Million Dollar Baby
This multiple Oscar winner follows a determined young athlete who, through her sheer determination, awakens a long-lost fire within two aging boxers. Despondent over a painful estrangement from his daughter, trainer Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) isn't prepared for boxer Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) to enter his life. Maggie's determined to go pro, and she eventually convinces Dunn and his cohort (Morgan Freeman) to help her get to the top.
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» Reviewed by 11 people
This movie is about a looser. She is not a tragic hero either. It is rather odd in how the main character would have such determination to get where she did and then all of the sudden decide that her life was not worth living when she had become disabled. She was faced with certain disabilities or obstacles all throughout her career in the movie, why would she fold up this way? There are so many better stories of disabled people who are actually able to overcome many aspects of their disabilities including the story of Daniel Iagatta III, Stephen Hawking, and many others. Their stories are worth far more than this one about wallowing in self-pity and giving up on life.- rje 1385543
Just after midway through this movie I thought to myself "wow I see where this is going, and I like this movie". a long ardeous hour later I was thinking.. "gee. I saw this coming an hour ago, and we're still not there? How much more must I endure?". What I did not appreciate was the crew's non-subtle approach to the issues Swank's and Eastwood's characters were going through. What the movie conveyed in the last hour, after the fight with the ex-prostitute from Germany, might have been summarized in half the time. As horrible as it sounds, by the end of the movie I was thinking "Thank God that's over!!". Still I feel it's worth a watch, but expect to feel like you've gone through an epic.
- AM_NYC
To me, Clint Eastwoods Million Dollar Baby is just routine Hollywood product but with a much higher-than-usual schmaltz content. Its not even worth a review. Quite obviously, Hilary Swanks character never had a chance. She was conceived, born, brought to adulthood and finally killed off for no other purpose than the evocation of pathos in her sad ending. From her dirt poor beginnings in a Missouri trailer park, the good daughter of a welfare cheat and an absent father, to her job waiting tables for minimum wage to her burning ambition to box to her apparent friendlessness and lack of any romantic interests, Eastwood and his screenwriter, Paul Haggis, have designed her solely to be the sympathetic victim she turns out to be. We know from the start how its going to come out because everything is created so as to make it come out the way it does. Meanwhile Eastwood himself is so taken up with his own posturings as "The Unforgiven" havent we seen that somewhere before? and the romantic pose of the Byronic hero, in love with the idea of his own damnation, that he cant see how obvious it is that his picture is rigged, like a rigged fight.
- Dean2006@Hollywood
After all the Oscar hype, I decided to check out Million Dollar Baby. Needless to say, I was very pleasantly surprised. If ever there was a screenplay that would benefit from Eastwood's touch, it was this one. His stark and simplistic style fit the story perfectly. Acting wise, he nailed the character and I can't imagine anyone else playing the part better. Morgan Freeman's role wasn't as small as I had expected and his part was very integral to the story. Swank's character was a little more shallow than the others, in my opinion, but she really got to stretch her legs as an actress in the third act. Overall, the performances were what one would expect from this lineup of A-list actors: top notch and Oscar-worthy. The first two acts of the film were fairly standard boxing movie material. What made the film stand out was the relationships between the characters and how they evolved. Every character made a transition through the course of the movie. Million Dollar Baby was a boxing movie, sure, but it was more about human nature, interaction, and the ways we as humans can effect each other. This really brought the characters down to Earth, making the viewer able to relate to the stars in some fashion. The third act was far from what I was expecting. I can't say too much without revealing any key plot points, but it was extremely moving and emotional. If you can steer away from spoilers and friends with large mouths, do so. You will appreciate the movie much more this way. Million Dollar Baby is a great boxing movie, but it's also much more. It's a real life story with characters that feel like people you might know. The ending is surprising and emotional. When the credits rolled, I realized that I actually cared about the characters and the outcome. While I'm not sure Million Dollar Baby was the best picture of 2004, it certainly had some Oscar worthy performances.
