Just saw it on HBO this weekend during my road trip home. Wonderful film. Certainly my favorite of Eastwood’s and one in which his score works, unlike “Mystic River” in which it was obvious and off-putting. The acting in this one was less obvious as well.
3.
srv
He created a great and wonderful story, and then f’d it up by throwing all the subtlety out.
4.
jg
I just finished watching it on TIVO. Then I jump on the net, check Balloon Juice and there’s a post about MIllion Dollar Baby.
Weird.
5.
Ancient Purple
It was no “Showgirls”!
6.
srv
Weird.
Not weird. Either you spend too much time on TiVo, or too much time here.
7.
jg
Weird.
Not weird. Either you spend too much time on TiVo, or too much time here.
Or both.
8.
Mike S
Boy did the wingnuts hate that movie. God forbid someone see that end of life issues aren’t easy. It was fun to watch them bitch and whine though. It’s a wonder they have any enamele left after all the knashing they do.
9.
RonB
There’s so many bad movies out there that a well done, straightforward, easy to telegraph tragic tale like that one stands out as notweorthy.
10.
Stormy70
I would watch it, but my unexplainable dislike for Hillary Swank removes me from any film she is in. I spend the entire film fixated on how much she just bugs the crap out of me. I do like most of Clint’s movies, though.
11.
Jay C
Movies about boxing and/or boxers tend to have a pretty limited set of dynamics involved: three, maybe four basic plotlines – the mark of what makes a “good” boxing flick good, IMO, is what the director does with them – and Eastwood pretty much did the job with Million Dollar Baby: even positing that most of the picture was just a setup for the “trick ending”. But then, old Clint rarely makes a “bad” flick – MDB was a fine work: whether or not it deserved all those awards, though is another matter.
PS: One of my favorite boxing movies is an oldie-but-goodie: The Harder They Fall: a cynical mid-50’s boxing-as-a-rigged-game pulper (a Budd Schulberg property) starring an aging (dying, IIRC) Humphrey Bogart in a great role as a world-weary-sportswriter dragged into flacking for a sleazy promoter (Rod Steiger). A bit dated, but still relevant.
12.
Northman
Is just as good on the second viewing.
The mark of a good movie.
Agreed on both counts.
13.
jg
Diggstown is a great boxing movie.
14.
Darrell
Mike S Says:
Boy did the wingnuts hate that movie.
This wingnut loved it. Fantastic movie in so many ways… And what’s not to like about Hillary Swank?
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Zifnab
It was alright. Kinda gross at the end. And really sad.
I’m not sure whether it was a movie trying to sell a case for justifiable euthinasia or just a testament to the fact that sometimes life sucks.
Louise
Just saw it on HBO this weekend during my road trip home. Wonderful film. Certainly my favorite of Eastwood’s and one in which his score works, unlike “Mystic River” in which it was obvious and off-putting. The acting in this one was less obvious as well.
srv
He created a great and wonderful story, and then f’d it up by throwing all the subtlety out.
jg
I just finished watching it on TIVO. Then I jump on the net, check Balloon Juice and there’s a post about MIllion Dollar Baby.
Weird.
Ancient Purple
It was no “Showgirls”!
srv
Not weird. Either you spend too much time on TiVo, or too much time here.
jg
Or both.
Mike S
Boy did the wingnuts hate that movie. God forbid someone see that end of life issues aren’t easy. It was fun to watch them bitch and whine though. It’s a wonder they have any enamele left after all the knashing they do.
RonB
There’s so many bad movies out there that a well done, straightforward, easy to telegraph tragic tale like that one stands out as notweorthy.
Stormy70
I would watch it, but my unexplainable dislike for Hillary Swank removes me from any film she is in. I spend the entire film fixated on how much she just bugs the crap out of me. I do like most of Clint’s movies, though.
Jay C
Movies about boxing and/or boxers tend to have a pretty limited set of dynamics involved: three, maybe four basic plotlines – the mark of what makes a “good” boxing flick good, IMO, is what the director does with them – and Eastwood pretty much did the job with Million Dollar Baby: even positing that most of the picture was just a setup for the “trick ending”. But then, old Clint rarely makes a “bad” flick – MDB was a fine work: whether or not it deserved all those awards, though is another matter.
PS: One of my favorite boxing movies is an oldie-but-goodie:
The Harder They Fall: a cynical mid-50’s boxing-as-a-rigged-game pulper (a Budd Schulberg property) starring an aging (dying, IIRC) Humphrey Bogart in a great role as a world-weary-sportswriter dragged into flacking for a sleazy promoter (Rod Steiger). A bit dated, but still relevant.
Northman
Agreed on both counts.
jg
Diggstown is a great boxing movie.
Darrell
This wingnut loved it. Fantastic movie in so many ways… And what’s not to like about Hillary Swank?