Cinderella Man (2005)
88%RT Audience Score: 91%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 3 Oscars
16 wins & 45 nominations total
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
Cinderella Man is a movie that packs a punch, both literally and emotionally. Ron Howard delivers a classic underdog story that will have you rooting for James J. Braddock from start to finish. The fight scenes are intense and realistic, and Russell Crowe gives a knockout performance as the titular character. Sure, it may be a bit sentimental at times, but who doesn’t love a good underdog story? It may not be Rocky, but it’s definitely a contender.
Production Company(ies)
Kennedy Miller Productions,
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
Distillery District, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for intense boxing violence and some language
Year of Release
2005
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:2h 24m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 3, 2005 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 6, 2005
Genre(s)
Biography/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger, Paul Giamatti, Craig Bierko, Paddy Considine, Bruce McGill, directed by Ron Howard, written by Akiva Goldsman, Cliff Hollingsworth, produced by Brian Grazer, biography, drama, PG-13, box office performance, budget, reviewed by David Ansen, Jay Ruttenberg, Mark Salisbury, Scott Tobias, Jonathan F Richards, Nev Pierce, David Walsh, Richard Propes, Micheal Compton, Miles Fielder, Dorothy Woodend, Russell Crowe as Jim Braddock, Renée Zellweger as Mae Braddock, Paul Giamatti as Joe Gould, Craig Bierko as Max Baer, Paddy Considine as Mike Wilson, Brian Grazer as producer, Akiva Goldsman as writer, Cliff Hollingsworth as writer, Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS, Scope (2.35:1)
Worldwide gross: $108,539,911
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $165,413,015
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 793
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 18,038,497
US/Canada gross: $61,649,911
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $93,953,437
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 778
US/Canada opening weekend: $18,320,205
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $27,919,687
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 498
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $88,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $134,110,533
Production budget ranking: 265
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $72,218,522
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$40,916,040
ROI to date (est.): -20%
ROI ranking: 1,498
Renée Zellweger – Mae Braddock
Paul Giamatti – Joe Gould
Craig Bierko – Max Baer
Paddy Considine – Mike Wilson
Bruce McGill – Jimmy Johnston
Director(s)
Ron Howard
Writer(s)
Akiva Goldsman, Cliff Hollingsworth
Producer(s)
Brian Grazer
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 3 Oscars
16 wins & 45 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (213) | Top Critics (57) | Fresh (170) | Rotten (43)
Howard’s movie skillfully delivers that primal, heart-pounding satisfaction that is the promise of all boxing tales.
November 1, 2007
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
As for the fights themselves, Howard brings nothing new to the canvas. Like the movie as a whole, they work fine enough, even while encased in leaden certitude.
August 17, 2007
Jay Ruttenberg
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
The fight scenes have a stinging authenticity and, although at 144 minutes it outstays its welcome, this is Howard’s best film since Apollo 13
June 24, 2006
Mark Salisbury
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
A superficially rousing portrait of Depression-era legend James J. Braddock.
September 26, 2005
Scott Tobias
AV Club
TOP CRITIC
The joy is in the playing, and Ron Howard pulls out all the stops like the organist at the old Madison Square Garden.
September 14, 2005
Jonathan F. Richards
Film.com
TOP CRITIC
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.
August 16, 2005 | Rating: 3/5
Nev Pierce
BBC.com
TOP CRITIC
As a film, Cinderella Man is terribly weak, thoroughly sentimental and predictable.
February 15, 2021
David Walsh
World Socialist Web Site
Giamatti gives a daring, bold performance that easily could have drifted into a cartoonish character.
September 5, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
In a season where adult films are at a minimum, it is a breath of fresh air.
November 18, 2019
Micheal Compton
Bowling Green Daily News
Even Howard and Goldsman’s penchant for being over-sentimental doesn’t scupper the emotional punch Braddock’s story packs. That’s largely down to Crowe’s utterly convincing performance.
April 26, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
Miles Fielder
The List
The complexities of genuine human beings have no place in a Ron Howard production. This is film where a good woman stands behind her man, children listen to their father, and the Great Depression is described as a bit of hard times.
August 24, 2017
Dorothy Woodend
The Tyee (British Columbia)
It ain’t no Rocky, but it ain’t half bad.
March 18, 2011 | Rating: 7/10
Joshua Starnes
ComingSoon.net…
Plot
During the Great Depression, common-man hero James J. Braddock (Russell Crowe), aka the Cinderella Man, was to become one of the most surprising sports legends in history. By the early 1930s, the impoverished ex-prizefighter was seemingly as broken-down, beaten-up, and out-of-luck as much of the rest of the American populace who had hit rock bottom. His career appeared to be finished, he was unable to pay the bills, his family
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels database for Cinderella Man.
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