- eclapham
I loved this film. Clint Eastwood was great but Hilary Swank definitely made this movie. The sad thing is that I know people just like Maggie's family, and Morgan Freeman's narration was perfect. I highly recommend this movie. The 2 hours just move along effortlessly and leave you wanting more. Worth the Oscar 5 stars *****
- Hm3Deadcat
There's a quietness in Clint Eastwood's acting that I love. It's a very deep introspection, where he communicates more in silence and glint than vocally with his now characteristic gravel. He takes the same approach to his direction. He's the kind of man that I'd pay to sit in front of while he speaks. Surely every sentence is packed with grandfatherly wisdom. The somber deliberation he paints in each scene of Million Dollar Baby only confirms it for me. I have to be honest, I don't even like boxing... or boxing movies, for that matter. Sure, I saw Rocky on video tape when I was 10 and had a new hero for the next 6 months to the tune of "Eye of the Tiger." But as with all great narratives, Million's plot is mere window dressing to the human drama underneath. I.e., it's not about boxing. What it is about is lost opportunities and overcome obstacles. Yet, I'm not doing it any justice by describing it as such. I lack the grace that Eastwood wields with his camera and piano. Yes that's right, he did both for his latest film. There's a distinct refinement and calmness to each one. He takes his time turning each page, yet there's not a dull moment. In fact, there were two scenes that was near stomach-churning in their brutality.
- ElectroLund
I didn't really know what to expect coming into this one, and to be honest, through the first 30 minutes or so, I was afraid this one was going to drift into a retread of every boxing movie to come down the pike. But the movie evolves, the characters gain form, and then tragedy strikes, and in the end, you realize this is far being a garden variety boxing flick. These actors are pros, and when given a good script like this one, their talents shine though. Don't let the boxing aspect of this one prevent you from checking it out, it's good stuff.
- Upside Down John
Clint Eastwood's MILLION DOLLAR BABY is a delicate film about hard people. You can see it in the sunken eyes of, Boxing trainer, Frankie Dunn (Eastwood). His gravely voice indicates a man going through the motions and stuck in his ways, eluded by simple comforts of life and an estranged daughter. When a spirited waitress named Maggie Fitzgerald tries to turn her life around she looks to Dunn to, literally, show her the ropes. It ignites a elegant father-daughter dynamic that is perfectly juxtaposed against the saliva, blood and shattered teeth of the boxing world. Eastwood directs the film rhythmically, like a Jazz song, and in the process creates the best boxing movie since ROCKY and one of the few recent films to actually deserve the label of a "classic."
- TroyJ15
The heart of "Million Dollar Baby" isn't in the story, which is good but not terribly original. The heart of this film is in the actors, in Eastwood's wonderful direction and in Tom Stern's stellar cinematography. I was blown away by the beauty of almost every shot, the care taken with every sequence. This film was obviously a labor of love for all involved, and I consequently loved watching it.
- LB in Idaho
Ugh, this was entirely too long and certainly over rated and over hyped. I won't take anything away from Swank's brilliant performance but I rarely cared what was going on. And the ending was not only what I was expecting but also depressing and ill-fitting. Clearly targeted for critical praise, I found this movie nothing special from an everyman perspective. Perhaps worse, I actually felt like I had wasted my time once the credits ran. You guys can have this one, I'll pass.
- Creeper
Marvelous filmaking! Eastwood has proven time and again that he is a film director of insight and sensitivity. This film was both uplifting and yet heartbreaking--I started out thinking that this was Eastwood's take on the Rocky theme--very interesting--but I was knocked out by the last third or so of the film which leaves Rocky in it's dust. Wonderful performances by Swank, the ever dependable Freeman, and of course Eastwood himself. Eastwood uses his lighting in a way that suggests black and white noir film, even though the entire film is in color. If you have not seen this award winning film in the theater or rented it yet, a very satisfying experience awaits!!
- TH Reviews