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Million Dollar Baby

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Million Dollar Baby
Directed byClint Eastwood
Written byF.X. Toole (story)
Paul Haggis (screenplay)
Produced byClint Eastwood
Albert S. Ruddy
Tom Rosenberg
StarringClint Eastwood
Hilary Swank
Morgan Freeman
Narrated byMorgan Freeman
CinematographyTom Stern
Edited byJoel Cox
Music byClint Eastwood
Distributed byUS
Warner Bros.
Outside the US
Lakeshore Entertainment
Release dates
December 15, 2004
Running time
132 minutes
LanguageEnglish
Budget$30 million USD
Box office$216,763,646

Template:Infobox movie certificates

Million Dollar Baby is a 2004 dramatic film directed by Clint Eastwood. The film stars Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, and Morgan Freeman. It is the story of an under-appreciated boxing trainer, his elusive past and his quest for atonement in helping an underdog amateur female boxer (the film's title character) achieve her fragile dream of becoming a professional. The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

The screenplay was written by Paul Haggis, based on short stories by F.X. Toole, the pen name of fight manager and "cutman" Jerry Boyd. Originally published under the title Rope Burns, the stories have since been republished under the movie's title.

Plot

Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank), a female amateur who aspires to prove her worth by becoming a successful boxer, is reluctantly taken in by Frank Dunn (Clint Eastwood), a down-and-out boxing trainer who has been cast aside by most of society, including his estranged daughter Katie. Dunn aids Maggie in realizing her goal while developing a stronger-than-blood bond. Initially, Dunn is dispassionate toward Maggie because she is a 31-year-old female. Maggie, however, perseveres in her attempts to gain Dunn's favor by training each day in his gym, even when others discourage her. Frank's friend and employee, ex-boxer Eddie "Scrap Iron" Dupris (Morgan Freeman) narrates the story in non-dialogue scenes.

Dunn has an estranged relationship with his daughter and writes to her every week with no reply. Dunn's priest cannot conceive of why his daughter wouldn't respond and instead shows disbelief in Dunn's claims that he is writing letters to her. Dunn, having experienced no intimate relationship with his own daughter, forms a stronger bond with Maggie, whose family does not care for her well-being despite her best efforts to provide a life for them, and decidedly coaches and manages her professional career. With his expertise, Maggie fights her way up to the women's welterweight boxing division, eventually placing a match in Las Vegas against the WBA women's welterweight champion (played by real life boxer Lucia Rijker), who is known for her foul play. During the match, an illegal attack after the bell by her opponent sends Maggie down toward the mat, directly in the path of her corner stool. Dunn frantically tries to move it out of the way, but cannot reach it in time. As a result, Maggie hits the stool with her neck and is paralyzed from the neck down. Dunn, venting his rage at the unjust circumstance, initially blames Dupris for convincing him to bring her in but in the end blames himself for her downfall having trained her against his better judgment.

In the medical rehabilitation facility, Maggie holds out hope that her family will visit her, while Dunn repeatedly calls them with no success. The family arrives several days later (in theme park attire) with an attorney in tow to turn over Maggie's fortunes to them. This appalls Dunn who realizes their motives but when her mother insists that Maggie sign the paperwork that would confirm the family as the beneficiary, she sees through the façade and tells her mother off for good. Eventually, Maggie confides to Dunn that she has "seen it all" and asks to be relieved of suffering. Dunn flat out refuses and begins to question the morality of it all, even speaking with a priest who objects (the same priest who didn't believe that Dunn was sending letters to his daughter). She attempts suicide by biting her tongue multiple times in an attempt to bleed to death. Hospital staff subdue her attempts, causing Dunn to realize that her suffering should last no more. Dunn ultimately commits euthanasia by injecting her with an overdose of adrenaline. Just before administering the injection, Dunn finally tells Maggie the meaning of the nickname he calls her; the phrase, Mo Cuishle, is Gaelic for "My darling, my blood". As the narrator, Dupris, states, Dunn then disappears. The film's narration by Dupris is revealed to be a letter to Dunn's daughter, who has forsaken him all the while, to inform her of her father's true character.

Development and production

The film was stuck in so-called "development hell" for years before it was shot. Several studios rejected the project even when Eastwood signed on as actor and director. Even Warner Bros., Eastwood's longtime home base, wouldn't agree to a $30 million budget. Eastwood persuaded Lakeshore Entertainment's Tom Rosenberg to put up half the budget (as well as handle foreign distribution), with Warner Bros. kicking in the rest ($15 million). Eastwood shot the film in 37 days, and the film's total worldwide box office gross is around US$220 million[1].

Response

The film received highly positive reviews with the review tallying website Rotten Tomatoes reporting that 192 out of the 210 reviews they tallied were positive for a score of 92% and a certification of "fresh".[2] Roger Ebert gave the film four stars and stated that "Clint Eastwood's 'Million Dollar Baby' is a masterpiece, pure and simple," listing it as the best film of 2004.[3] Michael Medved stated that: "My main objection to Million Dollar Baby always centered on its misleading marketing, and effort by Warner Brothers to sell it as a movie about a female Rocky, with barely a hint of the pitch-dark substance that led Andrew Sarris of the New York Observer to declare that 'no movie in my memory has depressed me more than Million Dollar Baby.'"[4]

In January and February 2005, the film sparked controversy when some disability rights activists protested the ending of the film, in which Frank carries out Maggie's wish to die after she becomes quadriplegic as a result of a spinal cord injury suffered during her last fight. Disability Rights activists believed that the ending supports the killing of people with disabilities. Conservative commentator Debbie Schlussel panned the film, but said it would continue to win awards because "it's Hollywood's best political propaganda of the year ... it supports killing the handicapped, literally putting their lights out."[5] Wesley J. Smith in The Weekly Standard also criticized the movie for its ending and for missed opportunities; Smith said, "The movie could have ended with Maggie triumphing once again, perhaps having obtained an education and becoming a teacher; or, opening a business managing boxers; or perhaps, receiving a standing ovation as an inspirational speaker."[6]

