MILLION DOLLAR BABY- overrated fuzz
Just went to see MILLION DOLLAR BABY today. The movie that according to critics and film snobs is the BEST MOVIE OF 2004. Well, like most self-proclaimed BEST it's anything but.
It's formulaic. It's Rocky with tits. Oh, and a twist ending! Ooohhhhh!!!!
I won't sit here with a long winded review or critic (lets see if I stick by my word...I doubt it).
Clint Eastwood does a swell job directing. It's subtle and calm but nothing truly impressive, though I did love the opening shot of the gym. Still, the film is powered by three great performances but the thing is none of the three are really pushing themselves. CLINT EASTWOOD is great as the old man who's regretting his violent transgressions in the past. He's does a superb acting job..but....he's done this so many times before. MORGAN FREEMAN is finally given a good role again but once again, its familiar ground. He's the wise old man with some sagly advice and a heart of gold. I've just seen him do this role again and again and I want to see him stretch! He did once when he did Dreamcatcher and that failed. He's emotional but despite his performance, I'd have to say its on par with his role in Bruce Almighty. Luckily he does get ONE GREAT HERO moment....but it felt forced and contrived.
Hilary Swank is given the most showiest role and certainly deserves a lot of the positive reviews sent her way. But is it the best performance of the year? No. I'll stick by my belief that the best female performance of 2004 was Kate Winslet in ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, that felt like a fully realized woman, even when we were watched her filtered through Jim Carrey's mind when you know his own personality has been filtered into her.
The lead three may be unoriginal but the side characters are all horrible cardboard cutouts. You got the jerk boxer, the guy who has no talent but never quits, the priest, AND THE MOST ONE DIMENSIONAL CHARACTERS TO GRACE THE SCREEN IN 2004 (yes, more than the villains in VAN HELSING) was Swank's hick family. They drew me out of the movie in their simplified clicheness. Though they did use them to squeeze in a Universal advertisement. God, they fucked the movie and proves people will suck up one-dimensional crap as long as its told tastefully.
I just....ergh.....this was a good film but its merely an above average film. It swims in cliche and seems to be loved by critics and snobs because its told with an adult pace. Argh.....
Here's why MILLION DOLLAR BABY is loved by all. Why it's overrated. Because for the first 90 minutes its the most cliche heartwarming boxing story you can find. It's Rocky with tits except without the montage....wait...there is one but its told with Freeman narration. It plays by the numbers well. You have a wise old man narrate everything with some smooth intelligent metaphors on boxing that apply to everyday life-been there- you bring in an old man who has problems with his daughter, and then you bring in a woman who's lost her daddy. Mmm....father-daughter relationship? Check. Funny little banter between old men? Check. Underdog character who shows that being persistent is the best way to live? Check. How about an agrresive black man who gets his come-upons? Check. Moment where we see that the main characters really do only have each other? Check. So far, so safe and enjoyable. I liked it, I smiled because I knew where it was going. Nothing too intelligent, hell nothing risky.
Then at minute 90 something big and unexpected happened (well, unless you're an idiot it will be a surprise) and the whole movie changes for the last half hour. Well heres where the film lost me. The characters were fully formed cliches and now you're trying to shock me by pulling this half arsed twist. Well, failure. Because one, its too large a twist, and two, its just more Oscar whoring. Yeah, I'll admit I cried when the climax moment happened and I was glad for that but it was stilll a cheap trick.
So when the final credits came up what did I recognize? I had just seen the most by-the-numbers story, a story that would normally be ridiculed for its lameness, be praised high because it force fed its crap tastefully.
So if any of you (Allee and.....whoever else reads this? God, you listening) decide to go see MILLION DOLLAR BABY, just know that you're watching a by-the-numbers story with little originality but a lot of class. It's one of those movies where someones death is telegraphed from the beginning all the way to the end and you're supposed to cry because its noble.
And that's that.
