Cinderella Man is based on the true story of Jim Braddock, a once-talented boxer who, during the Depression, fell on hard times like so many others. When he was down and out, though, he was given a rare opportunity to fight again and wound up not only reclaiming past glory but also becoming an inspiration to people who needed something, and someone, to believe in when they had little hope.

Before I saw this movie I didn't know anything about Braddock and, as a result, I have no idea how closely the story told onscreen mirrors Braddock's real life. Frankly, though, I'm not sure that matters. Although I suspect that Cinderella Man sticks reasonably close to Braddock's real story, I also know that Hollywood movies rarely get it all right, or really try to. They're made to entertain, and that's something Cinderella Man surely does.

Despite Cinderella Man's running time of well over two hours, the movie plays out like it's half that, mostly due to the topnotch performances of Russell Crowe, as Braddock, and Renée Zellweger, who plays his wife, Mae. Both nail their roles with thoughtful and engaging performances that have you forgetting they are two of Hollywood's biggest stars and believing from the get-go that they may well be Jim and Mae.

Credit must also be given to director Ron Howard whose movies I've often liked, but rarely loved. In the past I've found his films to lack realism and any real edge. They have been films for the masses that are inoffensive to all. Here, finally, he's found a story with bite in Cinderella Man. I like the way Howard tells Braddock's story, and, in particular, the way he shot the many fight scenes, even if none of it broke any new ground in cinematography, editing, or special effects. When Braddock hits the ring, the film takes a documentary-like turn, which leads me to believe that for the fight scenes, at least, Howard wanted to get it exactly right.

And exactly right is what Cinderella Man is. Like a cross between Rocky and Seabiscuit, Cinderella Man is a rousing, moving spectacle that is sure to inspire and guaranteed to entertain. Although there have been other films this year that I've enjoyed just as much -- Crash and Sin City head my list as two other top-flight, just-released flicks -- none has the universal appeal that Cinderella Man does. Cinderella Man is a great film I can recommend everyone go see.

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