Million Dollar Baby

Million Dollar Baby

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Produced by Clint Eastwood
Albert S. Ruddy
Tom Rosenberg
Gary Lucchesi
Written by Screenplay:
Paul Haggis
Short stories:
F.X. Toole
Narrated by Morgan Freeman
Starring Clint Eastwood
Hilary Swank
Morgan Freeman
Music by Clint Eastwood
Cinematography Tom Stern
Editing by Joel Cox
Studio Lakeshore Entertainment
Malpaso Productions
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date(s) December 15, 2004 (2004-12-15)
Running time 132 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $30 million[1]
Gross revenue $216,763,646

Million Dollar Baby is a 2004 American film directed, co-produced, and scored by Clint Eastwood and starring Eastwood, Hilary Swank, and Morgan Freeman. It is the story of an under-appreciated boxing trainer, his elusive past, and his quest for atonement by helping an underdog amateur female boxer (the film's title character) achieve her 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 film's title.

Contents

Plot

Margaret Fitzgerald, a waitress and aspiring boxer, leaves her Missouri town in the Ozarks for Los Angeles, where she trains in the Hit Pit, a gym run by Frankie Dunn, a brilliant but down-and-out boxing trainer who has been cast aside by his colleagues and relatives, including his estranged daughter Katy. Dunn initially refuses to train Maggie because she is a woman and almost 32 years old. Maggie, however, perseveres in her attempts to win Dunn over by training each day in his gym, even when others discourage her. Frank's friend and employee, ex-boxer Eddie "Scrap Iron" Dupris narrates the story in non-dialogue scenes.

After Dunn eventually agrees to train Maggie, she fights her way up to the women's welterweight boxing division, winning many of her fights with first-round knockouts. Lacking a close relationship with his own daughter, who returns his letters unopened, Dunn comes to establish a strong bond with Maggie, whose own family cares little for her well-being. When Maggie buys her mother a house with some of her winnings, she berates Maggie for risking her and Maggie's sister's welfare and Medicaid benefits, saying that Maggie should have just given her the cash so that the government would not be aware that she had assets. In addition, her mother mocks her success in the ring, saying that everyone is laughing at her at home for what she's doing...

Eventually, Dunn secures Maggie a $1 million title match in Las Vegas against the WBA women's welterweight champion, Billie the Blue Bear, a German ex prostitute who is known as a dirty fighter. After a shaky start, Maggie begins to dominate the fight, but after a round has ended, Billie hits her from behind, sending her falling toward the upside-down corner stool that was just placed in the ring. Before Dunn can pull the stool out of the way, Maggie lands on it and breaks her neck, leaving her a quadriplegic. Dunn initially blames Scrap for convincing him to train Maggie, but in the end he blames himself for having worked with her against his better judgment.

In a medical rehabilitation facility, Maggie hopes that her family will visit her, though Dunn repeatedly calls them with no success. Eventually, the family arrives - after first visiting Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood - with an attorney in tow, to arrange the transfer of Maggie's assets to them. Knowing that her family never signed the title to the house she gave them, Maggie offers them a choice: leave and never contact her again, or Maggie will sell the house and leave them homeless. Her defeated family leaves and does not return.

Maggie asks Dunn to be relieved of her suffering and help her die. Dunn refuses, but does speak with his priest, who objects to the idea of euthanasia, sympathetically but firmly saying that it is murder. Maggie then attempts suicide by biting her tongue multiple times in an attempt to bleed to death. Though hospital staff prevent further suicide attempts, Dunn decides that Maggie's suffering should not continue, and he injects her with an overdose of adrenaline.

Just before administering the injection, Dunn finally tells Maggie the meaning of the nickname by which he has called her; the phrase, Mo Chuisle (spelled incorrectly in the film as "mo cuishle"), which is Irish for "my darling, and my blood" (literally, "my pulse"). Afterwards, as Scrap explains, Dunn disappears. Scrap's narration is revealed to be a letter to Dunn's daughter, Katy, informing her of her father's true character.

Cast

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 USD$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.[1]

Box office

Despite an opening weekend of just $12,265,482 in North America, the film became a box-office hit both domestically and internationally. The film grossed $216,763,646 in theaters---$100,492,203 in the United States and $116,271,443 overseas. The film played in theaters for six and a half months.[2]

Response

The film received highly positive reviews. 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 against the ending, in which Frank carries out Maggie's wish to die after she becomes a quadriplegic as a result of a spinal-cord injury. The activists believed that the ending supported the euthanasia of disabled people. Wesley J. Smith in The Weekly Standard also criticized the film 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."[5]

Eastwood responded to the criticism by saying the film was about the American dream.[6] 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".[7] 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".[8]

Some Irish speakers have also criticized the fact that the phrase Mo Chuisle, a term of endearment meaning My pulse, was misspelled in the film as Mo Cuishle, as shown on the back of Maggie's robe.[9] In Irish and other Goidelic languages, consonants soften when followed by a vowel, hence the "c" in "cuisle" turns into a guttural "ch". It is translated in the film as "My darling, my blood". The original phrase is short for A chuisle mo chroí, meaning "O pulse of my heart".[10] The film has also been praised for stirring interest in the Irish language in the U.S.[10]

