Review of Million Dollar Baby (2004) by Harry R — 27 Apr 2013

This movie is pretty good, I enjoyed watching it but I dont think it deserves the rhetoric that other reviewers indulge it.

It sounds sacrilegious, but I didn't think that Freeman or Eastwood had particularly strong performances. Clint's voice and face was too gruff for his character, or perhaps his character wasn't gruff enough for his face, whatever it was - something didn't add up about this guy. Morgan Freeman was in this movie so they could have a good voice over guy. His role was pretty much the old guy who hangs around and says wise things (even though he clearly didn't have a grip on his own affairs). Swank made this movie for me. Perhaps it is because I know almost nothing about boxing that I totally believed her physicality, I would not be surprised if you told me she was a real boxer. She was the only true character in this for me, except maybe her 315 pound mum - who I loved to hate.

Its a kind of clumsy movie, not efficiently getting the necessary things done. However, the story is very nice and of course it is beautifully and subtly shot. Not a masterpiece, but a well made tragic sporting movie, with Swank pulling out an amazing performance.