The Cinephile’s Journey: Million Dollar Baby
Recommendation: 5/5 Stars
The Cinephile’s Journey is an attempt to watch and review every film that has won The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Oscar for Best Picture.
Plot: “A determined woman works with a hardened boxing trainer to become a professional.” -IMDB
Review: In the long and storied career of Clint Eastwood, his role as Frankie Dunn, the no nonsense, boxing obsessed, gym owner, may be my favorite. Watching his character grow over the course of this film is a performance I will never forget. Sure, there are moments when that evolution is predictable. We know from the outset that Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) will eventually wear Frankie down. Her ambition and tenacity will turn “I don’t manage girls” into a manager standing by her side. I forgive any predictability thanks to the acting prowess of Eastwood.
This film is further strengthened thanks to the emotional weight of three characters who demand to be understood. Between Frankie Dunn, Maggie Fitzgerald, and Eddie “Scrap-Iron” Dupris (Morgan Freeman), exists a sweltering undercurrent of past trauma begging to be unraveled. In the unraveling, we meet characters waging three distinct battles. For Frankie, we see a man attempting to claw his way back to the big show, but we also meet someone at odds with God and desperately attempting to reignite a relationship with a distant child. In Maggie, we meet someone barely surviving. An intense focus on breaking through and entering the world of professional boxing saves her; If she can outrun her family’s trauma. Finally, in Eddie, we see a character who has fallen from glory, but finds simple purpose in helping Frankie run the gym.
Together, this ensemble, led by Eastwood, powerfully moves this story forward. Around each corner, lies moments you might have seen coming and others that land like a punch laid on your blindside. This film brilliantly uses light and shadow to give you a sense when these moments are coming. Of course, nothing can prepare you for the moment that alters the tone of this entire film. In an instant, this movie shifts from a story about a female boxer rising through the ranks to a boxer fighting for her very life.
In the wake of that moment, we learn nothing stings like the pain of family. As is often the case, we also discover nothing saves like the family we choose. It is these scenes that bring the emotional weight of this film crashing to the floor, moving this film from good to great. Yet, this film does not collapse under that weight. It pulls this tricky dance off by leaving so much unsaid and unknown. What it does not say is not frustrating or lazy. Instead, it provides another layer of emotion to wrestle with as the credits roll.
Be good to each other,
Nathan
