Million Dollar Baby

The Good: Girls boxing - not only that, but kicking ass. And Clint, of course.

The Bad: If you find any, let me know.

The Bottom line: This movie has it all; strength, courage, emotion, heartache, despair, love and friendship; all that "mushy" stuff, and it still is badass.

            

            Eddie "Scrap-Iron" Dupris: "Boxing is an unnatural act. 'Cause everything in it is backwards. You wanna move to the left, you don't step left, you push on the right toe. To move right, you use your left toe. Instead of running from the pain - like a sane person would do, you step into it."

            In yet another addition to Clint Eastwood’s collection of golden statues, Million Dollar Baby added 3 Oscar’s (among a myriad of other awards) to his repertoire, including best picture and best director – not bad for a man of age 75 when the film came out. When I tried to ask Chuck Norris about a head-to-head with Clint, he was nowhere to be found, and is rumored to have fled to Persia.

            Chuck’s cowardice was of no concern to Mr. Eastwood however, as he directed and starred in my third entry into the badass category of our blog – Million Dollar Baby, also starring Hillary Swank (Maggie Fitzgerald) and Morgan Freeman (Eddie Dupris). 

            Now, most of my reviews have been about the up and coming underdog’s conquest of the man on top, and a rise from the gutters to the shoulders of America. While this film certainly fits the bill to an extent, it is more an emotional rollercoaster, and could not have been acted better by any one besides the main trio. Jay Baruchal ("Danger" Barch) provides the comical relief, and other ancillary characters give Clint a chance to flex his diversity muscle, but Hillary, Morgan, and Clint are the heart and soul of this movie. 

            Freeman plays the best friend loyal to a tee while Clint plays the hard-nosed but loveable boxing manager, and Swank is his student, stubborn and dedicated to the bone. Clint’s ability to show emotion while still remaining the epitome of what every man hopes to be is what makes the acting in the movie irreplaceable. Clint propels Swank to deliver the best acting of her career, and Freeman is the accent and icing on the cake. 

            Maggie Fitzgerald (Swank), a “piece of trash” as narrated in the film (by who else, Morgan Freeman), nags and nags Frankie Dunn (Eastwood) until he agrees to manage her in the boxing world. After months of training, she finally accepts a fight, and starts massacring her opponents. At one point, Frankie gets upset with her for knocking them out so quickly, because she’s missing out on valuable experience. As she climbs the ranks, Dunn sticks to his principles and doesn't give in to money, or fame, or a premature chance at the title. While training and working a job, Maggie furthermore has to deal with a greedy and unappreciative family. After seeing this, and through the training, a deep emotional bond develops between Dunn and Fitzgerald, and I'll leave you to see what "Me cuishle" (Maggie's Gaelic nickname given to her by Clint) means. Swank finally accepts a title fight against one of the meanest boxers to ever set foot in the ring. After the fight, the movie is far from over, but I’m not about spoiling great movies. After the fight is when you see acting at its best – Clint shows you his entire range in the piece, and for all you "sissy-emotional-movie-phobes" out there, this is a badass classic, so get over it.

            With Cinderella Man, James J. Braddock was your badass, and in Fight Club you had Brad Pitt and Edward Norton – however, they end up being one in the same, thus one badass. In Million Dollar Baby you get two for the price of one – Clint doesn’t even need to throw a punch to prove it, and if for some reason you thought he did, Swank picks up his slack with a barrage of knockouts and hooks you couldn't throw if your life depended upon it.

Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris: "Franklie likes to say that boxing is an unnatural act, that everything in boxing is backwards: sometimes the best way to deliver a punch is to step back...but step back too far and you ain't fightin' at all."