movies as art

Just a quick note to anyone looking for a good movie this weekend:

My husband and I went to see Cinderella Man last night, and we both enjoyed it tremendously. The story was amazing, the marriage and family of the Braddock’s was portrayed very positively. There was violence, of course (boxing), but nothing gratuitous or gross, very mild or minimal swearing (I can’t remember any specific instances). There are a couple of suggestive scenes: one between Braddock and his wife (no skin) which I didn’t find offensive because it was early in the movie and lets the audience know up front that they are a married couple who are in love with each other (imagine that!), something reaffirmed throughout the movie although never again  suggestively. Another scene shows the heavyweight champion Max Baer with a couple of floozies in his hotel room. Again, nothing is really shown, but you know what the girls are there for. Last caution: Several times before the big fight, Baer insults Braddock’s wife in a  suggestive way. I love the way Braddock decides to defend his wife’s honor and his own. I won’t spoil it for people.

For those women out there who are reluctant to see it because boxing is icky: this movie is less about boxing and more about how one family responds to and holds up under pressure, with dignity, honor, and commitment. I was on the edge of my seat. But this is not a chick flick by any stretch: the boxing is not given short shrift and the photography, especially of the boxing scenes, was amazing.

It is rare to see such a beautiful movie, where the beauty is found in the ordinariness and goodness of the people and not in the flashy sets or Hollywood glitz and glamour. It is rare where the goodness is presented without qualifiers, jokes, or rundowns of some kind, like there was something about goodness that has to be apologized for. It was beautiful and completely entertaining, and I was happy I went to see it, which doesn’t happen often with movies. I loved it.