Funny, Uplifting, Sad, Traumatic, Exhilarating
This film touches on so many of your emotions that it's hard not to feel touched in some way. Absolute masterpiece, from the thrilling first hour to the incredibly sad final hour this film is incredible.
- 20.October.2011
- |
- by: Yesiamaduck
- Yesiamaduck rated this movie
 10/10Must See
Funny, Uplifting, Sad, Traumatic, Exhilarating
This film touches on so many of your emotions that it's hard not to feel touched in some way. Absolute masterpiece, from the thrilling first hour to the incredibly sad final hour this film is incredible.
- 20.October.2011
- |
- by: Yesiamaduck
What did you think about this review?
Thank you for voting.
Abuse report sent
Report abuse
Close
|
Amazing
Normally, I don't praise 'acting' in a movie because I believe that if the story is good you don't care how good the acting is anyway. But for this movie I have to say that I think Clint Eastwood and Hilary Swank did an truly brilliant job of...
- 26.May.2011
- |
- by: yinhong
- yinhong rated this movie10/10Must See
Amazing
Normally, I don't praise 'acting' in a movie because I believe that if the story is good you don't care how good the acting is anyway. But for this movie I have to say that I think Clint Eastwood and Hilary Swank did an truly brilliant job of portraying their characters.
This IS a character driven movie, and although on the surface it's above a relatively untalented by hard working female boxer trying to climb up the boxing ranks, the heart of the movie is in the subplot relationship between Eastwood and Swank's character. The way their relationship develops is unique and touching, and towards the end is absolutely heartbreaking.
Just an amazing movie on many levels.
- 26.May.2011
- |
- by: yinhong
What did you think about this review?
Thank you for voting.
Abuse report sent
Report abuse
Close
|
Not much encouragement is needed for one to watch an Oscar-ridden movie, but going by true Eastwoodian standards, this one truly and honestly deserves two hours of your time.
Its about life, death, first-round knock-outs and a lot of phenomenal...
- 21.September.2010
- |
- by: drollix
- drollix rated this movie0/10
Not much encouragement is needed for one to watch an Oscar-ridden movie, but going by true Eastwoodian standards, this one truly and honestly deserves two hours of your time.
Its about life, death, first-round knock-outs and a lot of phenomenal acting (watch for Swank's unbelievable upper-cut). This is honest bare-bones story-telling without the glitz and flab. If you are familiar with Eastwood's style of film-making, you would see the familiar "I got some soul-cleaning to do" tinge, if you've seen Morgan Freeman's 'Shawshank Redemption', you'd see more of his "I was there when this happened" narration and Swank dazzles in her role of a diminutive figher who's dealt a swift uppercut by life (Sorry, yet another boxing metaphor).
Recommended for fans of Eastwood, Martine Scorcese and the Godfather series.
- 21.September.2010
- |
- by: drollix
What did you think about this review?
Thank you for voting.
Abuse report sent
Report abuse
Close
|
Is the glass half full, or is it half empty? There should be a Netphix category for movies that are exactly half good/half bad. Consider "Castaway" with Tom Hanks. The marooned-on-the-island segment was a 5 star tour-de-force, but the cloying,...
- 05.September.2010
- |
- by: ColumboFan
- ColumboFan rated this movie0/10
Is the glass half full, or is it half empty? There should be a Netphix category for movies that are exactly half good/half bad. Consider "Castaway" with Tom Hanks. The marooned-on-the-island segment was a 5 star tour-de-force, but the cloying, tear-jerking rest of it was terrible. It was half great/half bad. If there was a category for this, "Million Dollar Baby" would qualify. It starts as an uplifting, gritty sports movie with Hilary Swank, and she is excellent here. Now I don't want to come off as sexist, but I must confess I wasn't exactly looking forward to a woman's boxing picture. Hell, even foxy-boxing creeps me out a little bit, but Hilary Swank won me over with a touching, determined performance. She's good. (She was great in "Insomnia" too. I know this woman has won two Oscars but for some reason I still feel she is underrated. Why is that?) But, alas, this movie eventually devolves into a totally different picture. TOTALLY different. I won't spoil it, but that other movie that has latched itself onto this top-shelf boxing flick...yeah, well, that movie sucks.
- 05.September.2010
- |
- by: ColumboFan
What did you think about this review?
Thank you for voting.
Abuse report sent
Report abuse
Close
|
The fight sequences are exciting. The screenplay flows effortlessly. The movie is shot beautifully. I was disappointed with the accident. The twist threw me off and I a hard time getting back on board after that.
Yet that is the way life is. Like...
- 25.November.2009
- |
- by: Jam
- Jam rated this movie0/10
The fight sequences are exciting. The screenplay flows effortlessly. The movie is shot beautifully. I was disappointed with the accident. The twist threw me off and I a hard time getting back on board after that.
Yet that is the way life is. Like Morgan Freeman's character says, "People die every day cleaning, cooking, etc." This film is about our lack of control. Yet we can control who lives or dies.
The questions raised throughout the movie are heavy and not easy. Life doesn't wait for you to make up your mind. Boxing is a good metaphor for life.
Sure the acting is as good as it gets. You believe these characters. Seems like most people either loved it or hated it. I liked it.
