User reviews

I don't know why, but I went into the theater thinking I was about to see a female Rocky Balboa kind of deal. I left the theater in a daze. Overwhelmed by the simple truth of its conclusion. My hat to Clint Eastwood. What an extraordinary career. An artist of enormous proportions so well camouflaged behind a shy smile and a charming, clumsy attitude. I remember focusing on Clint Eastwood through a very different lens after sitting through "Pale Rider" a mythological, lyrical western. Actors love him because he, clearly, doesn't lie to them, doesn't kiss their asses. He quite simply gives them room to maneuver. Even someone like Meryl Streep, felt freer and capable to stretch herself all the way to Italy under his wing. Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, Tim Robbins, Jude Law, Morgan Freeman, Gene Hackman yes mostly men but there was also, other than Meryl Streep, Genevieve Boujold. Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney and now Hillary Swank with a performance that not even "Boys don't Cry" could predict. The film is a triumph in every department. My stomach ached from feeling. That's a compliment Mr. Eastwood. Thank you very much.

Clint Eastwood is a legendary film personality. I am a great fan of his. As an actor, I had my reservations with him, but as a storyteller, I have truly inhaled him. 'Million Dollar Baby' is amongst his finest films, a superb film, that almost reaches a Landmark level!

About a hardened trainer/manager works with a determined woman in her attempt to establish herself as a boxer. 'Million Dollar Baby' begins with some humor, then it improves itself into becoming a motivational punch, but ends as a dry and depressing saga. I adored almost everything about the film, except the final 20-25 minutes. The culmination is very depressing. In fact, one just doesn't imagine it would have to end this way! But in all fairness, this one is a winner!

Eastwood's understanding to the subject is objective and that's biggest plus point. Tom Stern's Cinematography is splendid. Joel Cox's editing is razor-sharp.

In the acting department, Hilary Swank delivers a Knock-out performance. She is the life of the show. Morgan Freeman is wonderfully restrained. Eastwood's performance, is a pure of example, of apt multi-tasking. Jay Baruchel as Danger, is flawless. Anthony Mackie is his usual self. Brian F. O'Byrne is passable.

On the whole, the list of accolades this 2004 flick received is truly unprecedented. It's got a legendary tag. From this writer, Thumbs Up!

No words will do justice to this movie. Just watch.

I didn't view this film until today because I simply wasn't interested in women in boxing; however, I wish I'd seen it years ago! Hillary Swank can never make another film and this one would be her crowning glory. It takes you on a wild ride of emotions from the beginning and Clint Eastwood's curmudgeon self is part of it all. Naturally, the "voice of God" in Morgan Freeman is there to explain it all and give some meaning to what each of the characters fell. By now, everyone knows the ending but I still won't spoil it for late-comers to the film like myself. I do believe much has been made about it and it's unnecessary. Yes, you will be torn about what is morally right but you can certainly understand how Eastwood's and Swank's characters feel! Please see this film. You will understand pugilism more than ever before and you just might see some of your own self in the film! It is well worth the time!

Flawlessly written, acted and directed, MILLION DOLLAR BABY is being hymned and wreathed by the critics as the best film of 2004. They're absolutely right. "An old master's new masterpiece," the NEW YORK TIMES said in a review that was more of an open love letter to Eastwood than anything remotely resembling a critical analysis of the film itself. For once such honey-tongued critical adulation is fully merited. Dark, edgy, subtle and at times emotionally devastating, MILLION DOLLAR BABY represents the apotheosis of Eastwood's art - the most lucid and intelligently limned expression of his philosophy of the outsider, the noble loners whose personal codes of honour set them both above and apart from the compromised, corrupt societies they inhabit. The Boxing Ring As Metaphor For Life is a hoary trope almost as old as Hollywood itself, employed to varying effect in films as diverse as THE CHAMP, GOLDEN BOY, REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT, THE GREAT WHITE HOPE, FAT CITY, ROCKY and RAGING BULL. In MILLION DOLLAR BABY, though, Eastwood the director brings a fresh eye and an entirely fresh approach to both the setting and characterisations, virtually re-inventing this venerable sub-genre rather than simply recycling its conventions. Eastwood the actor is in fine form - a commanding if increasingly weather-beaten presence - as gym owner Frankie Dunn. A case study in loneliness, Dunn's creased face is a map of places you'd rather not go to and disappointment has clearly been a life-long companion. Co-stars Hilary Swank and the magnificent Morgan Freeman, playing Frankie's unlikely protegee Maggie Fitzgerald and friend "Scrap-Iron" Dupris, give what are without question the best performances of their respective careers: deftly underplayed, their roles provide emotionally overwhelming impacts more powerful than anything glimpsed in the film's riotous fight sequences. Forming an iron triangle forged from mutual dependence, Dunn and Dupris school the impulsive but untutored Maggie in both the techniques of boxing and the tradecraft of survival in a world pre-disposed to pulverise individualism. The canvas-floored square ring becomes the arena in which all three characters confront their various demons, battling for both victory and personal redemption. Paul Haggis' screenplay is itself a masterwork, improving on its source material without betraying the concise but compelling situations and superbly drawn characters found in F.X. Toole's short stories. And, finally, Eastwood the composer's elegiac but unobtrusive score is a minor classic of its kind, a requiem to both lost souls and lost causes. MILLION DOLLAR BABY is not only the best film released in 2004 it is also the most fully realised and richly textured major studio movie of the decade.

