Customer Reviews

Million Dollar Baby [VHS]

5 star:		(342)
4 star:		(64)
3 star:		(51)
2 star:		(35)
1 star:		(39)

 

 

Hillary Swank (Margaret Fitzgerald), who proved her athleticism in her first major role, The Next Karate Kid, demonstrated it again, pummeling a heavy bag with a power left on which I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end. She's very convincing in this movie - both as a young woman from humble beginnings who wants to make a better life for herself, and as a boxer. In Million Dollar Baby, she returns to the visceral emotional range that left us so deeply moved in Boy's Don't Cry.

Clint Eastwood (Frankie Dunn), who has proved himself repeatedly, has perhaps turned in the best performance of his career. At times irascible, intellectual, mournful, instructive, reflective, passionate - in every manifestation, he reaches you. He was brilliant.

And Morgan Freeman is, well, Morgan Freeman. As the narrator of the story, and an actor within it, he lends a soft-spoken touch that ameliorates some of the film's darker elements. He also lent the film a certain amount of boxing sagacity, as he spoke in non-technical and sometimes quasi-technical terms of the basics of boxing.

This film ain't no Rocky. It has an intelligence and compassion that Rocky (and virtually every boxing film ever made, save perhaps Raging Bull) couldn't think to have. Beyond that, it actually has better fight sequences. More often than in most boxing films - certainly the very poor choreography of the Rocky fight sequences - the punches looked and felt real, or as real as "fake" can make them.

Margaret introduces herself to Frankie after a fight and asks him to train her. He turns her down flat, saying that he doesn't train girls. Given her pluckiness, she appears at his gym the next day, punching a heavy bag with all of the skill, style and fluidity of Pinocchio. Finally he agrees to train her ("finally" takes a while, and watching it come to fruition, the subtle changes in Eastwood's character, is a real treat to watch), and soon she is ready for her first fight.

Here's the only similarity to Rocky: she turns out to be a natural, with a wicked left hook and overhand right (at least that I could see) and is knocking out all of her opponents in the first round. Some might think that this is, perhaps, a bit much. However, in the sport of women's boxing, such a thing isn't uncommon. PLEASE don't think that I'm saying women are not good boxers or don't have the same abilities that men do. It's simply that the increasing popularity of the sport hasn't quite yet led to the kind of talent that exists in men's boxing (although, frankly, talent on that side isn't exactly at it's apex). Her superiority over lesser opponents isn't unheard of.

There's so much more I want to say about this film, because from this point forward it moved from being one of the best films of the year - purely on the strength of the writing, and the performances of Swank and Eastwood in particular - to one of the best films I've seen in several years. I'm so grateful that reviewers didn't give away the ending. I'll just say that the ending is layered with surprises, and that it's been a very, very long time that I haven't seen a single cell phone being used (how annoying is that, even with all of the polite requests and warnings?), and also seen so many in the theater remain in their seats long after the movie ended.

It's a brilliant, brilliant film, the kind that makes me want to go back and change the number of stars I've given most movies that I've reviewed, simply so that this 5 star review means more. I recently gave Sideways, Closer, and Finding Neverland 5 stars, and while they are all very, very worthy films - I'd like to give this one six.

Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) is "the best cut man in the business' intones the narrator, Morgan Freeman in "Million Dollar Baby." Frankie can clean up a cut in seconds so that a fighter can get back in the ring and at the very least finish the fight and at best, win.
Yet Frankie can't heal the emotional wounds of his life even though he spends 365 days a year at Mass and writes letters to his estranged daughter every day asking for, I assume forgiveness. But the letters come back marked "Return to Sender" and Frankie files them away in a box and his life returns to the needs and wants of his Gym for Boxers and to his best friend, confidant and former fighter, Eddie Dupris (Morgan Freeman).
And then Maggie Fitzgerald walks into Frankie's Gym, pays her Gym dues for six months and asks Frankie every day to train her. And everyday he turns her down: "you're too old, too skinny...and you're a girl," he says.
Until one day she wears him down, he concedes to her wishes and there begins a Cinderella story of fights won, money earned and glory attained. And then it's all taken away.
Eastwood has made some great, even unforgettable films: "The Unforgiven, "Bird" to name a couple. But he has done nothing to match the guts, emotional power and poignancy of "Million Dollar Baby." And Hillary Swank, pretty much floundering after "Boys Don't Cry," is as sunny, thoughtful and real as she's ever been.
There is a scene towards the end of "MDB" between Frankie and Maggie in which Frankie explains the meaning of a Gaelic nickname that he has given Maggie that grabs at your heart and is so beautifully realized that you are galvanized with emotion. It's so real and so true to the tone of the film that you can't help but gasp.
"Million Dollar Baby" is Eastwood at his most emotionally aware and naked. This film comes from the deepest areas of Eastwood's heart and soul. It is a brave and honest film from one of the best purveyors of our Hopes and Dreams.

