Cinderella Man

[Polidano]

Humanizing characters being explored in biopics is a powerful way to bring audiences into the fold, so to speak. How does Ron Howard show us a side of underdog boxer, James Braddock? Also, discuss Russel Crowe's depiction, because he does lots, from an acting point of view, to bring his character down to earth.

[jacob kennedy]

Ron Howard showed The audience Braddocks time when he was struggling with his family in the Great Depression and how they couldn’t even afford to put food on the table on the food and how he couldn’t even find work some days to put food on the table. Showing this side of Braddock made the audience want Braddock to succeed because he was such a loving husband and devoted Father. When he won the fight it made it more bitter sweet to see his family so happy and finally afford to put food on the table.

[Isabella_Smith]

Ron Howard showed the loving, kind, and fatherly side of Braddock in the movie. Despite living in the depression, Braddock never would abandon his wife or children and is always looking for ways to make money and find food in the film. Although in the ring he is a tough unbeatable boxer, outside he is a caring father that's only goal is to keep his family safe. Russell Crowe does an excellent job acting, showing how much he loves his wife and kids, and really shows how much he cares about them. He also shows how much he loves his fans. Even if the odds are against him, he shows that he will never give up and will fight for everyone that believes in him.

[danny_76]

Both Ron Howard and Russel Crowe do a great job at humanizing Braddock. Howard uses juxtaposing scenes like going from winning a fight then going to his nice home to losing a fight and heading to his tiny dark apartment. He also shows the poor neighborhood and its sadness but then shows the rich and its happiness giving the audience the feel that Braddock struggles too. Crowe gives Braddock that human feel in the way he acts, works, and celebrates. He doesn't want to go to relief for money but does and then pays them back, he walks into the boxing commission and begs for a few dollars, and he gives his daughter his food instead of eating. His actions show that he will do whatever for his family and that his life isn't perfect and things aren't going his way. He fights with a broken hand and works the next day. Regardless of circumstances he does what it takes to survive which makes the audience feel like he deserves more. When he finally wins he everyone celebrates and he doesn't shy away from that. Crowe portrays Braddock with many emotions so the audience is compelled to like him and he is the underdog because they show he has nothing and nothing goes his way but his no quit attitude leads to him beating the champion to become the new champion.

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[Brendan schuck]

Ron Howard does a very good job at humanizing James Braddock. Howard portrays Braddock as a very kind and loving man while with his family. Braddock is also portrayed as a very noble man ; for example when Max Baer keeps hitting him below the belt, Braddock maintains his composure and continues to fight Max honourably. Rob Howard also shows a darker side of Braddock when he has to beg people for money despite not wanting to. Russel Crowe also does an amazing job at bringing Braddock down to Earth. This is mostly done while Braddock is with his family. The love that Braddock has for his children and his wife feel very genuine due to Crowe’s acting.

[Christine Sim]

Ron Howard attempted to show Braddock’s side as a good husband, father, and friend and was greatly successful. Despite Braddock’s many obstacles, he tries to do everything he can to survive and keep his family together. Braddock made many sacrifices for his wife and his kids because he cares about them more than anything in the world. He would go without food for days and work long hours on an empty stomach, just so his family wouldn’t starve. Overall, Russell Crowe’s depiction of James Braddock was well done on his part. Crowe can act tough in the ring, but when he’s with his family he can become down to earth.

[jessica vautour]

Russell Crowe and Ron Howard did a very good job at humanizing James J. Braddock. They used a lot of scenes where it went from Braddock winning a fight and looking successful, to him going home and hardly being able to put food on the table for his family. Braddock was a very proud man. Even when they had nothing, he made his son return the meat he took from the butcher, and he was very reluctant and waited till he absolutely had to until he went to beg for money. He would go for long amounts of time with no food (including fighting on an empty stomach) just so his family wouldn't go hungry. Braddock is portrayed as the underdog because we can see that he came from literally nothing, and went on to be a world champion.

