This is a Ron Howard directed film, so you know it’s good. Howard almost never (if not never) disappoints with his films. And it has a great cast with Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Paul Giammati, among others starring in it. It tells the true story of James Braddock (played by Crowe) who was a popular boxer until the Great Depression hit, and he and his family lose everything. He and his wife Mae (played by Zellweger) and their children are struggling to scrape by, and he can only find work as an occasional day laborer.

The turning point comes when his former manager Joe (played by Giammati) gives him the opportunity to get back in the boxing ring for a 1-time fight with a young man who was very good. After he shockingly defeats that man in the fight- it leads to opportunities to go back to boxing full time. His ultimate goal was to bring his family back out of poverty- and that’s how the media came to name him “The Cinderella Man”. There is also a parallel story of him wanting to go up against the popular defending champion Max Baer (played by Craig Bierko).

One of the things that this movie does very well, is give you a glimpse into what the Great Depression was like, and how it was hard on almost everybody, regardless of who you were, and what people had to do to get by. It’s heartbreaking. Another thing it does well, is show you the fights that he had, in sequence, to show you his progress, but at the same time, not spending a ton of time on each one. It shows what is important, and then moves on. Lastly, it shows the relationship between James and Mae, how strong their bond is through the ups and downs.

To sum it up, I recommend this movie!