An instant classic. This was not only the best picture of the year, but could be the most emotional film I have ever seen. Freeman's narration performance was even more moving than in Shawshank. If you think you know where Clint is going with this film, you don't. One of my top 10 favorites of all time. I loved this movie, and I hope you do too.

Like others, I went into this movie knowing the basics. Clint Eastwood trains Hilary Swank to be a professional boxer. I only saw this movie because it is nominated in the Best Picture category, among others, & I felt to need to see it. I went into this movie with no expectations. I really thought I would think it was ok. Well, it FAR surpassed my expectations. After seeing this movie, I can finally understand what all the hype is about it! If you havent seen it, GO NOW! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! Million Dollar Baby is a little bit of everything. A little drama, a little comedy & alot of heart tugging moments. I'm not going to give away the ending. .. that's for you guys to go see for yourselves. I will say however, that it will be money well worth spent. I have seen all 5 nominated films & I will be pulling for this Million Dollar Movie to take home the Best Picture Oscar!

When I first saw the trailer for Million Dollar Baby, I was turned off by the boxing subject matter. I get no joy from watching two people beat each other bloody until one gets knocked out.

But we have this great home theater, and are constantly looking for new DVDs to watch. So when the DVD came out I bought it. I am a Clint Eastwood fan, and I like Hillary Swank, and Morgan Freeman. So I thought that I would give it a try. After all, it did win several Oscars!

I was BLOWN AWAY by this movie. It is not really about boxing. It is a very human drama. A tender, moving, and heartbreaking story. The directing, cinematography, and acting are first rate.

Buy this movie. It is not what you expect!

Scott Silverman
Rockville, MD

Waitress Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) wants to be a boxer. Problem is she has no experience and she's too old. At 31, most professional boxers have been and done the best of their careers. Maggie doesn't care. All she wants to do is box.

Trainer Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) goes to church every day, reads books to expand his mind and writes his estranged daughter once a week hoping she'll write back. Frankie has never trained a woman before and has no desire to start now.

Eddie Dupris (Morgan Freeman) is a retired boxer who has a room in the back of Frankie's gym. He cleans up after the boxers and provides moral support and direction to Frankie who stood by him during his last fight when his manager was off having a good time somewhere else. He thinks Frankie should train Maggie and he loves Maggie's tenacity.

Maggie pretty much camps out on Frankie's door step (gym) until he agrees to train her. Their relationship immediately extends beyond that of trainer and trainee to daughter and father figure. These three make up an unlikely but solid family unit.

MDB was nothing like what I was expecting. I expected a female Rocky and ended up with an intense emotional drama with the usual specs of humour Eastwood provides. The uplifting quality of watching someone train to be the best they can be is present but not the main focus. Family, love, loss, determination, friendship, loyalty, betrayal are all prominent themes. MDB was wonderfully shot and acted. They deserved the 7 academy nominations and 4 wins they received. This movie is definitely worth adding to your Eastwood/Swank/Freeman collection. Bring tissues.

It has been quite a few years since Clint Eastwood was reamed by critics for starring and sometimes directing ultra-violent vigilante action thrillers. What they neglected to acknowledge is that Eastwood has always had a strong sense of story, and age has really sharpened his filmmaking techniques to a deeply resonant emotional level without the need for gimmickry or special effects. Nowhere is his immense talent more evident than in his latest film, which despite marketing that would lead you to believe it's the distaff version of "Rocky", is actually a low-key, patiently paced, three-person drama that takes a surprising turn that lifts the movie into something quite extraordinary. Once you see it, you will have no doubt why it is scooping up so many awards. In fact, the only thing wrong with the movie is the title, which seems almost too comically ironic for such an enriching film.

