| | | One Man's Extraordinary Fight To Save The Family He Loved.
Features: DVD, Pan and Scan (TV Format), Aspect Ratio 1.33:1, Dolby Digital (5.1); Dolby Surround Sound; DVS Dolby Digital (2.0), Feature Commentary, Deleted Scenes, Photo Gallery, Featurettes, English, Spanish, French Subtitled
Academy Award winners Russell Crowe and Rene Zellweger star in this triumphant, powerfully inspiring true story. In a time when America needed a champion, an unlikely hero would arise, proving how hard a man would fight to win a second chance for his family and himself. Suddenly thrust into the national spotlight, boxer Jim Braddock would defy the odds against him and stun the world with one of the greatest comebacks in history. Driven by love for his family, he willed an impossible dream to come true.
"Absolutely the best movie of the year so far. By far." Gene Shalit, The Today Show
"It will make you stand up and cheer." Clay Smith, Access Hollywood
"****" Mike Clark, USA Today
"Cinderella Man hits you right in the heart. It's the classic American tale of the family man triumphant." Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"Rousing, thrilling and inspirational." Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
Editor's Note
Director Ron Howard and star Russell Crowe re-team after their Oscar-winning collaboration, A BEAUTIFUL MIND, for this rousing biopic. It's the true story of boxer James J. Braddock (Russell Crowe), a heavyweight contender from New Jersey nicknamed "the Bulldog of Bergen," who lost his fame and fortune during the Great Depression only to win the hearts of the downtrodden during a spectacular comeback. Crowe is masterful as Braddock, with Renee Zellweger playing his wife, and Paul Giamatti as his loyal friend and manager, Joe Gould. The sharply observed script devotes a significant amount of screen time to the domestic struggles of Braddock's family; developing character and place with a wealth of period detail, so when the comeback starts, the payoff is enormous. The matches themselves are unforgettable: raw, intense, riveting, with more than a passing stylistic nod to Martin Scorsese's groundbreaking 1980 film, RAGING BULL. Though it may sound a bit formulaic, one should remember that this is the true and "original" underdog boxer story from which all others hail, and it's riveted together with true craftsmanship. Howard has a real skill for plucking audience members' heartstrings, and the performances are first-rate. Giamatti and Crowe play off each other in a rapport perfectly suited to their roles, especially at the ring, where the one's manic intensity makes a perfect contrast to the other's warrior grace.
| Features | The Fight Card: Casting Cinderella Man | | The Man, The Movie, The Legend: A Filmmaking Journey | | Full Screen Presentation | | Kodak Cinderella Man | | Ringside Seats | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Feature Commentary with Writer Cliff Hollingsworth | | For the Record: A History in Boxing | | Jim Braddock: The Friends & Family Behind the Legend | | DVD-ROM Features | | Feature Commentary with Director Ron Howard | | Feature Commentary with Writer Akiva Goldsman | | Deleted Scenes with Commentary by Director Ron Howard | | Audio: English, French Dolby Digital 5.1; Dolby Surround Sound, English DVS Dolby Digital (2.0) Stereo |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Universal |
| Release Date: 9/15/2009 |
| Running Time: 145 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2005 | | Catalog ID: 25839 | | UPC: 00025192583926 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English, French Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: French, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Standard 1.33:1 [4:3] |
| Cast & Crew | Craig Bierko | | Paul Giamatti | | Renee Zellweger | | Russell Crowe | | Cliff Hollingsworth - Story By | | Cliff Hollingsworth, et. al. - Screenplay | | Daniel P. Hanley, et. al. - Editor | | Ron Howard - Director | | Ron Howard, et. al. - Producer | | Salvatore Totino - Cinematographer | | Thomas Newman - Original Music By | | Todd Hallowell - Executive Producer | | Wynn Thomas - Production Designer |
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| | Professional Reviews | Entertainment Weekly
"[T]here's not another actor working in the movies today with Crowe's kind of gravitational pull to authenticity..." 06/10/2005 p.78-79New York Times
"Out of the ring and opposite Mr. Giamatti, Mr. Crowe eases into the boxer's soft side, at times beautifully; in the ring, he's repulsively believable." 06/03/2005 p.E18 USA Today
"The climactic matchup works splendidly for two reasons. There's so much on the line, and the staging is breathtaking..." 06/10/2005 p.4E Premiere
"Crowe's physical acting is miraculous....A top-notch entertainment and as fine a sports movie as one could hope for." 07/01/2005 p.44-46 Sight and Sound
"Imbuing his Braddock with uncommon dignity and integrity, Crowe creates an utterly human character..." 09/01/2005 p.59-60 Uncut
"Russell Crowe is rugged and resilient....It's a solid picture..." 10/01/2005 p.137 Rolling Stone
"[A] rousing drama....Director Ron Howard does justice to the true story of James J. Braddock..." 12/01/2005 p.92 Rolling Stone
Ranked #6 in Rolling Stone's "Top 25 DVDs Of 2005' -- "If there's any justice, DVD will rescue this rousing drama from shocking box-office indifference." 12/01/2005 p.92 Widescreen Review
"[An] emotional true story....This is a good soundtrack that works well with the story." 07/01/2006 p.65 Wall Street Journal
"The film is RAGING BULL minus the rage, though with a motivation that's at least as involving, and a lot more surprising." 05/22/2009 James Berardinelli's ReelViews 6 of 10
Consider Cinderella Man to be a Depression era Rocky. While that may at first seem like a glib way to describe Ron Howard's rags-to-riches boxing drama, a careful examination of the storyline reveals numerous similarities between this drama and Sylvester Stallone's Oscar winner. Perhaps that's because the formula associated with boxing movies demands a sameness. Whatever the reason, the specter of Rocky hovers over Cinderella Man like a restless thing. During the concluding moments, if you close your eyes, you can almost hear Apollo Creed gasping, "No rematch!" - James Berardinelli
Chicago Sun-Times 9 of 10
Cinderella Man is a terrific boxing picture, but there's no great need for another one. The need it fills is for a full-length portrait of a good man. Most serious movies live in a world of cynicism and irony, and most good-hearted movie characters live in bad movies. Here is a movie where a good man prevails in a world where every day is an invitation to despair, where resentment would seem fully justified, where doing the right thing seems almost gratuitous, because nobody is looking and nobody cares. Jim Braddock is almost transparent in the simple goodness of his character; that must have made him almost impossible to play. Russell Crowe makes him fascinating, and it takes a moment or two of thought to appreciate how difficult that must have been. - Roger Ebert
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