The movie is excellent. Hillary Swank deserves to receive the Oscar for her performance. I haven't seen much of her lately and am so glad that she was picked for this movie. She seems a natural for this role. Like she didn't even have to act, she just let her own emotions take charge. She stole every scene when she was on. Clint Eastwood is one heck of an actor and his directing of movies is even better. He is 75 years old and hope he has another 10 years of good movie making in him. Morgan Freeman is a great actor who never seems to receive the recognition he deserves. Tell others to see it because it isn't in the top 10 listing of viewed movies last week. I'm concerned the subject matter is too deep for most people and it will be pulled to make room for some lame-brain movie like Fat Albert.

Eastwood plays the owner of a gym where fighters train. Hillary Swank is a 31 year old waitress trying to become a fighter. At first Eastwood discourages her due to her age and lack of technique, but soon he is training her and she starts to have some success. The relationship becomes much more than that of a trainer and fighter as she takes the place of the daughter who won't speak to him and he takes the place of her family that only cares about what's in it for them. A tragedy occurs that causes Swank to ask Eastwood for a favor he feels he cannot grant.

This won the Academy Award for Best Picture of 2004, but there is nothing particularly unique or compelling about it that would have caused it to beat out its competition in the Oscar race that year other than the fact that it circumstantially paralleled another story that was making headlines at the same time that the academy was voting - that of Terry Schiavo and the Herculean efforts by first the state of Florida, then the president and Congress, at keeping Terry's feeding tube from being removed when she had likely been in a vegetative state for fifteen years. The incident caused lots of people to write medical directives so that they could lessen the chance of becoming a medical wishbone and political football themselves.

Million Dollar Baby is a movie about boxing like Braveheart is a movie about men in kilts riding horses. What it is is a movie to experience if you find yourself ever entertaining thoughts about loyalty, determination, talent, no talent, age, youth, courage, fear, fate, and the pain and joy of both living and dying.

I read reviews of Million Dollar Baby and expected to like it. Roger Ebert can be soft on movies because he is plainly a big fan, but even he does not lightly toss around the M-word, masterpiece. Yet he drops it on MDB, and justly so. The story is simple and searing. A gal (Hilary Swank) with much heart and no experience aspires to be the champion of the world. She is Rocky in a sports bra. A grizzled fight trainer-manager/gym owner (Clint Eastwood) reluctantly takes her on. His best pal and wise-man assistant (Morgan Freemna) stands alongside them, as the plot unwinds steadily, seamlessly, picking up speed, scene by scene, act after act. Eastwood and Freeman are artists at the top of their profession and they, along with the brilliant Swank, present you the very worthy lives of three people you will care about and remember. The arena is boxing, but it might as well have been boating or baking. It is a story about values and truths that far exceed sports and movies. I walked into the Lowes Lincoln Square theater last night knowing Million Dollar Baby was taking me on a ride and willing to hop aboard. What a beautiful, memorable ride it was.

It would be difficult to imagine a more perfect trio of performers the likes of Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood, and Morgan Freeman in their respective roles in the emotionally-charged "Million Dollar Baby."

My favorite scenes were the early sequences in which Maggie (Swank) visits the dowdy boxing gym and co-opts Eastwood's crusty boxing trainer Frankie into becoming her mentor. Along with the veteran, retired boxer Eddie, played by Freeman, the performances were as electric as the Ali shuffle.

