This Best Picture-winning sports drama from Director Clint Eastwood packs enough emotional weight that it will leave its impact on you for a while after your first viewing. This is thanks to some great performances, a solid script, and Eastwood's beautifully restrained direction.
Waitress Maggie Fitzgerald wants to climb the ranks of the female boxing world. She trains at a local gym operated by Frankie Dunn, an elderly and gruff trainer. Maggie wants Frankie to be her trainer and manager, but Frankie says, "I don't Train Girls". After Frankie's male prospect walks out on him, he finally agrees to train Maggie. Through Frankie's coaching, Maggie quickly moves up until eventually securing a title fight worth a million dollars. During these, Frankie and Maggie begin to form a close father-daughter-like relationship.
A lot of people like to call this movie the female Rocky, something I have to disagree with. Yes, there's boxing, but the story and the general mood are completely different. Million Dollar Baby is a slow-burning character study that doesn't get lost in the standard sports drama story beats. Screenwriter Paul Haggis emphasizes the relationships and the dynamics the characters have with each other. Eastwood's directing style has always been about taking its time and letting the story breathe. This gives the film an honest feel, something many dramas struggle to achieve. It wouldn't, however, come together if the characters and performances didn't leave an impact, and they certainly do here. The three main actors, Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, and Morgan Freeman, give some of their best turns of their respective careers. Eastwood has always done a great job playing this grizzled old grump in his later years, and he brings it brilliantly in this performance. Frank is a stubborn and blunt man, and while he can be cold, he comes off as much more caring and genuine when he needs to be, as we see with his relationship with Maggie. Speaking of Maggie, Hilary Swank is the heart and soul of this movie's core, and Swank knocks it out of the park with her physical and emotional commitment to the role. Morgan Freeman plays Eddie "Scrape Iron" Dupris, Frankie's long-time friend and the film's narrator. Freeman does a great job giving off this old, wise persona that works in great contrast to Eastwood's stubborn portrayal of Frankie. This makes Scrape one of the few people who can break through Frankie's exterior and tell him how it is. Freeman and Eastwood's chemistry in this film is amazing, as you can tell right away how long they have known each other without any history given. This on-screen chemistry is also on display with Scrape's relationship with Maggie. Scrape is the first to notice Maggie's heart and grit, supplying her with training tips and good human decency.
The three characters mentioned above are also lost souls in their way, something that Eastwood has always done a good job of showing in his films. There is an element of tragedy and sadness in each of their lives. Frankie is estranged from his daughter and doesn't seem to have much outside his boxing gym. Maggie comes from a family of welfare collecting hillbillies in the Ozarks who ridicule her for her choice to become a fighter. Scrape is a former fighter who lost an eye after a brutal beatdown, which is how he and Frankie met. This incident especially haunts Frankie as he feels responsible for Scrape's permanent injury because he didn't feel he protected him enough, a regret that lingers when he trains fighters in the present. Seeing how all these characters deal with their problems and traumas in comparison to each other makes these characters and their interactions all the more fascinating.
Million Dollar Baby stands as one of Eastwood's strongest directorial efforts. It's an emotional gut punch that will leave you shaken, but it's a rewarding experience regardless.
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