Cinderella Man ***1/2
Cast: Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger, Connor Price, Paddy Considine, Paul Giamatti
Director: Ron Howard
Running Length: 2:24
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Jim "Bulldog" Braddock (Crowe) is a figher making his way up the ranks in 1928 to become a viable challenger for the boxing championship. His wife Mae (Zellweger) cannot bear to watch him in the ring, and waits at home for him to return after every match. They are happy. Five years later, the Great Depression plagues the country. Jim no longer is on the fast track. He gets paid little for poor fights. Breaking his hand ends his time in the ring, and he soon finds himself as a longshoreman.

That job does not pay enough, and soon the electricity is cut off in their apartment, and the kids are sent to his in-laws to live. One day, former manager Joe Gould (Giamatti) sets him up as a last minute replacement in a match with a contender. He is expected to get pummelled, but surprises the crowd and himself with a victory. Pretty soon he is on the fast track again, and who knows how far he will go?

"Cinderella Man" is based on the true life story of Braddock, and is more than just a boxing movie. I found the treatment of the Great Depression to be absolutely fascinating. Director Ron Howard gives a very real feeling of what that era was like. Crowe and Giamatti shine in their respective roles, and the boxing scenes are top notch. This is a very good film that will be remembered come Oscar time.