Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers (WGA):

F.X. Toole (stories)
Paul Haggis (screenplay)

Release Date:

28 January 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sport

Tagline:

Beyond his silence, there is a past. Beyond her dreams, there is a feeling. Beyond hope, there is a memory. Beyond their journey, there is a love.

Plot:

A hardened trainer/manager works with a determined woman in her attempt to establish herself as a boxer.

Plot Keywords:

Age Difference | Suicide Attempt | Irish American | No Opening Credits | Death

Awards:

Won 4 Oscars. Another 45 wins & 29 nominations

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	Frankie Dunn
Hilary Swank	...	Maggie Fitzgerald
Morgan Freeman	...	Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris
Jay Baruchel	...	Danger Barch
Mike Colter	...	Big Willie Little
Lucia Rijker	...	Billie 'The Blue Bear'
Brian F. O'Byrne	...	Father Horvak (as Brian O'Byrne)
Anthony Mackie	...	Shawrelle Berry
Margo Martindale	...	Earline Fitzgerald
Riki Lindhome	...	Mardell Fitzgerald
Michael Peña	...	Omar
Benito Martinez	...	Billie's Manager
Bruce MacVittie	...	Mickey Mack
David Powledge	...	Counterman at Diner
Joe D'Angerio	...	Cut Man

Also Known As:

Rope Burns (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, some disturbing images, thematic material and language.

Runtime:

132 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Irish Gaelic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Taiwan:PG-12 | Canada:14A (Manitoba) | Malaysia:18SG | Portugal:M/16 | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Ontario) | Spain:13 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Iceland:14 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:16 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | UK:12A | USA:PG-13 | Ireland:15 (video rating) | Brazil:12

Filming Locations:

Hollywood Athletic Club - 6525 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Clint Eastwood was the only nominee for the Best Actor Oscar in 2005 to play a fictitious character. All four of the other nominees portrayed real people in their respective films.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Maggie is training with Frankie in the ring, you can see the power pack on her back.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris: [Narrating] Only ever met one man I wouldn't wanna fight. When I met him he was already the best cut man in the business. Started training and managing in the sixties, but never lost his gift.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Robot Chicken: Rodigitti (#2.8)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Solferino

Spoilers! Fun at times, suffers from clichés and maudlin ending

SPOILER ALERT! I enjoyed the cinematography. The gym looked great. Hilary Swank was good and the banter between Morgan Freeman and Clint Eastwood was highly engaging- but reminiscent of many "buddies" from many different movies. There was little original here.

The strange character of Danger was, well, strange. In the end he seemed to exist primarily so A) Eastwood could say grumpy things about him thus appearing to be gruff and lovable at the same time, and B) so Morgan Freeman could have a moment of glory when he punches out Danger's tormentor. I didn't mind these moments in the plot, but we must admit that they are not the stuff of genius. Disney provided countless similar moments in their live action movies of the seventies (See the Herbie series).

The boxing was utterly unbelievable for anyone who has actually watched boxing. However it was amusing to see Hilary knock out boxer after boxer much to her coach's- Clint's- exasperation.

The final opponent- the evil woman who cheats and knocks Hilary out- would surely have been suspended several times based on the behavior depicted in the film. This might not be obvious to everyone- but boxing is not professional wrestling.

Hilary's family is so ridiculously evil that I have to laugh when I remember them. The scenes of Hilary sitting by the hospital window day after day while her family went to Disneyland were painful- but not in the way they were meant to be.

The final scenes seem like a vote for euthanasia and I felt a little ripped off. There is a great deal that's implausible in these scenes. Where does Clint find the needle and the drugs? How does he know what to do? Why don't the nurses on duty catch on? Why isn't there an investigation? But even more importantly- there was no need for the secrecy. As far as I understand, Hilary needed to be on a ventilator or she would die. There is no law that says you have go on a ventilator- at least not in the province where I live. She could have requested to be removed from the machine and died peacefully, without Clint's apparent heroics.

Overall, very disappointing for a movie that was so hyped by critics. There was nothing outstanding about it. What was fun was far from original. What was bad was so bad that it seriously cripples the whole thing.

I can't imagine why intelligent critics loved it in such large numbers. Had this movie been released in February, I believe many people would have cooled toward it by the time Oscar season rolled around. Now I fear it may displace superior movies at the awards show, causing future critics and fans to scratch their heads.