The basic story is simple, almost corny really. A spunky female fighter from the wrong side of the tracks, Maggie Fitzgerald, wants a grizzled old trainer, Frankie Dunn, to guide her to become a professional boxer. Of course, the trainer owns a third-rate gym with an array of male fighters encompassing all the stereotypes. He also has an aged assistant, Scrap, who is of course, willing to champion Maggie's potential more than Frankie, at least at the beginning. Eastwood, however, belies the predictability and takes his story to a far deeper and more nuanced level than one would presume from this set-up. It turns out that Maggie is pushing 32 and considered over-the-hill for getting into the game. Frankie is estranged from his daughter, reads Yeats, studies Gaelic and goes to Mass every day mostly to annoy the young priest. Scrap was a contender trained by Frankie but lost an eye and his boxing future when a match went awry. How these three characters interact with each other supplies the film's main pleasure, not really the obligatory boxing scenes that will assuredly make one wince by their realism. In fact, one of the more painful scenes in the movie is not in the boxing ring but in a new house that Maggie buys for her ungrateful mother, when Maggie comes to the revelation that she has no one but Frankie to provide emotional support in her life. This is not to say the film lacks humor, as Eastwood infuses a clever sensibility that subtly draws you into these characters' lives without hesitation. The story follows Maggie's ascension in the boxing world, and what happens beyond that development is devastating. While it is enough to say there is tragedy involved, leave it to Eastwood, in his straightforward, confident directorial approach, to make the last part of the story surprisingly life-affirming and not at all exploitative. Only a filmmaking master could pull off such a feat in such an honest and emotionally affecting manner.

As an actor, Eastwood continues to impress primarily by his innate connection to Frankie. Probably not since his surprisingly open-hearted turn in "The Bridges of Madison County" has he made himself so vulnerable onscreen, granted this time under the veneer of his hard-earned, leather-faced machismo. His sense of authority is never in question here, and he shows it off with great relish, especially as his character realizes how much more complicated life becomes as he grows older. Morgan Freeman plays Scrap with his customary humanistic skill. In fact, he provides the narration as a voiceover letter to Frankie's daughter in a manner that will remind you of his similar turn in "The Shawshank Redemption". That's not to say his performance is unsurprising, as he and Eastwood have an easy rapport that plays to both actors' strengths. But the standout is Hilary Swank, who has languished somewhat since her stunning work in "Boys Don't Cry" five years ago. She portrays Maggie with an emotional directness and piercing vulnerability that cuts right to the heart. Not only is she physically impressive in the gym and in the ring, but she elevates what could have been a one-note character into someone far more complex, intelligent and affecting. I doubt if I have seen a more realistically heartbreaking performance all year. If you are wary of sports movies, please don't be put off by the commercials. This is a wonderfully profound film with superlative acting. Strongly recommended.

wow, i was expecting M$B to be a good movie, just like Mystic River, with good performances and a decent plot, but what i got was a genius heart touching movie, that not only became one of my favorite movies this year, but one of my favorites of all time. The drama was deep and the situation and life changing decisions taken by the main characters are moving. It is realistic and explores de basic human principles. A subtle yet beautiful work of art. The best of the year

"Million dollar baby" is a complete winner of a film. This is actually an Oscar recepient that is hard to dispute. Knockout performances from Freeman, Eastwood, and especially Swank. It's really hard not to be moved by this film once it has been seen in its entirety.

"Million Dollar Baby" is laced with just the right amount of honesty, comedy, integrity, action, drama, and tragedy. It really is a beautiful piece of work that should equally appeal to both sexes and audiences of every age. This film definitely has it all.

"Million Dollar Baby" is a movie that is not worth describing the plot for, as it really must be seen to be appreciated and respected. Swank and especially Eastwood should be proud of what they have given us. A crowning acheivement for two outstanding performers.

If you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favor and make it the next movie on your list. "Million Dollar Baby" is without a doubt a landmark film and and a new American classic.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Million Dollar Baby is by far the best movie I have seen this year. I buy movies rather than renting & lately I have been dissapointed by the quality of movies. All of my frends call me the 'hopeless critic' b/c they feel i analyze & criticize movies too often. However, this is one movie that impressed me. I came into this blind, I never saw the preview and had not heard anything about the movie. I was 'shocked' at the ending. I could never have predicted that turn of events. Clint, Morgan, and Hilary all delivered solid, believable, and heart-felt performances. Lucia had a smaller yet equally important role & she also did a good job. I will admit I was teary-eyed at the end. My boyfriend loved it for the action/boxing scenes. We both agreed it was worth buying for the movie collection. This is a must-see! GREAT MOVIE! Quality Drama!