Oh one more thing- am I the only one who's tired that the villain in this films is alwways stereotypical and then to make them even more evil they are....GERMAN. It's so....tired.
It's formulaic. It's Rocky with tits. Oh, and a twist ending! Ooohhhhh!!!!
I won't sit here with a long winded review or critic (lets see if I stick by my word...I doubt it).
Clint Eastwood does a swell job directing. It's subtle and calm but nothing truly impressive, though I did love the opening shot of the gym. Still, the film is powered by three great performances but the thing is none of the three are really pushing themselves. CLINT EASTWOOD is great as the old man who's regretting his violent transgressions in the past. He's does a superb acting job..but....he's done this so many times before. MORGAN FREEMAN is finally given a good role again but once again, its familiar ground. He's the wise old man with some sagly advice and a heart of gold. I've just seen him do this role again and again and I want to see him stretch! He did once when he did Dreamcatcher and that failed. He's emotional but despite his performance, I'd have to say its on par with his role in Bruce Almighty. Luckily he does get ONE GREAT HERO moment....but it felt forced and contrived.
Hilary Swank is given the most showiest role and certainly deserves a lot of the positive reviews sent her way. But is it the best performance of the year? No. I'll stick by my belief that the best female performance of 2004 was Kate Winslet in ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, that felt like a fully realized woman, even when we were watched her filtered through Jim Carrey's mind when you know his own personality has been filtered into her.
The lead three may be unoriginal but the side characters are all horrible cardboard cutouts. You got the jerk boxer, the guy who has no talent but never quits, the priest, AND THE MOST ONE DIMENSIONAL CHARACTERS TO GRACE THE SCREEN IN 2004 (yes, more than the villains in VAN HELSING) was Swank's hick family. They drew me out of the movie in their simplified clicheness. Though they did use them to squeeze in a Universal advertisement. God, they fucked the movie and proves people will suck up one-dimensional crap as long as its told tastefully.
I just....ergh.....this was a good film but its merely an above average film. It swims in cliche and seems to be loved by critics and snobs because its told with an adult pace. Argh.....
Here's why MILLION DOLLAR BABY is loved by all. Why it's overrated. Because for the first 90 minutes its the most cliche heartwarming boxing story you can find. It's Rocky with tits except without the montage....wait...there is one but its told with Freeman narration. It plays by the numbers well. You have a wise old man narrate everything with some smooth intelligent metaphors on boxing that apply to everyday life-been there- you bring in an old man who has problems with his daughter, and then you bring in a woman who's lost her daddy. Mmm....father-daughter relationship? Check. Funny little banter between old men? Check. Underdog character who shows that being persistent is the best way to live? Check. How about an agrresive black man who gets his come-upons? Check. Moment where we see that the main characters really do only have each other? Check. So far, so safe and enjoyable. I liked it, I smiled because I knew where it was going. Nothing too intelligent, hell nothing risky.
Then at minute 90 something big and unexpected happened (well, unless you're an idiot it will be a surprise) and the whole movie changes for the last half hour. Well heres where the film lost me. The characters were fully formed cliches and now you're trying to shock me by pulling this half arsed twist. Well, failure. Because one, its too large a twist, and two, its just more Oscar whoring. Yeah, I'll admit I cried when the climax moment happened and I was glad for that but it was stilll a cheap trick.
So when the final credits came up what did I recognize? I had just seen the most by-the-numbers story, a story that would normally be ridiculed for its lameness, be praised high because it force fed its crap tastefully.
So if any of you (Allee and.....whoever else reads this? God, you listening) decide to go see MILLION DOLLAR BABY, just know that you're watching a by-the-numbers story with little originality but a lot of class. It's one of those movies where someones death is telegraphed from the beginning all the way to the end and you're supposed to cry because its noble.
And that's that.
Oh one more thing- am I the only one who's tired that the villain in this films is alwways stereotypical and then to make them even more evil they are....GERMAN. It's so....tired.