January is National Mentor's Month, so when I started to think about films that had people being mentored, this was the first that came to mind. I know it's not January anymore, but it was on my list and I really felt I needed to see this. This movie won well over a dozen awards across multiple platforms from the Academy Awards to the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild, NAACP and more. Hillary Swank and Morgan Freeman were given much praise for their roles and Clint Eastwood won awards for his direction of the film. It came out in 2004, but somehow I've never watched it in nearly 20 years, so it's time to finally change that. It's not a movie that I was really drawn to when it came out, so I just never bothered watching it. Any time it's been mentioned in conversation, though, all I hear is how great a movie it was and it made me more interested to see it for the experience of it moreso than the actual storyline. I know it's about a woman being trained for boxing, but not why. I know she goes through struggles, but not what kind. I only have the most basic knowledge of this film, but understand none of the nuances of it, which I will change today. Let's see what it's all about!
Wow... I had no idea this movie was as dark in the end as it was. I don't know how I went nearly 20 years and didn't know the direction this film took. I thought it was a tale similar to Rocky (which I watched in November and still haven't finished the post about it) where she goes for the big fight and wins or loses, but still has her drive to go further. They even do the Rocky style training where she's running along the beach in the sweats that are highly reminiscent of his own sweats. It starts out the same with a boxer trying to get training to go up in fights against other boxers. There's a grizzled old trainer in an old basic gym and a boxer who is seen as an underdog and wouldn't be able to win the fights they're set up for. This story takes a turn, though, when she gets to the epitome of her career. She's going up for a title, she's worked her way through the ranks, proven her worth, built up a fan base. The only problem is, she's going against a fighter who was known to fight dirty. She holds her own and proves to be a stronger opponent than the champion thought she would be. A cheap shot after the bell and with the ref's back turned and her career was over. Her whole life was changed.
The question I had which is never answered is about the champion. For her to take that cheap shot to win, did she feel like it was worth it? Did she feel any remorse for ruining not just someone's career, but their entire life? Were there any consequences or repercussions for her actions? These are the questions I wanted answers to and we never find out. I know they choose to not ask the questions in the film, but it would have been an easy fix to fit it in. Just have Frankie (Eastwood's character) read a note from some flowers sent by her opponent. It could have been a heartfelt apology if she actually felt bad for the situation she left Maggie in. The woman looked like she would be the kind to have no remorse, so flowers probably wouldn't be her style. In that case, it could have just been an update from Frankie when Maggie came around to let her know if the WBA had taken any measures against her. But we're given nothing and I'm left to wonder. I can't help myself when wondering about things like this. Watching a film, for me, allows the story and the characters to become real for that short period of time. It leaves so many things wide open to question and wonder about with any movie. This was my question for this one. I had to look it up if anyone else has wondered this or if they even cared. Apparently, I'm not the only one. There are entire forums dedicated to this exact question. General consensus says that this champion would have never made it as far as she did if she behaved that way. The hit would have been considered a disqualifying blow and she may have received jail time for her actions. I do wish that could have been worked into the film because it left me wondering about it until the very end.
As for Frankie and Scrap, I really enjoyed their banter back and forth. You can tell they had been around each other for a very long time and loved to give each other grief over everything. Each had lived their own lives in the world of boxing and both brought something different to the gym where they trained other boxers. This movie has a lot of grit to it. The gym is a little rough around the edges, the boxers aren't prettied up, except for the one boxer who prides himself on looking better than everyone else there. It was pretty interesting to see The Falcon (Anthony Mackie) play a slightly self-absorbed character who took enjoyment in tearing others down to make himself look better. Seeing him brought low by Scrap (Freeman), someone he felt was beneath him because he was just the cleaning guy, was quite gratifying. It was also weird seeing Jay Baruchel as a simple Texan. I don't think the character helped the movie any. His performance of a Texan felt a little forced and I think it would have been better if he either hadn't been trying for a southern accent or if a different person had played the role as it was written. Not my favorite role for him. He definitely did better once he took on roles like in Tropic Thunder and How to Train Your Dragon.
