A lotta times when I talk to friends about movies, I'll mention being disappointed because of how long it's been since a movie knocked me on my ass. In the span of several years, I can see a lot of really good movies, perhaps even great movies, but it's rare for me to see a movie that truly floors me. The French seem to do it easily, because "Amélie" (my favorite movie of 2001) and "Irréversible" (my favorite movie of 2003) both floored me, but that's only two times over the last few years. But now I can say that another movie has floored me, totally knocked me on my ass, and that movie is "Million Dollar Baby."
A couple of weeks ago, I posted my list of my favorite movies of 2004. I was hoping to see "Million Dollar Baby" before the year was out so it could be eligible for the list. Critics were praising that movie up and down, and it's a shoe-in to at least get nominated in the 2005 Oscars. Unfortunately, it didn't play anywhere in Miami until January 2005. That being said, I'll tell you right now that if I DID see it in 2004, "Million Dollar Baby" would have definitely been my choice for number one. Don't get me wrong, I love "Garden State," but "Million Dollar Baby" is the best movie I've seen in a while.
If you ask me, movie trailers have a tendency to give away too much. There are no surprises when you go see a movie nowadays because everything is usually given away at the trailer. That's certainly not the case with "Million Dollar Baby." All the promotional material I've seen so far only tells you part of the story, and I hope it stays that way. Unfortunately, I know it won't. People who go see it expecting a female "Rocky" movie will bitch that it's totally different, and in bitching, they'll give away the story elements that were deliberately left out in the film's promotion. Also, as the Oscars draw near, and the movie is talked about more (which will happen after it's nominated for Best Picture), the whole story of the movie will probably be well known. Not only that, just a few minutes ago I read an article about a particular organization that's up in arms over the storyline in the movie that isn't shown in the trailer and commercials. I can't say the organization because it risks spoiling the movie, but there's also that to deal with. Oh well.
The only real flaw in "Million Dollar Baby" is that it's one cliché after another. That's a minor complaint, though, because the movie doesn't suffer very much because of it. From beginning to end, it's completely engrossing. Unfortunately, the many clichés distract from what is otherwise an extremely high-quality movie.
The acting in this movie is unbelievable. I always thought of Clint Eastwood as a decent actor, but not one of the greats. In "Million Dollar Baby," he turns in what may very well be the finest performance of his career. It's a very moving performance, and he should be proud. Morgan Freeman plays the best friend of Eastwood's character, and as one might expect, it's another incredible acting job. Morgan Freeman is one of our greatest living actors, and he proves it yet again. Still, the performance that's gonna stick with me the longest is from Hilary Swank. Ever since I saw her in "Boys Don't Cry" (which won her a well deserved Oscar for Best Actress), I've kept an eye on her. She's one of my favorite actresses, but after she was cast in the mediocre disaster film, "The Core," I figured that "Boys Don't Cry" would be her career high. I'm very happy knowing that I was wrong, because as amazing as Hilary Swank was in "Boys Don't Cry," I think that her performance in "Million Dollar Baby" is her best yet.
Clint Eastwood stars in the film, and he also directs it. Some of his recent films as director include "Mystic River," "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," and the masterpiece, "Unforgiven" for which he won the Oscar for Best Director. Is "Million Dollar Baby" better than "Unforgiven"? I don't know, it's a close race. I'd probably have to give it a tie. That's my own personal opinion, of course. The screenplay was written by Paul Haggis, who I've never heard of. All I know about him is that his previous writing is mostly TV work. He has been writing for TV since the mid-70s. It's a hell of a script with interesting characters, quirky dialogue, and a tight story. It's not an original script, though. The screenplay is an adaptation of the book "Rope Burns: Stories From the Corner," a collection of short stories written by fight manager and cutman Jerry Boyd (using the pseudonym F.X. Toole). The short stories are loosely based and inspired by his own experiences. I actually went out and bought the book right after I saw the movie (though the version I bought was a tie-in with the movie, so it was titled "Million Dollar Baby," not "Rope Burns"), and I read it before writing this review (great book, by the way). There are actually only two stories in the book that are used for the screenplay ("Million Dollar Baby" and "Frozen Water"), and they merge seamlessly in the script. Paul Haggis really did write a great adaptation.
"Million Dollar Baby" is an excellent movie. I loved every minute of it, every second, every frame. Yes, it's very clichéd, and that's the one thing that is stopping me from giving this movie a 10. However, make no mistake, this movie is spectacular.
Scale of 1-10: 9