My report - The NYC Premiere First, the film (Some Spoilers) …. Wonderful seats - center aisle orchestra, and a gigantic screen that wrapped around and almost overwhelmed you. So many reviews have been written about Cinderella Man, that I will try to be brief in my comments. The overall impression that stayed with me was that of a struggling family, enduring the kind of poverty that was created by a national disaster. Middle class working people were suddenly buying odds and ends from the butcher, watering down milk, seeing their lights go out, begging for help when desperation and fear for their children’s lives overwhelmed them. Perhaps they never expected this to happen to them, but some rose to really heroic heights to deal with their situation, while others sank into despair and anger. You really felt you were there in the dark dingy basement apartments, watching the unpaid bills mount up; on the docks, with gaunt faced men desperate for a call to work for the day; in the hideous midst of Hooverville, the tent city set up in Central Park by men determined to march to get relief for themselves and their families. For Jim Braddock, we were always aware that he had chosen his profession because his family came first. Boxing was a way out of poverty, a way to make sure his kids had the milk and food and light they needed, a way to take the strain and worry from his wife’s face. So even while we watched the brutal battles in the ring, we knew why he was fighting, and why he was determined to win. Russell this time gives us a quiet man, not big on words, (unless he needs them) but showing in his face all the struggles and triumphs of his life. Two scenes stand out for me – his trip to Madison Square Garden, to the wheelers and dealer’s room, to beg for money to pay the bills that will get his kids back home. You can feel this proud man’s humiliation, and the cruelty of some of the men in the room so strongly, you could have been sitting right there with them as he went, cap in hand, for anything he could get. The other scene was his face to face with Mae, his wife, as he tells her how much he needs her love – his eyes filling with tears. Speaking of Mae, Renee Zellweger gave perfect feisty life to Mae. I thought she, and Joe Gould, were pivotal in moving the film forward to its conclusion. She was an outstanding counterpoint to Russell. Paul Giamatti as Joe Gould was funny, wise, totally supportive of his fighter. He gave the film the spark it needed, and his scenes with Jim were the true give and take of soul mates. What an actor this guy is! Bierko made a great villain. If Ron Howard chose to show us the one side of Max Baer, Beirko gave it to us in spades. By the time the big fight is over, you are on the edge of your seat. I had to hold myself back from jumping up and cheering right then and there for the Cinderella Man. ******************************** The after party…. When, at some point in the night, my daughter turned to me and said “we are sitting at a table with four academy award winners.” - Jennifer Connelly, Russell, Harvey Weinstein and Akiva Goldsman - that about sums up my “Cinderella” evening. I had a night I will always treasure and remember. I had a chance to say a few words with busy Russell, to meet his mom and dad, some of the Braddock family, and so many of the fans who have become e-mail friends over the years. Also there in the room, as I try to recall – Alan Doyle, Ray DiPetro, Keith Rodger (my guardian angel), Spike Lee, Ron Howard, Paddy Considine, Brian Grazer, Craig Bierko, and every executive in NY that ever worked for Universal, Imagine or the old Miramax!!! We missed Renee, who came late for the after party. Home at one AM, with sore toes and happy memories.
My daughter and me
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