The true story of boxer Jim Braddock who, in the 1920s following his retirement, makes a surprise comeback in order to get him and his family out of a socially poor state.
Credits: TheMovieDb.
Film Cast:
- Jim Braddock: Russell Crowe
- Mae Braddock: Renée Zellweger
- Joe Gould: Paul Giamatti
- Max Baer: Craig Bierko
- Mike Wilson: Paddy Considine
- Jimmy Johnston: Bruce McGill
- Ford Bond: David Huband
- Jay Braddock: Connor Price
- Rosemarie Braddock: Ariel Waller
- Howard Braddock: Patrick Louis
- Sara: Rosemarie DeWitt
- Lucille Gould: Linda Kash
- Sporty Lewis: Nicholas Campbell
- Jake: Gene Pyrz
- Father Rorick: Chuck Shamata
- Joe Jeanette: Ron Canada
- Alice: Alicia Johnston
- John Henry Lewis: Troy Amos-Ross
- Art Lasky: Mark Simmons
- Corn Griffin: Art Binkowski
- Abe Feldman: David Litzinger
- Primo Carnera: Matthew G. Taylor
- Announcer Al Fazin: Rance Howard
- Official (Griffin / Baer Fight): James Ritz
- Referee McAvoy: Fulvio Cecere
- Referee: Clint Howard
- Referee: Gerry Ellison
- Referee: Bill Mackie
- Referee: Ray Marsh
- Referee: Fernand Chretien
- Referee: Dave Dunbar
- Ancil Hoffman: Ken James
- Lewis Coach: Rufus Crawford
- Angelo the Cornerman: Angelo Dundee
- Braddock Cornerman: Lou Eisen
- Braddock Cornerman: Wayne Gordon
- Baer Cornerman: Wayne Flemming
- Baer Cornerman / Undercard Boxer (Feldman): Nick Alachiotis
- Lewis Cornerman: Christopher D. Amos
- Lewis Cornerman: Nick Carusi
- Lasky Cornerman: Keith Murphy
- Lasky Cornerman: Everton McEwan
- Lasky Cornerman: John Kalbhenn
- Griffin Cornerman: David Georgieff
- Griffin Cornerman: Wayne Bourque
- Griffin Cornerman: Paul Ryan
- Feldman Cornerman: Sean Gilroy
- Feldman Cornerman: Michael McNamara
- Carnera Cornerman: Billy Wine
- Carnera Cornerman: Richard Bachynsky Hoover
- Carnera Cornerman: Michael Chin
- Campbell Cornerman: Stewart Lunn
- Campbell Cornerman: Richard Lewis
- Campbell Cornerman: Peter Wylie
- Tuffy Griffith: Thomasz Kurzydlowski
- Frankie Campbell: Stuart Clark
- Undercard Boxer (Feldman): Julian Lewis
- Announcer (Lasky): Eric Fink
- Young Reporter: Sergio Di Zio
- Reporter: Gavin Grazer
- Reporter: Boyd Banks
- Reporter: Daniel Kash
- Reporter: Judah Katz
- Reporter: Angelo Tsarouchas
- Reporter: Robert Norman Smith
- 1928 Fan: Craig Warnock
- 1928 Fan: Aaron Abrams
- 1935 Fan: Duff MacDonald
- 1935 Fan: Andrew Stelmack
- 1935 Fan: Christopher Crumb
- Quincy: Gerry Quigley
- Electric Man: Peter MacNeill
- Promoter: Darrin Brown
- Dock Worker: John Healy
- Dock Worker: Piero Didiano
- Dock Worker: James Kirchner
- Dock Worker: Michael Langlois
- Angry Woman: Magdalena Alexander
- Relief Office Woman: Nola Augustson
- Waiter: Gino Marrocco
- George: Mark Taylor
- Lady: Sharron Matthews
- Church Man: Alec Stockwell
- Church Old Man: Chick Roberts
- Church Girl: Isabella Fink
- Sam: Beau Starr
- Radio Commentator: Philip Craig
- Hooverville Cop: Roman Podhora
- Hooverville Cop: R.D. Reid
- Hooverville Man: Michael Dyson
- Gibson: Sam Malkin
- Sam Penny: Tony Munch
- Limo Driver: Conrad Bergschneider
- Announcer (Griffith): Richard Binsley
- Flapper Girl: Ramona Pringle
- Flapper Girl: Katrina Matthews Swain
- Jay Braddock (4 yrs.): Cooper Bracken
- Jay Braddock (4 yrs.): Jacob Bracken
- Deserting Father: Alon Nashman
- Junket: Dominic Cuzzocrea
- Security Guard: Neil Foster
- Cop: Brian Jagersky
- Fight Promoter: Ray Kerr
- Fight Promoter: Tim Eddis
