Cinderella Man

During the 1930s, former heavyweight contender Jim Braddock struggles to support his wife and children after a career-ending injury and a string of bad luck. When an unexpected opportunity to step back into the ring appears, he takes it to try to earn enough to keep his family afloat. The film follows his return to boxing, the hard work and small victories that lead to bigger fights, and the strain that public attention and personal pride put on his household. It stays focused on character and circumstance, avoiding sensationalism while showing what a single comeback can mean to one man and his community.

Directed by Ron Howard and released in 2005, the film adapts the life of Jim Braddock. The screenplay credits include Cliff Hollingsworth and Akiva Goldsman, and the production emphasizes period detail to evoke the Great Depression era.

The movie opened to steady audience interest and put up solid box office numbers for a drama of its type, helping it reach a wide audience without relying on blockbuster spectacle.

The title and Braddock story resonated beyond the theater, becoming a familiar reference point for stories about unlikely returns and perseverance. Several sequences, especially the climactic bouts, gained recognition for their realism and were often cited in sports film roundups and retrospectives.

Critics praised the performances, particularly Russell Crowe as Jim Braddock and Paul Giamatti in a supporting role, and many reviewers highlighted the film's focus on family, dignity, and working class hardship. Audiences responded well too, reflected in a vote average of 7.566/10 from 2,330 votes, noting the movie's earnest tone and period authenticity as strengths.