as Mae Braddock
Directed by Ron Howard
Written by Cliff Hollingsworth
Released June 3, 2005
Genre Biography / Drama / Sport
MPAA Rating PG-13 for intense boxing violence and some language

SYNOPSIS: Academy Award® winner Russell Crowe stars as Jim Braddock, whose single-minded devotion to family and dignity became just as famous as his tricky feints and killer left hook. The story begins when Braddock -- once full of promise -- is forced into retirement from boxing after a run of bad luck, just as America itself is sliding into the most frightening hard economic times the nation has ever known. Facing imminent poverty, Jim wants only to do right by the woman who has always been his source of strength -- his feisty wife Mae. At first, he takes a string of dead-end dock jobs that only seem to leave him poorer. But soon, the tightly-wedded couple are drowning in debt and emotionally devastated to see their children shivering in an unheated apartment amid the dead of a Jersey winter. Then, as a result of the efforts of Jim’s indefatigable manager, Joe Gould, Jim gets an out-of-the-blue, last-ditch shot to fight in Madison Square Garden -- and more importantly, a chance to put some food on the table for those he loves. Despite being too old, too hungry and too injured to be considered a real contender -- and in direct opposition to Mae’s strident fears for her husband’s life -- Braddock nevertheless steps back into the ring without any training. Stunning the crowd and the media, he knocks out his rising-star opponent...thanks in part to a powerful hook developed during countless hours of dock work. But it doesn’t stop there. His career re-ignited, he starts to dig his family, victory by victory, out of their hole. And the more he wins, the more Jim Braddock unwittingly becomes a folk hero, until it is as if every time he stands up to an opponent, he is standing up for the millions just like him battling to take care of their families and keep alive their sidelined dreams. Then, finally, comes the match of Braddock’s life, as he boldly agrees to face off against world heavyweight champ Max Baer, a cocky powerhouse of a fighter with a punch so lethal he has already killed two men in the ring. Some say that Braddock will never even survive the match. Indeed, the odds are ten to one in Baer’s favor as Braddock steps into his corner. But Jim Braddock has a different view: that this time he knows in his heart the incredible stakes for which he is fighting.

“What’s beautiful about Mae is that through her strength, she becomes Jim’s purpose. She and the kids are his motivation—they’re what keep him hanging on no matter what. Mae is Jim’s support system, but she’s also a woman who has an unconventional sense of herself—she’s never afraid to tell Jim what’s in her heart, even when it’s not what he wants to hear. In many ways, she was at the helm of the Braddock household; very progressive for the times and an interesting dynamic to explore.”

“She’s a spitfire, she loves her husband and is proud of his achievements, she hates seeing him go off and fight, but she is unconditionally supportive.”

“My favorite thing about Cinderella Man is that it always comes back to the connection between Jim and Mae. No matter what challenges they face, they always make it through because of the strength of their relationship. Their love is foundational in helping them through the harsh realities of the times.”