Honestly "Sideways" was a better film for 2004 but I guess they wanted to give Eastwood something?
- 25.November.2009
- |
- by: Jam
What did you think about this review?
Thank you for voting.
Abuse report sent
Report abuse
Close
|
The only thing that held this back was Hillary Swank's horrible southern accent. The ending is emotional and frankly, a bit heavy handed. However, Eastwood and Freeman are as brillant as they always are.
- 12.October.2009
- |
- by: Dan
- Dan rated this movie0/10
The only thing that held this back was Hillary Swank's horrible southern accent. The ending is emotional and frankly, a bit heavy handed. However, Eastwood and Freeman are as brillant as they always are.
- 12.October.2009
- |
- by: Dan
What did you think about this review?
Thank you for voting.
Abuse report sent
Report abuse
Close
|
After all the Oscar hype, I decided to check out Million Dollar Baby. Needless to say, I was very pleasantly surprised. If ever there was a screenplay that would benefit from Eastwood's touch, it was this one. His stark and simplistic style fit the...
- 09.October.2009
- |
- by: Ethan Clapham
- Ethan Clapham rated this movie0/10
After all the Oscar hype, I decided to check out Million Dollar Baby. Needless to say, I was very pleasantly surprised. If ever there was a screenplay that would benefit from Eastwood's touch, it was this one. His stark and simplistic style fit the story perfectly.
Acting wise, he nailed the character and I can't imagine anyone else playing the part better. Morgan Freeman's role wasn't as small as I had expected and his part was very integral to the story. Swank's character was a little more shallow than the others, in my opinion, but she really got to stretch her legs as an actress in the third act. Overall, the performances were what one would expect from this lineup of A-list actors: top notch and Oscar-worthy.
The first two acts of the film were fairly standard boxing movie material. What made the film stand out was the relationships between the characters and how they evolved. Every character made a transition through the course of the movie. Million Dollar Baby was a boxing movie, sure, but it was more about human nature, interaction, and the ways we as humans can effect each other. This really brought the characters down to Earth, making the viewer able to relate to the stars in some fashion.
The third act was far from what I was expecting. I can't say too much without revealing any key plot points, but it was extremely moving and emotional. If you can steer away from spoilers and friends with large mouths, do so. You will appreciate the movie much more this way.
Million Dollar Baby is a great boxing movie, but it's also much more. It's a real life story with characters that feel like people you might know. The ending is surprising and emotional. When the credits rolled, I realized that I actually cared about the characters and the outcome. While I'm not sure Million Dollar Baby was the best picture of 2004, it certainly had some Oscar worthy performances.
- 09.October.2009
- |
- by: Ethan Clapham
What did you think about this review?
Thank you for voting.
Abuse report sent
Report abuse
Close
|
I wanted to see this because Paul Haggis was one of the writers, and I loved his writing and directing in Crash. Now I am thinking it's apples and oranges, though; this is an adaptation of an existing novel, and I'm not much of a boxing fan. In...
- 11.August.2009
- |
- by: moviemeh
- moviemeh rated this movie0/10
I wanted to see this because Paul Haggis was one of the writers, and I loved his writing and directing in Crash. Now I am thinking it's apples and oranges, though; this is an adaptation of an existing novel, and I'm not much of a boxing fan. In stark contrast to the complexities of the characters in Crash, most of the characters here can be described in one adjective: she's spunky, he's stubborn, he's loyal, they're ungrateful, he's deluded. The ending wasn't bad in itself; it was bad only because it had to end that way to get the message across. I hate it when that happens. I was at a disadvantage because I already knew the ending of the movie when I saw it, but I am not sure how much that affected my rating. This movie gets two stars because I've seen worse and it has a few good scenes.
- 11.August.2009
- |
- by: moviemeh
What did you think about this review?
Thank you for voting.
Abuse report sent
Report abuse
Close
|
Where on earth is all the hype coming from for this lame movie? OK, so it has some good acting, but the plot is so improbable that the good acting is wasted on such a thin premise. The setup is laborious, and mid-directed — we simply do not get...
- 17.March.2009
- |
- by: jasonennor
- jasonennor rated this movie4/10Disappointing
Where on earth is all the hype coming from for this lame movie? OK, so it has some good acting, but the plot is so improbable that the good acting is wasted on such a thin premise. The setup is laborious, and mid-directed — we simply do not get enough background of the characters - then the finale comes so quick that you hardly care about the outcome. If you have seen this and want to see what it could have been, then see The Sea Inside.
- 17.March.2009
- |
- by: jasonennor
What did you think about this review?
Thank you for voting.
Abuse report sent
Report abuse
Close
|
Hard and heavy film
- 04.November.2008
- |
- by: Noa
- Noa rated this movie0/10
Hard and heavy film
but it shouldn't stop you from watching it.
- 04.November.2008
- |
- by: Noa
What did you think about this review?
Thank you for voting.
Abuse report sent
Report abuse
Close
|
Mood:
Plot:
Genres:
Time/Period:
Place:
Praise:
Style:
Based on:
Attitudes:
Flag:
Does this gene fit Million Dollar Baby?