Eastwood responded to the criticism by saying the movie was about the American dream.[7] In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Eastwood distanced himself from the actions of characters in his films, noting, "I've gone around in movies blowing people away with a .44 magnum. But that doesn't mean I think that's a proper thing to do".[8] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times, who named the film his favorite of 2004, believes "a movie is not good or bad because of its content, but because of how it handles its content. Million Dollar Baby is classical in the clean, clear, strong lines of its story and characters, and had an enormous emotional impact".[9]

Some Irish speakers have also criticized the fact that the phrase Mo Chúisle, a term of endearment meaning My pulse, was misspelled in the movie as Mo Cuishle, as shown on the back of Maggie's robe.[10] In Irish and other Goidelic languages, consonants soften when followed by a vowel, hence the "c" in "cúisle" turns into a guttural "ch". It is translated in the film as "My darling, my blood". The original phrase is short for A chúisle mo chroí, meaning "O, pulse of my heart".[11] The movie has also been praised for stirring interest in the Irish language in the U.S.[11].

Spoiler debate

When describing the plot of the film, Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert gave a spoiler warning. He noted in his reviews the difficulty of discussing the film without discussing details of the plot, saying that even warning about spoilers would itself be a spoiler.[12]Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).

Jeffrey Overstreet of Christianity Today avoided giving away plot details, stating that while knowing the nature of the third part wouldn't ruin the film, it would alter the experience significantly.[13] Mark Moring of Christianity Today said, "Who wants to watch a movie when you know how it ends? We've actually had to wrestle with that question around here lately . . . ." Moring said, "We wondered if our "moral obligation" to warn Christians about the potentially disturbing subject matter somehow "trumped" our professional commitment to avoid plot spoilers—especially the worst plot spoiler of all: divulging the end. After some discussion, we agreed that the right decision was to not give away the end to Million Dollar Baby."[14]

Film critic Debbie Schlussel gave a spoiler warning before discussing the plot of the film.[15] Michael Atkinson of The Village Voice said the film had a "spoiler-spawning shift in narrative."[16] Ian Grey of Baltimore City Paper said the last act seems to be from another film at first, and said "Naming this misfortune and its consequences, however, would be an unforgivable spoiler."[17]

Awards

Academy Awards record
1. Best Picture
2. Best Director
3. Best Actress (Hilary Swank)
4. Best Supporting Actor (Morgan Freeman)
Golden Globe Awards record
1. Best Director
2. Best Drama Actress (Hilary Swank)

Million Dollar Baby received the award for Best Picture of 2004 at the 77th Academy Awards. Eastwood was awarded his second Directing Oscar for the film and also received a Best Actor nomination. Swank and Freeman received Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor Oscars, respectively. The film was also nominated for the Film Editing and Writing Adapted Screenplay awards. The film beat what many thought to be the front-runner, Martin Scorsese's The Aviator, [citation needed] which had won the Golden Globe and the BAFTA for Best Drama. However, Million Dollar Baby was more popular with critics.

The film was also nominated for and won a number of Golden Globes, SAG Awards and the Directors Guild Award.

List of awards and nominations

DVD release

The film was released on DVD on July 12, 2005, and all editions of the Region 1 DVD, except for the "Deluxe Edition", came with a paperback copy of the book Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner. A HD DVD release was issued on April 18, 2006, one of only four movies released on the first day of that format[18].

See also

References

  1. ^ [1], Box Office Mojo, accessed 4 January 2008
  2. ^ "Million Dollar Baby (2004)". rottentomatoes.com. 1998–2007. Retrieved 2007-01-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
  3. ^ Ebert, Roger (January 7, 2005). "Million Dollar Baby". rogerebert.com. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
  4. ^ Medved, Michael (February 17, 2005). "My 'Million Dollar' Answer". OpinionJournal / Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
  5. ^ Ertelt, Steven (February 3, 2005). "Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby" Euthanasia Plot Offends Disabled". LifeNews.com. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
  6. ^ Million Dollar Missed Opportunity
  7. ^ The New York Times > Arts > Frank Rich: How Dirty Harry Turned Commie
  8. ^ "Movie & TV News @ IMDb.com - Studio Briefing - 27 January 2005". Internet Movie Database. 2007-01-25. Retrieved 2007-11-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ Roger Ebert (2005-01-29). "Critics have no right to play spoiler". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2007-11-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ IrishGaelicTranslator.com. Million Dollar Baby movie
  11. ^ a b Wes Davis Fighting Words. New York Times. February 26, 2005
  12. ^ Roger Ebert (2004-12-14). ":: rogerebert.com :: Reviews :: Million Dollar Baby (xhtml)". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2007-11-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ Jeffrey Overstreet (2005-01-07). "Million Dollar Baby". Christianity Today. Retrieved 2007-11-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ Mark Moring (2005-01-18). "Spoil the Ending?". Christianity Today. Retrieved 2007-11-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ Debbie Schlussel (2005-01-10). ""Million Dollar Baby's" Multi-Million Dollar Rip-Off". DebbieSchlussel.com. Retrieved 2007-11-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ Michael Atkinson (2004-12-13). "Aging Bull". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2007-11-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ Ian Grey (2005-01-12). "Kid Gloves". Baltimore City Paper. Retrieved 2007-11-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ Historical Release Dates for HD DVD Discs, High-Def Digest, accessed 4 January 2008
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