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Alliance DVD Review for English Practice – “Cinderella Man”

Title: Cinderella Man
Japanese Title (タイトル): シンデレラマン
Year(製作年): 2005
Director (監督): Ron Howard

Main characters and actors:
Character name (actor name)
James Braddock (Russell Crowe ラッセル・クロウ)
Mae Braddock, James’s wife (Renee Zellweger レネー・ゼルウィガー)
Joe Gould, the manager (Paul Giamatti ポール・ジアマッティ)

Is the story good?
Yes, it is. It is a very touching movie, and it is a great story about an underdog.  It is a story about a boxer, but it is also a story about his family.

Just like last month’s DVD review, “Seabiscuit,” this movie is based on a true story in the Great Depression.  This movie is about a heavyweight boxer, James Braddock.  He was successful in the 1920’s, but he was poor and unsuccessful in the 1930’s.  Then he had a chance to go to the top again.

Just like in “Seabiscuit,” you can see American life during the Great Depression.  In this movie, you can also see family life much more clearly.  James Braddock and his family were poor, because Braddock did not have a good job, and he could not earn enough money from fighting.

But the family stayed together, and Braddock kept fighting.  He said, “I didn’t always lose. I won’t always lose again.”  He was right, and it is a great story.

Is the movie good for English practice?
For English practice, this one is OK, but not great.  I like Russell Crowe’s acting, but his accent and speaking speed might be difficult to catch.  The boxing manager, Joe Gould, uses some difficult expressions.

Unfortunately, sometimes the Japanese subtitles did not catch the English meaning, especially in one important conversation between James and his wife.  I hope that someday you can watch this movie in English, with no Japanese translation.

touching (the heart) 感動する
underdog 弱者
to be based on ~に基づいている
The Great Depression 大恐慌
1920’s   1920年代
to earn money 稼ぐ
unfortunately 残念ながら
subtitles 字幕
especially 特に

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