| MILLION DOLLAR BABY |
 2004 - USADirector: Clint Eastwood
- Reviewed by Vickie
Seriously, STOP. Not because it contains any spoilers (don’t worry, it doesn’t) or because I’ll somehow give away any crucial plot points. You should stop reading because this review might to do you what all the reviews I read before seeing the movie did to me: create unrealistic expectations of Earth-shattering greatness that may lead to (comparative) mild disappointment. Yes, Million Dollar Baby is a very good film, but it isn’t really the cinematic second coming that some people would have you believe. Hilary Swank stars as Maggie Fitzgerald, an aspiring boxer who wants nothing more than to be trained by the legendary Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood, who also directs), a gruff, grizzly, veteran cut man, who runs a beaten-down gym with his longtime pal, Scrap (Morgan Freeman, who also narrates). Maggie knows Frankie’s an expert who can hone her raw skills into pugilistic gold, but he wants nothing to do with her because she’s a girl. Determined and stubborn, Maggie refuses to take “no” for an answer and, eventually, Frankie comes around. Once she’s under his tutelage, Maggie shines. She’s a queen in the ring. But events arise that put her path to glory in jeopardy, and the film quietly and subtly loops around to tell the story of the man at its true core: Frankie Dunn. Million Dollar Baby is a film about boxers, but not about boxing, per se. Like The Woodsman, it’s much more about the characters than what they do or where they do it. The raw, violent nature of the sport is a fitting backdrop for the story of broken dreams and broken hearts, but isn’t the sole focus of the film. That honor is reserved for its cast of players. There’s little doubt that Swank will secure another Oscar nod for her performance. She added 19 pounds of muscle mass to her lean frame, and the result is an impressive physical transformation that only serves to enhance what is already a solid acting job. She looks like a boxer. Swank’s Maggie is also self-described “white trash.” All she has, quite literally, is boxing. And she zeroes in on that passion with every fibre of her being. Eastwood, on the other hand, plays a character whose undisputed expertise is coupled with demons from his past that result in his constantly maintaining a safe distance from life in and out of the ring. He’s an arm’s-length kind of guy, who rejects feelings and emotions in favor of logic and caution. His sage hesitance makes for the perfect counterbalance to Maggie’s relentless, all-consuming drive. Together, the duo embark on a journey that may not end up where audiences would like. Fans of neat and tidy dramas that embrace the formulaic may be disappointed here, but anyone searching for something a little left of center may be knocked out by what they find in Baby. |
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