Russell Crowe lives in the past.
And that’s where Hollywood hopes the gruff Aussie stays.
Yes, Chris Rock got it right at this year’s Oscars when he astutely quipped: “If you doing a movie about the past, you best to get Russell’s ass.”
Crowe‘s money in the bank whenever he takes a leap back to the recent or distant past. He shot to fame as the world-weary detective in the film noir L.A. Confidential. In Gladiator, he cut down the competition to win an Oscar for the sword-and-sandals adventure that spawned one imitator after another. He took a calculated risk as A Beautiful Mind‘s mentally ill mathematician John Nash, and then steered Master and Commander to a worldwide tally of $210.4 million.
So Crowe‘s decision to come out swinging in Cinderella Man as Depression-era heavyweight champ James J. Braddock hardly qualifies as a surprise. Audiences seem particularly partial to the intelligence, honesty and nobility–qualities that seem out of place in these more jaded times–which Crowe so effortlessly exudes in his exhilarating historical epics and brooding period pieces.
OK, and we all know this headline-grabbing bad boy can brawl off-screen. But Cinderella Man‘s more than an excuse for him to climb into the ring so he can simply work off his anger and frustration.
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Russell Crowe’s Greatest Hits* | |
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| 1. Gladiator $187.7M | |||
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| 2. A Beautiful Mind $170.7M | |||
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| 3. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World $93.9M | |||
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| *Wide releases since 1997 | |||
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The uplifting drama reunites Crowe with director Ron Howard and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman. The last time they worked together, A Beautiful Mind earned $313.5 million worldwide and won four Oscars, including Best Picture. Crowe and Howard originally set their sights on storming The Alamo as a follow-up to A Beautiful Mind, but they walked when Disney balked at letting them submit in a violent reenactment à la Saving Private Ryan. Instead, Disney’s PG-13 handling of the bloody 1836 siege came and went without putting up much of a fight. Where was Chris Rock when the Mouse House needed his words of wisdom?
In a summer dominated by sequels and remakes, the decidedly mature Cinderella Man arrives as a feel-good alternate that’s bound to go the distance. Think Seabiscuit with boxing gloves. Like Seabiscuit, Cinderella Man recounts the inspirational true story of an underdog who captured the heart of a nation enduring a time of great economic instability.
Released to coincide with the 70th anniversary of Braddock’s June 13, 1935 slugfest against Max Baer, Cinderella Man represents the year’s first true Oscar contender. Actually, Cinderella Man was to have competed in last year’s race for Oscar gold, but filming was delayed after Crowe injured his shoulder.
For his pain and trouble, the earnest Crowe certainly deserves Oscar consideration for his tough-as-nails turn as the poverty stricken pugilist. And no doubt an Oscar campaign will be waged for Howard, Renée Zellweger, as Braddock’s supportive but anxious wife, and Paul Giamatti, so great as Braddock’s loyal manager.
Not that Crowe should start preparing an acceptance speech. Oscar voters tend to forget about awards-worthy offerings released between the Memorial Day and Labor Day holiday weekends. Seabiscuit probably would have galloped away with several Oscars had it not burst out of the gate in July 2003.
As a student of history, Crowe must realize that Oscar voters won’t repeat themselves so soon after handing Clint Eastwood‘s boxing melodrama Million Dollar Baby four awards, including Best Picture. Instead, if Oscars voters next year feel compelled to honor a based-on-fact sports yarn, they most likely will turn their attention to Steven Spielberg‘s still-untitled account of the terrorist attack on the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.
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Russell Crowe’s Greatest Misses* | |
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| 1. Mystery, Alaska $8.8M | |||
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| 2. The Insider $29M | |||
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| 3. Proof of Life $32.5M | |||
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| *Wide releases since 1997 | |||
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Cinderella Man also almost beats itself senseless with its dreary opening hour, which offers a long and ponderous look at the hardship of life following the Wall Street Crash of 1929. There’s only so much you can take of Zellweger‘s sobbing.
But then Cinderella Man comes to life when Braddock receives resumes his boxing career. What follows is an electrifying look at how one man made the most of his second chance to fulfill his dreams.
If audiences can wait until the bell rings on Braddock’s first comeback bout, then there’s no reason why Cinderella Man won’t appeal to the same sophisticated crowd that made Seabiscuit a $120.2 million smash.
But then what for Crowe? Odds are he’s going to take another step back in time.
His follow-up to Cinderella Man was to be Eucalyptus, a quirky Australian love story set in the 1950s and costarring Nicole Kidman. Filming came to an abrupt halt earlier this year over script concerns. He’s also attached what is described as Australia’s answer to Gone With the Wind, to be directed by Moulin Rouge‘s Baz Luhrmann.
Then there’s The Long Green Shore. Crowe‘s talked for years about helming this World War II drama. Having trained twice under Howard, Crowe‘s no doubt ready to pull no punches as a director.
The Bottom Line
This summer, Crowe will again prove Chris Rock right and hang tough with Star Wars: Episode III, Batman Begins and War of the Worlds. Then expect the gloves to come off when opponents try–and likely succeed–to KO Cinderella Man out of Oscar contention.
