Brave, smart and excellently paced.
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:220
Fresh:201
Rotten:19
Average Rating:8.3/10
Consensus: Critics are calling Clint Eastwood's latest a knockout, with fine performances and filmmaking that elevate clichéd material to new emotional heights.
Runtime: 2 hrs 12 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:Dec 15, 2004 Limited
Box Office: $100,422,786
Synopsis: Released a little over a year after the grand success of his Oscar-winning feature MYSTIC RIVER, Clint Eastwood returns to the director's chair for MILLION DOLLAR BABY. Eastwood also stars, in the... Released a little over a year after the grand success of his Oscar-winning feature MYSTIC RIVER, Clint Eastwood returns to the director's chair for MILLION DOLLAR BABY. Eastwood also stars, in the role of Frankie Dunn, a down-on-his-luck former boxing manager who spends the twilight years of his life running a small, dilapidated gym in downtown Los Angeles. Frankie's previous career was blighted by an injury to one of his prize fighters, Scrap (Morgan Freeman), who lost the sight in his right eye during a particularly brutal bout; Scrap now wiles away the hours working as a cleaner in Frankie's gym. Wary of similar occurrences being inflicted on the prestigious young talent that passes before him, Frankie lets a succession of great boxers slip through his fingers. But when the brash, confident young boxer Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) strides into the gym, Frankie's life is irretrievably altered. Initially refusing to train Maggie due to her gender and age, Frankie relents when faced with her tenacity, spirit, and burning ambition. The combination of Maggie's talent and Frankie's tutelage paves the way for the adroit fighter to rise steadily through the ranks of women's boxing, with the unlikely coupling forming a genuinely touching bond in the process. Clint Eastwood has crafted a boxing film fit to stand alongside classics such as RAGING BULL and ROCKY with MILLION DOLLAR BABY. The scenes between Eastwood and Freeman are a delight to watch, with the two old hands pulling off masterfully understated performances as a couple of men teetering on the brink of failure. Likewise, Swank puts in a powerful turn as Maggie, further emphasizing her penchant for unusual roles, and perhaps even bettering her incredible, Oscar-winning showing as Teena Brandon in BOYS DON'T CRY. [More]
Starring: Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman, Clint Eastwood, Jay Baruchel
Starring: Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman, Clint Eastwood, Jay Baruchel, Christina Cox
Director: Clint Eastwood
Director: Clint Eastwood
Screenwriter: Paul Haggis
Producer: Tom Rosenberg, Albert S. Ruddy, Paul Haggis, Clint Eastwood
Composer: Clint Eastwood
Studio: Warner Bros.
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Reviews for Million Dollar Baby
Clint Eastwood's drama about a grizzled boxing trainer and a spunky young fighter is the best movie released by a major Hollywood studio this year.
Million Dollar Baby packs an emotional punch that knocks the wind out of its audience like no movie has in years.
A solid filmmaker who delivers nearly flawless pictures, Clint Eastwood is in fine form with Million Dollar Baby.
The result is the kind of movie they don't make anymore -- a real crowd-pleaser.
Aims to articulate the sport's appeal... One isn't completely convinced by the end of the film that the point has been made, but the attempt is a valiant one.
Delivers an emotional punch to match those of the pugilists punishing each other in the ring
Under the expert eyes of Eastwood, and accompanied by the subdued and gracious narration of Freeman, "Million Dollar Baby" waxes divine.
Although a bit too predictable for me, 'Million Dollar Baby' held my interest throughout because of Morgan Freeman's humanistic performance and soothing narration.
It's difficult not to admire Eastwood's dogged (and likely painful) pursuit of real life and authentic emotion.
Saying this movie is about boxing is akin to saying Citizen Kane is about a sled.
Eastwood tells his story in a straightforward manner; no fancy camera tricks or angles. ... His no-frills, unadorned style ... is well-suited for the subject matter.
While I wouldn't place Million Dollar Baby on quite as exalted a pedestal as last year's Mystic River and 1992's Unforgiven ... this unlikely female boxer movie may well be the best-directed of Eastwood's filmmaking career.
A devastating act of mercy for one character may very well cost the soul of another.
Million Dollar Baby eventually climbs out of the ring and is none the worse -- actually better, probably -- for it.
The Cliche'd Sports Movie That Almost Was - and Thankfully Wasn't . . . the movie stops being about boxing, and becomes entirely something else
It takes place in a brutal sporting world, but pay no mind; Baby is intimate, tender, and an immaculately built drama.
Latest News for Million Dollar Baby
August 21, 2009:
Billy Bob Thornton Weighs Pound for Pound ![]()
Billy Bob Thornton will play a retired boxer whose life takes an unexpected turn in Ron Shelton's "Pound for Pound," an adaptation of the book by "Million Dollar Baby" author... More...
March 20, 2008:
Clint Eastwood Directing, Starring in Gran Torino
For a guy who's continually rumored to be done with acting, Clint Eastwood is doing a pretty good job of staying busy in front of the camera. More...
May 24, 2007:
Screenwriter Paul Haggis Enticed Back to "Bond 22"
If you liked "Casino Royale," (and who didn't?) you'll be happy to know that the screenwriting trio is now back in action for the 22nd Bond flick. More...
February 26, 2007:
How Does "The Departed" Rank Among Oscar's Best?
So Martin Scorsese finally has his long-overdue, much-deserved Oscar. But where does "The Departed" stack up in the annals of Academy history? More...
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