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Broken Face
-= Forum Pistolero =-
USA
5157 Posts |
 Posted - 02/28/2005 : 11:02:41
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This is truly the only review of this film i have read that has struck any chord with me whatsoever. It comes from James Rocchi, the house critic at Netflix.
SPOILER WARNING - he reveals major plot points, so if you haven't seen the film yet, and want to waste pert near 10 dollars, don't read ahead.
http://www.netflix.com/MovieDisplay?movieid=70018292&trkid=180106&dmode=NETFLIXREVIEW
Million Dollar Baby
1 star (out of 5)
"Don't believe the hype about Clint Eastwood's boxing pic: This cliché-filled mess is a fixed fight."
A grizzled gym manager (Clint Eastwood) is looking for something to believe in; an untrained wanna-be (Hilary Swank) is looking for someone to believe in her; and the wise ex-boxer who cleans up the place (Morgan Freeman) knows that if these two can get together, magic could be made. … Written by Paul Haggis and directed by Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby is garnering solid-gold kudos from film critics far and wide, but -- at the risk of being a lone voice -- it strikes me more as a two-bit shame, a manipulative piece of throwaway filmmaking that's pretty much custom-made to appeal to sentimental Oscar voters.
Based on short stories by F.X. Toole, Million Dollar Baby is all about what happens when Eastwood's Frankie -- against his own initial impulses -- takes on Swank's Maggie as a pupil. Raw and untrained, she comes to Frankie's gym, "The Hit Pit," with nothing but the will to keep trying to convince Frankie to train her. Frankie has his own problems -- the fighter he manages just left him, he's been estranged from his daughter for years, the gym's not that profitable -- but after Freeman's boxing-bashed "Scrap" Dupuis works on both Maggie's technique and Frank's hardheadedness, the two manage to come together.
It would be one thing if Million Dollar Baby were just clichéd -- you can almost see the ghost of Burgess Meredith's character Mickey (from the Rocky films) hovering over this film -- but the movie's sins are far greater in number and more serious in commission than mere hackwork. Maggie's rise is as meteoric as it is implausible -- she goes from untrained novice to title contender in the space of 18 months -- but the fall that Haggis and Eastwood concoct and contrive is even worse. I'm normally hesitant to reveal films' plot twists for fear of spoiling them, but it's impossible to talk about how bad Million Dollar Baby is without talking about exactly how it's bad; besides, how could I spoil something that's already been ruined?
In Maggie's title fight against dirty-fighting German champ Billie "The Blue Bear," a post-bell blow and bad timing combine to leave Maggie paralyzed from the neck down. Which means that the film magically transforms from being a dull riff on the boxing films of the past into a big, greasy hunk of Oscar bait. Maggie convinces Frankie she doesn't want to live, and Scrap convinces Frankie that only he can do what must be done. Scrap's phony, wordy narration underlines every emotional moment in the film as if he has a sneaking suspicion that the audience is composed of idiots who won't get it.
Again, most critics are loving Million Dollar Baby -- and why shouldn't they? It's nothing they haven't seen before. The film asks us to feel bad for a pretty, plucky girl who gets paralyzed -- which is hardly tough. It uses Morgan Freeman's narration to tell us what we should be thinking about at any given moment, and it has a sad saxophone honking away mournfully (in a piece of music composed by Eastwood himself) in case we need a little nudge to feel even worse for Maggie.
If you want to see a good movie about the old traditions and new challenges of boxing, try the excellent indie film Girlfight; if you want to see a truly great Eastwood film, you're going to have to go back to Unforgiven. There's really no reason to see Million Dollar Baby -- unless, of course, you want a crash-course reminder in just how low mainstream Hollywood is willing to sink in order to get a better grip on the heartstrings of maudlin mainstream movie critics and easily led Oscar voters.
James Rocchi
-Brian
If you move I shoots!
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Homers_pet_monkey
= Official forum monkey =
United Kingdom
17125 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2005 : 11:03:38
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Enter floop, stage left.
Pure Reason Revolution |
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floop
= Wannabe Volunteer =
Mexico
15297 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2005 : 12:06:53
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i've said what i have to say about MILLION DOLLAR BABY in the "i just watched" thread... i don't really care what broken face or anyone thinks.. people have differing opinions, and i respect that .. even though their opinions are wrong
ist es möglich für ein quesadilla skrotum zu lecken? beim sprechen der quesadillas von LBF, ja. ja in der tatheheheheheheehehee! |
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floop
= Wannabe Volunteer =
Mexico
15297 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2005 : 12:08:14
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ps. i can't take any reviewer seriously who would actually call GIRLFIGHT an "excellent" film.. talk about trite, cliche and predictable. that film was all of those..
ist es möglich für ein quesadilla skrotum zu lecken? beim sprechen der quesadillas von LBF, ja. ja in der tatheheheheheheehehee! |
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BLT
> Teenager of the Year <
South Sandwich Islands
4204 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2005 : 12:23:47
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| I haven't seen MDB (I'm not sure if I can stomach a Hillary Swank film) but I agree with floop about Girlfight. Calling it "excellent" smacks of indie elitism. |
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Broken Face
-= Forum Pistolero =-
USA
5157 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2005 : 13:02:53
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i haven't seen girlfight, and probably won't
i didn't post this to piss floop off, i'm just trying to spread my gospel of this film being pure shite.
i'll get off my soapbox now, the awards are over, and let's hope that the academy can be smarter next year.
-Brian
If you move I shoots!
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floop
= Wannabe Volunteer =
Mexico
15297 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2005 : 13:07:36
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quote:
Originally posted by Broken Face
i didn't post this to piss floop off, i'm just trying to spread my gospel of this film being pure shite.
apparently many people disagree with you
ist es möglich für ein quesadilla skrotum zu lecken? beim sprechen der quesadillas von LBF, ja. ja in der tatheheheheheheehehee! |
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Homers_pet_monkey
= Official forum monkey =
United Kingdom
17125 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2005 : 14:46:17
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I want to see Girlfight, just so I can see my second favourite woman.
Pure Reason Revolution |
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floop
= Wannabe Volunteer =
Mexico
15297 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2005 : 15:33:08
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GIRLFIGHT is more of a Hollywood movie than MILLION DOLLAR BABY is, even though it was an "indie"
ist es möglich für ein quesadilla skrotum zu lecken? beim sprechen der quesadillas von LBF, ja. ja in der tatheheheheheheehehee! |
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The Only Accurate 'Million Dollar Baby' Review
