At moments it almost had me, but for the most part I just felt cold and watched with all the interest of a disgruntled spectator.
Cinderella Man (2005)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:200
Fresh:160
Rotten:40
Average Rating:7.4/10
Consensus: With grittiness and an evocative sense of time and place, Cinderella Man is a powerful underdog story. And Ron Howard and Russell Crowe prove to be a solid combination.
Runtime: 2 hrs 25 mins
Genre: Dramas
US Box Office: $61,548,295
Synopsis: Academy Award®-winning producer Brian Grazer, director Ron Howard and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (all Oscar® winners for 2001's A Beautiful Mind) are reunited with Oscar® winner Russell Crowe for... Academy Award®-winning producer Brian Grazer, director Ron Howard and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (all Oscar® winners for 2001's A Beautiful Mind) are reunited with Oscar® winner Russell Crowe for the Universal Pictures-Miramax Films-Imagine Entertainment production, Cinderella Man. Starring opposite Crowe is two-time Oscar® nominee Renée Zellweger. Crowe stars in the story inspired by the life of legendary athlete Jim Braddock, a once-promising light heavyweight boxer forced into retirement after a string of losses in the ring. As the nation enters the darkest years of the Great Depression, Braddock accepts a string of dead-end jobs to support his wife, Mae (Renée Zellweger), and their children, while never totally abandoning his dream of boxing again. Thanks to a last minute cancellation, Braddock finds himself back in the ring against the second-ranked world contender--and to everyone's amazement, Braddock wins in the third round. Despite being pounds lighter than his opponents and repeated injuries to his hands, Braddock continues to fight against challengers and win. Carrying on his shoulders the hopes and dreams of the disenfranchised masses, Braddock, dubbed the "Cinderella Man," faces his toughest challenger in Max Baer (Craig Bierko), the heavyweight champion of the world, renowned for having killed two men in the ring. Cinderella Man stars Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger and Craig Bierko; is produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Penny Marshall; is written by Cliff Hollingsworth, C. Gaby Mitchell, Akiva Goldsman; and is directed by Ron Howard. The film is a Universal Pictures/Miramax Films co-production of an Imagine Entertainment presentation, with Universal Pictures distributing domestically and Buena Vista International handling the international distribution of the film for Miramax. [More]
Starring: Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Paul Giamatti, Craig Bierko
Starring: Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Paul Giamatti, Craig Bierko, Bruce McGill, Paddy Considine
Director: Ron Howard
Director: Ron Howard
Screenwriter: Ron Howard, Akiva Goldsman, Cliff Hollingsworth
Producer: Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Penny Marshall, Todd Hallowell
Composer: Thomas Newman
Studio: Universal Pictures
Reviews for Cinderella Man
Intensely moving and superbly crafted....Russell Crowe’s portrayal of boxer James Braddock, is nothing short of brilliant..
So far, this great drama directed by Ron Howard and starring Russell Crowe is the summer movie season's real champ.
It might not move your soul, but it at least puts a smile on your face.
Proves that there's always room on the shelf for another riveting, elegant boxing film.
Crowe gives another solid performance, and Paul Giamatti (Sideways, American Splendor) adds to his shining reputation as a top character actor by playing Braddock's lippy manager, Joe Gould.
...Seabiscuit crossed with Million Dollar Baby without the messy moral questions.
It's hard to guess how much of the beautiful science Academy members can take, but let's worry about that next February.
...Giamatti steals every inch of celluloid he can get his hands on ...
Ron Howard and Russell Crowe have once again combined their efforts to create a big Hollywood biopic that exudes the strong whiff of Oscar bait.
A superficially rousing portrait of Depression-era legend James J. Braddock.
The new Ron Howard movie, "Cinderella Man," begins precisely where pop culture is currently at its happiest--smack in the middle of a boxing ring.
Crowe is at his best in the ring and while it's hardly surprising that he's a convincing bruiser, he also manages to make a rather one-note character compelling.
A tad bipolar, Cinderella Man's still remarkable film making...Russell Crowe is again, master and commander of what it is he does so well.
If you're the sort of occasional moviegoer who feels they don't make 'em like they used to -- well, you're right. Except that Howard and Russell Crowe have just proved you wrong.
Latest News for Cinderella Man
April 30, 2008:
Total Recall: Who's the Man?
This week, the long-awaited Iron Man storms theaters. Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, and Jeff Bridges also star, but Robert Downey Jr. is the man of the hour, playing Tony... More...
May 31, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: "Knocked Up" Expecting Solid Arrival
Call it the weekend of the actor/producer. Three new films with stars that do double duty behind the scenes (or have good agents that can snag a free credit) enter a marketplace... More...
April 10, 2007:
Play Ball With RT's Top Sports Movies Countdown!
It's spring again, and we all know what that means: The NBA and NHL are getting down to the wire, P.A. announcers across the land have dusted off their copies of John Fogerty's... More...
November 24, 2006:
"Batman & Robin" Writer Gets $4 Million for "Da Vinci" Prequel
Oscar-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman is allegedly earning a $4 million dollar paycheck for his adaptation of Dan Brown's "Angels & Demons," which features the... More...
More Movies
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 68% 68% | Sherlock Holmes | 26/12 |
| 40% 40% | The Lovely Bones | 26/12 |
| 100% 100% | The French Kissers | 26/12 |
| 85% 85% | Bright Star | 26/12 |
| 87% 87% | Nowhere Boy | 26/12 |
| 18% 18% | Alvin and the Chipmunk… | 26/12 |
| 11% 11% | Did You Hear About the… | 26/12 |
| 05% 05% | Old Dogs | 26/12 |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Around The Network
- Cinderella Man at Rotten Tomatoes
- Cinderella Man at IGN
- Cinderella Man at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

Last week, Moviefone offered us their worst films of the 2000s. Now see their 40 best!

Movieline gets bravely swept away with the recycled refuse of the 2000s.

Get all the latest movie updates, reviews, interviews and features here.
Competitions

We're giving away a bunch of stuff from the upcoming Squeakquel.



Top Critic