In the overall arc of the story of "Million Dollar Baby," there were three extraneous subplots: (1) Frankie's visits to church and his talks with the priest; (2) the story of the mentally-challenged young man named Danger, who appears in the gym and is taunted by the boxers; and (3) Maggie's family members introduced in two scenes filled with such vulgarity that much of the film's hard-earned credibility was lost. Not only would the film have worked effectively without the subplots, it would have been a much better film without them.

While Eastwood's direction was superb, much credit should also go to the designers, especially the stylish work with lighting. I cannot recall a film as dimly lit as this one, and the subdued lighting contributed substantially to the characters and mood evoked in this sensitive film. The three main performances were standouts. But this film was also a very successful team effort.

I've been infatuated with Clint Eastwood from the time I saw his first spaghetti western when I was a teenager. I've seen all the movies he's starred in and directed. And I've seen his skills as a storyteller develop, mature and grow. Throughout this period the infatuation remained constant and re-assuring. But today, after viewing 'Million Dollar Baby', I'm totally and completely in love with this man. Clint, his movie, Freeman and Swank deserve to win Oscars in every category for this film. He is a Master of his craft. I want him stick around and do it again and again!.

And I'm in love Hilary too!. She does not act - she becomes!.

Or at least it seems like genuine emotions in this masterpiece of a film which incidentally is Eastwood's best drama so far and considering how good Mystic River is that's saying something. The storytelling is both fluent and well paced and all actors involved deliver some of their best work so far which is mainly because Eastwood is so good at bringing out the best in his actors. I think people who have watched this film and Mystic River will agree. Eastwood is a no-nonsense story teller and cuts right through to the bone which means that there aren't many subplots and this is a really good thing in this film because the main story doesn't need a large number of subplots to steal away attention. Also at a running length of 2 hours the film would undoubtedly have been too long if Eastwood had added any more subplots.

The acting is as mentioned earlier very, very good. Clint chose to appear in this film himself as he does in many of the films he directs but there is something different about him this time around. Eastwood isn't known as a director who pours his soul out on the screen but in this film he seems to add a few emotions to his range of acting. He is still a tough guy as can be heard from his voice but he is also just a vulnerable old man with an estranged daughter. Its hard to write about his performance without spoiling the film so I'll just say this: This is his most well rounded character to date in spite of the fact that it seems a little far fetched that Eastwood would want to learn Gaelic. Hilary Swank won an Oscar for her performance in this film and in my opinion it was well earned. She plays her character in a way so the character becomes almost instantly likable and you cannot help but root for her. This ability to draw the audience in and make them feel is very rare but Swank seems to have mastered it. Overall her performance is impressive. The last notable actor is of course Morgan Freeman who finally won his Oscar. He brings his usual authority and authenticity to the character and while he is "only" a supporting character in this film he definitely puts his signature on it with some very moving scenes. The rest of the cast is decent but as the emphasis is on the three mentioned above there is no reason to talk about them further.

The script is rather simple but its simplicity is a quality mark. The film takes you in one direction only to take a twist and turn into something completely different and as the audience had just gotten used to the direction the film was going the twist seems like a genuine shock. I'm not telling what the twist is you're just going to have to watch the film and find out for yourself. The dialog is both witty and intelligent and above all it seems real. Believable. And because of the first class acting it feels even better. When I say that the dialog seems real in fact I mean the entire film seems real. Genuine. Everything from the acting to the atmosphere is highly believable and real even though Swank's character's family and the character of Danger lean ever so slightly towards caricature.

The film really managed to draw me in and I felt with and for the characters of the film. The characters are the driving factor of the film and luckily the actors who portray them are skilled enough to make them seem real. Eastwood outdid himself in the drama genre with this film which is undoubtedly one of his best. It doesn't seem fair to compare the film to Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (or The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) as they are very different films in terms of genre and target group.

Million Dollar Baby is undoubtedly one of the best films of 2004 and is deserving of the Oscar it received in the Best Film category as well as the other Oscars it was awarded.

9/10

For whatever reason, I did had reservations about going to see Million Dollar Baby. I am extremely happy that I decided to go because this movie was totally entertaining from start to finish. It simply grabs you and does not let up. Million Dollar Baby will be a keeper for my video collection! Eastwood, Freeman, and Swank all give superb performances and I sincerely hope they are given their due at the Oscars in March. The character's developed throughout the film and the actor's portrayal of them made the characters believable. Granted a few of the fight scene's were a bit over the top but then it is still Hollywood. What I like the most is the lack of special effects and the total concentration on the development of the story. Borrowing from Roger Ebert: Thumbs Way UP!