- Mr. Mills: Dave Arkell
- Mother: Debra Sherman
- Baer Hotel Hottie: Joanne Ritcey
- Baer Hotel Hottie: Alex Cairns
- Man on Street: George Duff
Film Crew:
- Original Music Composer: Thomas Newman
- Producer: Brian Grazer
- Production Design: Wynn Thomas
- Casting: Janet Hirshenson
- Casting: Jane Jenkins
- Supervising Sound Editor: Anthony J. Ciccolini III
- Screenplay: Akiva Goldsman
- Producer: Ron Howard
- Executive Producer: Todd Hallowell
- Unit Production Manager: Kathleen McGill
- Associate Producer: Louisa Velis
- Editor: Daniel P. Hanley
- Editor: Mike Hill
- Casting Associate: Michelle Lewitt
- Music Editor: Bill Bernstein
- Stunt Coordinator: Steve Lucescu
- Director of Photography: Salvatore Totino
- Costume Design: Daniel Orlandi
- Assistant Director: William M. Connor
- Screenplay: Cliff Hollingsworth
- Producer: Penny Marshall
- Casting: Diane Kerbel
- Art Direction: Peter Grundy
- Art Direction: Dan Yarhi
- Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
- Hairstylist: Hazel Gordon
- Makeup Artist: Burton J. LeBlanc
- Special Effects Coordinator: Laird McMurray
- Visual Effects: Mark Owen Forker
- Stunts: Rob Bell
- Co-Executive Producer: Jim Whitaker
- Special Effects Makeup Artist: Lance Anderson
- Foley: George A. Lara
- Visual Effects Producer: Nancy Bernstein
- Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Tony Volante
- Still Photographer: George Kraychyk
- Key Makeup Artist: Ann Brodie
- Script Supervisor: Anna Rane
- Visual Effects: Glenn Allen
- Visual Effects Producer: Richard Friedlander
- Wigmaker: Natasha Ladek
- ADR & Dubbing: Deborah Wallach
- Casting: Crystal Kramer
- Casting: Paul Shikata
- Hair Department Head: Emanuel Millar
- Unit Production Manager: Steve Wakefield
- Makeup Artist: David LeRoy Anderson
Movie Reviews:
- Andres Gomez: The stereotypical sports movie about a character which goes from glory to hell and back to the glory again.
The story is OK, but nothing new. Crowe performs well, but it is not one of his best movies. Giamatti is great, as always but Zellwegger is too cheesy in her role.
Just an entertaining movie without any more intentions.
- Peter McGinn: This is a fine boxing movie, one that relies more on the fighter’s personal story than endless scenes of boxing brutality. James Braddock’s final rise to the championship was an inspirational example during the lull in between the headline-grabbing reigns of Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis, when the heavyweight title changed hands several times.
My only complaint with Ron Howard’s film was its portrayal of Max Baer, the champion Braddock defeated to win the title. For dramatic purposes, they changed his personality and made him into a bullying, vicious person, to the point of making a crude comment about Braddock’s wife. They needed a bad guy so they made one.
I became interested in Max Baer when I was a teen and read a lot about him over the decades. He was fierce when he meant business in the ring, but mostly he was happy go liucky and didn’t love the fight game. As a side note, Max Baer’s son was also upset at seeing this man he didn’t recognize as his father (this was Max Baer Jr., Jethro Bodean from the Beverly Hillbillies). But what can you do — making changes is standard procedure for movies based on real events. They are often still worth watching. Just don’t use them for research for a school project, right?