Spoiler debate

When describing the plot of the film, Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert gave a spoiler warning.[11] 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] Susan Wloszczyna of USA Today said the film "packs a surprise plot twist" and said "spoilsports already have begun to leak details about this drama", saying "the urge to divulge the story's secrets will only grow worse when the film finally goes nationwide." Wloszczyna noted that David Thomson of The Independent "offered readers only a hint of the story basics" and said "most reviewers have coddled the sports saga with similar care..." Wloszczyna said Thomson said, "My great wish always, which is difficult to achieve, is to go in knowing nothing about a film."[13]

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.[14] 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."[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]

Accolades

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. Joel Cox, Eastwood's editor for many years, was nominated for Film Editing, and Haggis was nominated for the Writing Adapted Screenplay award.

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

Home media

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.[18] The Blu-ray Disc version was released on November 14, 2008.[19]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Eliot (2009), p.309
  2. ↑ "Million Dollar Baby (2004)". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=milliondollarbaby.htm. Retrieved January 6, 2010. 
  3. ↑ Ebert, Roger (January 7, 2005). "Million Dollar Baby". rogerebert.com. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041214/REVIEWS/41201004/1023. Retrieved 2007-11-26. 
  4. ↑ Medved, Michael (February 17, 2005). "My 'Million Dollar' Answer". OpinionJournal / Dow Jones & Company, Inc.. http://www.opinionjournal.com/la/?id=110006305. Retrieved 2007-11-26. 
  5. ↑ Million Dollar Missed Opportunity
  6. ↑ The New York Times > Arts > Frank Rich: How Dirty Harry Turned Commie
  7. ↑ "Movie & TV News @ IMDb.com - Studio Briefing - 27 January 2005". Internet Movie Database. 2007-01-25. http://www.imdb.com/news/sb/2005-01-27. Retrieved 2007-11-27. 
  8. ↑ Roger Ebert (2005-01-29). "Critics have no right to play spoiler". Chicago Sun-Times. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050129/COMMENTARY/501290301. Retrieved 2007-11-27. 
  9. ↑ IrishGaelicTranslator.com. Million Dollar Baby movie
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Wes Davis Fighting Words. New York Times. February 26, 2005
  11. ↑ Eliot (2009), p.311
  12. ↑ Roger Ebert (2004-12-14). ":: rogerebert.com :: Reviews :: Million Dollar Baby (xhtml)". Chicago Sun-Times. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041214/REVIEWS/41201004/1023. Retrieved 2007-11-24. 
  13. ↑ Susan Wloszczyna (2005-01-23). "USATODAY.com - 'Million Dollar' mystery". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2005-01-23-million-dollar-baby-mystery_x.htm. Retrieved 2007-11-24. 
  14. ↑ Jeffrey Overstreet (2005-01-07). "Million Dollar Baby". Christianity Today. http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/reviews/milliondollarbaby.html. Retrieved 2007-11-24. 
  15. ↑ Mark Moring (2005-01-18). "Spoil the Ending?". Christianity Today. http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/reviews/milliondollarbaby.html. Retrieved 2007-11-24. 
  16. ↑ Michael Atkinson (2004-12-13). "Aging Bull". The Village Voice. http://www.villagevoice.com/film/0450,atkinson2,59205,20.html. Retrieved 2007-11-24. 
  17. ↑ Ian Grey (2005-01-12). "Kid Gloves". Baltimore City Paper. http://www.citypaper.com/film/review.asp?rid=8334. Retrieved 2007-11-24. 
  18. ↑ Historical Release Dates for HD DVD Discs, High-Def Digest, accessed January 4, 2008
  19. ↑ Historical Blu-ray Release Dates, High-Def Digest, accessed October 13, 2009

Bibliography

External links

Academy Award for Best Picture

A Beautiful Mind (2001) · Chicago (2002) · The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) · Million Dollar Baby (2004) · Crash (2005) · The Departed (2006) · No Country for Old Men (2007) · Slumdog Millionaire (2008) · The Hurt Locker (2009)
Complete List · 1928–1940 · 1941–1960 · 1961–1980 · 1981–2000 · 2001–present
Films directed by Clint Eastwood
1970s
Play Misty for Me (1971) • High Plains Drifter (1973) • Breezy (1973) • The Eiger Sanction (1975) • The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) • The Gauntlet (1977)
1980s
Bronco Billy (1980) • Firefox (1982) • Honkytonk Man (1982) • Sudden Impact (1983) • Pale Rider (1985) • Heartbreak Ridge (1986) • Bird (1988)
1990s
White Hunter Black Heart (1990) • The Rookie (1990) • Unforgiven (1992) • A Perfect World (1993) • The Bridges of Madison County (1995) • Absolute Power (1997) • Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997) • True Crime (1999)
2000s
Space Cowboys (2000) • Blood Work (2002) • Mystic River (2003) • Million Dollar Baby (2004) • Flags of Our Fathers (2006) • Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) • Changeling (2008) • Gran Torino (2008) • Invictus (2009)
2010s
Hereafter (2010)