Review: "Cinderella Man"

Ron Howard's latest feature film is Cinderella Man (R), which has a pretty strong hold on next year�s Academy Award celebration right now. Of course, we still have six months to go and there will be a lot of competition by the end of December. Still, it is nice to see a golden flick amongst the typical big-budget summer fare (think Seabiscuit). The movie, set during the Great Depression, tells the true story of boxer James J. Braddock (Russell Crowe), who was known for his rags-to-riches fairy-tale life. Crowe gives a strong performance as does Renee Zellweger as Braddock's wife. Paul Giamatti steals the movie with his role as Braddock's manager. It is an uplifting film that is guaranteed to pull at your heartstrings and make you root for the underdog. At the same time, the pacing isn't always steady making the movie feel long. It is a stellar picture but far from perfect.