Swank earned every award she was given for this film. Her character starts off a bit naïve, but she soon learns to focus on her task to achieve her goals. You can also tell that she put in the effort in reality because her body starts to take on a boxer's form. Her muscles become defined and toned and I know that isn't just airbrushing. You see her go through the training, push her way through the ranks, feel the elation she experiences every time she walks through a chanting crowd to then are brought to a screeching halt with one blow. I know there was a lot of backlash from the disabled community because they felt the film took a turn that was unnecessary because being paralyzed from the neck down doesn't mean you can't have a fulfilling life. I saw a man in Vegas back in November who had no arms at all and was completely wheel chair bound. He was on the phone conducting business and carrying on with his life undeterred. I know that his life wouldn't have been easy, not being able to use his body the way most other people could, but he found ways to make it work and just carried on with his life. Although you can find ways to work around your disability and have a fulfilling life, some people find that they don't want to go through the struggle to get to that place. I understand their concern, but they forget that isn't everyone's story. This is a story of a woman who came from a poor family in a trailer park living off of welfare. She may have seen the world and all it's possibilities, but her mind still functions on some level in that same way. Frankie even explains that he was looking into the technology to help her get out of the rehabilitation center, but she doesn't want to hear it. He's offering her options and a way to improve her life, but she feels she's already lived her best life. With all that she's seen and done in her life, she felt she had all she'd ever looked for when being trained by Frankie and standing in front of the crowds as they cheered her on, calling her by her title. A title given to her by a man she grew to care about on the same level as her own father. She felt she had it all and the rest of her life would pale in comparison to that. Of course there are ways to have a more fruitful life, and even moreso now than there was back then, but this is HER story. I can completely understand her reasoning behind her desire to end her life early.
These are the hard decisions in life that we legally can't enact for another human being no matter how dire their situation is. I feel it's a bit hypocritical to say that it's humane to end an animal's life when the situation is dire, but it's cruel to do so for a fellow human being, but I digress. Frankie initially balks at her request, but after thinking long and hard on it, he finally decides to grant her wish. I personally agree with his decision. I know there are people who think it wrong and I don't know if I could do it myself, but when it's a loved one easing your pain it seems to be more compassionate than having a stranger do it. Maybe it's the Irish in me that has this need to take care of our own, I can't say for sure, but I do feel that it was better that it was him. That it would have been more meaningful to her that it was Frankie that eased her suffering. He was the person she looked up to, the person she looked to for answers. He came to care for her more than he ever thought he could after what he'd been through in his life. He couldn't even get his daughter to open a letter he sent her, but here was this girl willing to let him guide her and mold her into something stronger, faster, better. For that very reason, I feel this was a good movie to choose for the Mentor's Month topic. He may not have wanted to take her on in the beginning, but eventually he gave her everything he had and she took it all in. He gave her the tools and the know-how and she took it to the furthest reaches that she could.
If by some odd circumstance you haven't yet seen this movie, I highly recommend at least one watch. Especially if you enjoy Clint Eastwood movies. And I'm talking more about his directorial role than his acting one. He has a certain realness in his films and tends to leave them raw and gritty. I can definitely appreciate that in this film. It's one of the things I liked about Gran Torino, too. I'm glad I finally sat down and watched this. It wasn't an easy one, and I feel like I wasn't exactly prepared for all that happened in this despite everyone warning me to keep a box of tissues nearby, but it was well worth it. You really get the raw emotions from the actors and you get completely engrossed in the story. I'll be digesting this one for days after this. That's how you can tell the good ones. They don't leave you right away. I'm glad it got so much recognition, too. It deserved all the accolades it got.
I've fallen behind on my film watching and I'm doing what I can to catch up. I still have one January film I feel is necessary to watch, then I'll start on my February list for Black History Month. I have to cut one film from the list, but I hope to catch up to the rest of it. I hope I succeed. Stay tuned for more movies I've never seen!
For more movie love, check out my other blog, "You're Watching That Again?!"
