Cinderella Man

Part One:

• Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. I think i've mentioned this before but I love Rusell Crowe and any movie that he is in makes it 10x better. This was the first movie that we've watched they made me really not want to stop watching and move on to the next class, so I think that shows how much I enjoyed this movie. I also liked how this movie did a really good job of representing what it was like for normal families during the Great Depressions. Although I liked almost all of the movie, the one part that I didn't like watching was the horrible fight scenes, but I know that the movie wouldn't be as good if they didn't have those scenes.

• During the beginning part of movie, I felt really bad for Jim and his family. They were really struggling to gain any revenue and it was hard for them to feed their children. This part kind of reminding me of the movie Pursuit of Happiness. In it, Will Smith is down to his last 5 dollars and is constantly struggling to feed his son. At one point, they are completely homeless and I felt so horrible for them both because Will was trying so hard to make money and feed his son. At the end of the movie, though, I obviously felt very happy for the family and especially Jim.

• Some lasting impressions that I got from the movie was really how boxing affected Jim's wife. A lot of people (including myself) never really understand how dangerous it is for someone with a family to play a really dangerous sport. One scene that really stood out to me was the interview scene where the interviewer asked Jim's wife how she felt about the boxing challenge. She didn't know what to say and throughout the movie she didn't really have a say in whether or not he should box because he might not come back. Nowadays, obviously sports aren't as dangerous but nevertheless athletes still get hurt. I think that people need to be more aware of the consequences before entering a dangerous sport.

• To me, the most interesting character was Jim's wife. Although she did not say much, I understood that she was very worried and frieghtened for her husband. During the scene where they are at dinner before the big fight and Baer says to his wife something about her being a widow was really memorable and I think that her character as a whole represents all of the wives and even husbands that constantly worry whether or not their loved one will come back from a sport/war alive.

• Some content applications to today could be what people would do for money in hard times. Jim went into that fight knowing that he may not come out alive and his kids could potentially not have a father for the rest of their lives. I think this shows how desperate times sometimes call for desperate measures. Also, I think that this can also show how you should always stick to what you believe in because things will always get better if you just wait it out and try.

Part Two:

• I think that his story was very encouraging for people to carry on even in the midst of despair because their family was at rock bottom at the beginning. But, they didn't give up and in the end it worked out in their favor. The thing about his story that was most encouraging was that the Braddock family was so deep in the depression that it was hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But, by having hope and not giving up things will, eventually, work out for the best. 
• Braddock could serve as a symbol of hope for the masses because he was just an ordinary guy who was struggling to feed his family and get a job during the depression. For families in the masses, he was a symbol for hope and even motivation for them to think "this guy got through this, so can we." I think that he is a symbol for all people to stay determined and not give up, even when some people tell you that you can't do it.