Cinderella Man Rating: PG - 13 Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars Best for Ages: 14 + Ages 3 - 7: Red Ages 8 - 12: Red Ages 13 - 17: Yellow Violence Amount: Yellow Violence Portrayal: Green Fear: Yellow Illegal / Harmful: Green Language: Yellow Nudity: Green Sex: Green Review: Everyone loves the story of an underdog who wins in the end. James Braddock (Russell Crowe) was such a man. A boxer during the Depression, he rose to the top, fell all the way down and rose again. With a wife (Renee Zellweger) and three children, when he couldn't box anymore, he stood in welfare lines, worked for anything he could get and begged for money. His manager (Paul Giamatti) finally got him a match, but it was to fight heavyweight champ Max Baer (he had killed two men in the ring). James took the bout because he needed the money to keep his family with him. Much to everyone's amazement, Braddock won the match. He quickly becomes a figure of hope to all the people affected by the Depression. In this way, Cinderella Man is a lot like the movie Seabiscuit where one person, or horse, becomes a beacon of light for all the others that are suffering. The themes of survival, poverty and struggling to keep the family together are more mature. Some people's children are sent to live with relatives because their parents can't afford to feed them. The boxing matches are very brutal and violent. Crowe, Zellweger and Giamatti all do excellent acting jobs. This is a story of real human drama and if your children are mature enough to understand it, you will have meaningful discussions after the movie. How do you think that your family would react under these circumstances? What does Braddock do after he has money again to show his appreciation? What is the most important thing that keeps the family together? Email Linda Back to Home Copyright © 2005 Linda Thomas