitles: Details

Release year: 2005

Studio: NBC Universal

MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense boxing violence and some language

ASIN: B001GZPZXU

Rights & Requirements

Rental rights: 24 hour viewing period. Details

Purchase rights: Stream instantly and download to 2 locations. Details

Format: Amazon Instant Video (streaming online video and digital download)

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176 of 191 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting Humanity June 18, 2005

By Robert Morris HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Friends had warned me that much of the first part of this film was slow and they had made the same observation of Angela's Ashes. I disagree with them about both. In Cinderella Man (a phrase attributed to Damon Runyon), it is imperative that James Braddock's circumstances and those of his family are carefully, unhurriedly established to create an appropriate context for the process by which he resumed his career as a professional fighter in 1934 and then faced Max Baer on June 13th, 1935, in Long Island City, N.Y. Although a 10-1 underdog, Braddock won the heavyweight championship of the world. (The film takes us to this point.) He would lose his heavyweight title two years later in an 8 round KO to Joe Louis, "The Brown Bomber." Braddock retired after a final win over Tommy Farr in 1938.

Other reviewers have shared their own reasons for thinking so highly of this film. Here are mine. First, perhaps only in Raging Bull is the physicality of boxing so compellingly portrayed. Also, I admire the skills of those who recreated a period more than 70 years ago, one during which the Braddocks and millions of others struggled to overcome hunger and illness as well as poverty and especially terror and humiliation. Under Ron Howard's direction, the quality of acting is outstanding, notably Paul Giamatti as Braddock's manager and trainer, Joe Gould. (I still think that Giamatti should have at least been nominated for an Academy Award in recognition of his performance as Miles Raymond in Sideways.) With regard to Renée Zellweger (as Braddock's wife Mae) and Craig Bierko (as Max Baer) as well as Paddy Considine, Bruce McGill, Ron Canada, David Huband,�Linda Kash, and Nicholas Campbell, they had to work within quite specific limitations in their supporting roles.... Read more ›

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86 of 91 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Crowe Superb in Extraordinary Film Bio... December 10, 2005

By Benjamin J Burgraff VINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

"Cinderella Man", Ron Howard's heart-felt film biography of boxing legend James J. Braddock, never received the recognition it deserved when first released, due, in large part, to Russell Crowe's bad press following a telephone-throwing incident. Overzealous critics tended to lump the incident and film together, and despite Crowe's public apology, many moviegoers skipped it. Now that the film is available on DVD, it's time to acknowledge the film for what it always HAS been; director Howard and star Crowe's FINEST film, together!

Braddock's story is so amazing and inspirational, that it is astonishing that it's taken seventy years to tell it. Sylvester Stallone 'borrowed' from it, extensively, in creating "Rocky", and in viewing the film, the parallels between fact and fiction are obvious; Braddock had been an 'up and comer' in the twenties, but broken bones and ill-advised matches had cost him a championship shot. Then the Depression struck, Braddock was wiped out, financially, and he struggled to support his wife and family through the most harrowing period in American history. Considered 'washed up' and too old for a comeback, all the boxer had going for him was his wife's love, his manager's faith, and his personal integrity, which refused to allow him to give up. He tenaciously climbed back up the ranks of younger title contenders, earning the adoration of a country trying to rebuild their own lives, as well, until, finally, he had his championship match, against ruthless 'killing machine' Max Baer. Their match would become the stuff of legends!

To director Howard's credit, he never 'over-sentimentalizes' the story, or tries to turn it into a soft-focus 'fairy tale'.... Read more ›

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26 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars You can have Rocky, I'll take Cinderella Man. August 19, 2005

By Charlotte Proctor

Format:DVD

If you see only one movie this year, see Cinderella Man, starring Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger, directed by Ron Howard. You will be glad you did. Well-written, acted and directed, it will deserve any laurels it takes this coming award season. This review contains "spoilers". The movie is based on a real life--knowing how the story ends does not in any way detract from one's appreciation of it.

Cinderella Man is the story of James J. Braddock, a boxer in the 1930s who after suffering injury and a losing streak, came back to win the heavy-weight Championship. It is a mesmerizing story with indelible imagery of The Great Depression. The blood and violent behavior was appropriate to the story-confined as it was to the boxing ring.

Ron Howard makes movies about real people and real events-Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind, for instance. He sometimes glosses over, or skips entirely, unpleasant or unsavory events in the lives he translates to the visual medium. Nothing I have read or heard indicates that Jim Braddock was not the fine, fair, good man that we see onscreen. An example: After returning to the ring, Braddock (portrayed by Russell Crowe with jug ears) returned all the money he had drawn the past couple of years to the Relief Office. Not that you could do that today-there's no form for it. Nor would modern man see the reason for it.

The movie begins with the young Braddock, winning every fight, never being knocked out, providing a comfortable life for his wife and children. He was a family man, a virtuous man who loved and took care of his family. Then comes his family's grim financial decline in the early 1930s, after he was hurt in the ring, was out of work and on Relief-much to his shame.... Read more ›

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Rent This

This was a wonderful movie. The plot moved forward in every scene. The characters
grew through conflict in every scene. This may be Russell Crowe's best performance. Read more

Published 18 days ago by Jeffrey

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Story

Great story about a remarkable man, during some of the nations most trying times. Gives us a view of how hard times were during the Great Deperssion.

Published 19 days ago by Ron Wagner