[SamDePooter41]

Howard showed the fatherly side of Braddock in the movie. Despite living in the depression, Braddock never abandons his wife or children and is always looking for ways to make money. His ultimate goal is to keep his family safe and protected. Russell Crowe plays Braddock very well showing how much he cared for his family. He also shows how much he loves his fans.

[mattiodapattio]

Russell Crowe and Ron Howard humanize James Braddock to show the struggle that was faced during the great depresion and how it even affected the strongest willed people. James J Braddock is an icon to the people in his city because of the struggles he faced. Despite everything James went through he still made it to the other end. We see the struggles he faced multiple times through the movie, whether it was when he broke his arm and was struggling to work at the dock, giving his daughter his meal in the morning because they couldn't afford anymore, or the fight him and his wife had because his kids were sent to her sisters, breaking James' promise to his son. All of the struggles James faced with a mix of excellent acting showed a very human side to him but also depicted a father fighting for his family.

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[Laura_B]

Ron Howard shows the audience Braddock’s inspiration. Living through the depression, Braddock was struggling to provide for his wife and children. When given the opportunity to fight again, he takes it because of his family. Braddock is a loving and caring father/husband and it makes the audience pray for his success. Russell Crowe’s depiction of Braddock is excellent. He plays a very convincing and compelling role.Throughout the film, Crowe's portrayal of Braddock is inspiring.

[Julia S]

Russel Crowe and John Howard do an excellent job humanizing James Braddock. They show off his fatherly side in the movie and how he always puts his wife and kids first. Although he is a tough boxer, he is also a loving husband who works hard in order to support his family. The Great Depression ripped many famillies apart, but Braddock was determined to stop that from happening to his family. Russel Crowe does an awesome job in the movie because he really does a good job playing the fatherly role of James Braddock

[KaiHuget32]

Ron Howard has done a great recreation of James Braddock as both a father and a fighter. As a father, James Braddock loves his children and always puts their needs first. When his hand was broken after one of his fights, James still knew that he had to work to support his family so even though he was in pain from his injury he still accepted work on the docks which included a lot of heavy lifting. Furthermore, when James didn't have enough money to buy food for all of his family, he decided to skip eating so that his kids wouldn't have to suffer from hunger. While James Braddock was a very loving father, he was also a very skilled boxer too. James Braddock brought both determination and perseverance in every one of his fights. During his last fight against Max Bear, every time James Braddock felt like giving up he thought of his family as an inspiration to keep on fighting. Russel Crowe as an actor had portrayed James Braddock in such a way that there were almost two sides to him. In one instance there was the loving and caring father who would do anything for his children, and at other times he seemed like a professional boxer who was skilled at his craft and had an elegant style of boxing.

[Monahan]

Both Ron Howard as well as Russell Crowe were not afraid to depict the struggling boxer, James J. Braddock in a negative light during The Great Depression, where many citizens struggled to get food on the table, and struggled to get work to put the food on the table. Many people had nowhere to go, and were homeless, as depicted in the film as well. Howard was not afraid to show the harsh realities of New York City during The Great Depression and really show how little people had, and how much Braddock actually struggled during this time. Howard even shows Braddock getting his what would now be welfare. Howard truly shows what actually happened, which was millions of people struggling to get money for their families. As for Russell Crowe's depiction of James J. Braddock, his facial expressions were truly astounding, showing every cent of frustration that is going through Braddock's mind as he struggles for work. He also accurately shows how it feels to have a hand injury, especially as a boxer, who uses their hands almost more than any other occupation would. Overall, the film Cinderella Man shows how difficult a time The Great Depression really was. Whether it be through the actors such as Russel Crowe and other characters, or from behind the scenes with Ron Howard's directing. I am personally astounded at how difficult the times really were, and grateful at the same time for not being alive at that time.

[Bradsimonn]

Howard uses the great depression as a backdrop in order to humanize the boxer James Braddock. The Great Depression allows Howard to explore Braddocks intense love for his family and friends as well as what he'll do in order to keep them safe. It also humanizes braddock as seeing him get beaten up by the depression economically and having to plead to the boxing core for money creates a connection between him and the audience. Crowe plays with this vulnerability to create a deep, likeable, and human character who will lever let life knock him down.

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