Cinderella Man Essay

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Ron Howards film Cinderella man centers around an up and coming boxer named James J. Braddock who is following the American Dream during the Great Depression. The movie begins by painting Braddock as a star riding on cloud 9. He has wads of cash sitting on the dresser, a beautiful wife, healthy kids, and a house in a nice neighborhood. The bulldog of Bergen, as he is called in the ring, is on the cusp of being a world champion. Then without any immediate explanation James is destitute. He is living paycheck by paycheck to just keep his house running. Boxing helps to fill in the gaps but when he breaks his hand all is gone. He cant pay his bills and his wife sends the kids away to her parents. This leads to one of the defining moments of the movie. James J. Braddock the once proud fighter has to go to his old bosses and beg at their door for money. On top of that he gets on welfare just so his children can come home to a house with heat. After months of not being able to fight he is given one last chance. A series a wins later the bulldog finds himself in the ring for the championship. He defeats the reigning champion by unanimous decision. The winnings from the fight stabilize his family’s financial status for the rest of their lives. …show more content…

That sounds like an oxymoron but it is really a compliment to the film. The story can almost be explained simply by viewing the title and knowing it is about boxing. However it is easy to get so wrapped up in the individual parts of the characters lives there isn’t time to stop and think about the fact that what will happen next is obvious. The underdog boxer, or athlete, wins the title and it impacts his life and those around him. That movie has been made multiple times but it’s done so well that the recognizable plot line is masked. That is the best aspect of the movie as there are so many movies that fail at the attempt to remake a common

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