Million Dollar Baby, Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman

Million Dollar Baby, Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman

This film has won four Academy Awards and two Golden Globes at the ceremonies of 2005, together with:

-          Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role- Oscar and Golden globe

-          Best Director- both Academy Award and Golden Globe

-          Best Motion Picture- AA

-          Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role- AA

The trio involved in the production of the movie is formidable.

And the story is haunting and thought provoking.

Maggie Fitzgerald is a waitress, coming from a poor background, a family with some serious issues that become clear in the film.

When Maggie is in a hospital, the “family” is only visiting because they are concerned about the money, not the health of the woman who has given them so much and when she did, they were again concerned that the government might take social benefits away…

The heroine wants to become a good boxer.

For that purpose, she is trying hard to convince boxing coach Frankie Dunn to take her as a student of…boxing

-          Boxing could be seen as a strange calling

-          Especially when the boxer is a woman

-          And she is already past thirty to boot

-          But, she is determined, has resilience

-          Maggie likes boxing, has strength and is passionate about it

Nevertheless, Frankie Dunn aka Clint Eastwood is not interested, even if he could be nudged by his assistant.

That would be Morgan Freeman as Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris, a former champion who made it to the top, or very near it.

-          Maggie Fitzgerald becomes a role model

-          She works as hard as possible- indeed, even harder than it is commonly endurable, with long hours at the gym

Frankie Dunn says that he feels pity for the girl and finally starts trying to improve her training sessions.

-          Do not contradict me, always listen to me

-          Move first with this leg, hit and then move again

-          Always protect yourself

-          Yes, boss!...words to that effect

Maggie keeps calling the coach boss, but a strong relationship develops between the two partners, who may in the end be in love with each other.

Whether that is just paternal and filial love respectively, I am not sure.

But the trainer wanted to keep as much of a distance as possible to begin with, by having someone else as manager.

Seeing though that the results were not wonderful, Frankie Dunn becomes more and more involved with his boxer.

Maggie gets better and better, but the fights are vicious, she takes blows at the head, the bleeding is terrible.

But she does have a few excellent punches and manages to throw down opponents with astonishing speed.

Her ascension is fantastic and she earns enough money to buy a house, which she gives to her mother and relatives.

Only that woman is evil and not just ungrateful, but critical of this gift and admonishing her daughter for her occupation:

-          Why did you buy the house??!

-          I wanted you to have it

-          Where is the fridge?

-          It will come

-          You know, when they find out, they will cut the social benefits!!

-          You know what, sell it if you don’t want it and take the money!!

After this, Maggie has a shot at the World Championship Title, but she meets in the final a boxer with no ethics and no respect for any rules.

That woman is so vicious and the referee and officials so useless that even though she is inferior to Maggie, she manages to hit her in instances when the game is stopped, whenever it is not permitted and against the rules.

Until finally, during a moment when Maggie is not careful, knowing though that the fight is interrupted, that killer manages, yet again, to throw an illegal punch and sent Maggie into a chair, with an injury that paralyzes the heroine.

-          It now becomes a story about euthanasia

-          Is it worth living in a bed for the rest of her life?