MILLION DOLLAR BABY on DVD
by Andre Soares
My review of Million Dollar Baby describes the film as a plodding and cliché-ridden boxing tale that, despite its second-act twist, never manages to impart anything but by-the-book philosophizing and sentimentality.
Admittedly, director Clint Eastwood tries hard to come up with a profound film about human relationships, and perhaps he deserves a few points for trying — but Ingmar Bergman he is not.
On the positive side, Hilary Swank deserved all the accolades she’s received for her performance as the film’s doomed boxer. In fact, her verve and honesty transform the script’s two-dimensional heroine into a full-blown human being. Too bad we’re supposed to root for a woman whose idea of success is turning others — and herself — into punching bags.
Morgan Freeman provides the dime-store philosophical narration, something the film could easily have done without.
Oh, yes, I might add that Million Dollar Baby was one of the two best-reviewed American films of 2004. (The other one was the marginally better Sideways.) The boxing melodrama, in fact, won several best film awards from critics groups, and both Eastwood and Swank also showed up quite often in the critics’ best of ‘04 lists.
Million Dollar Baby won four Academy Awards: best picture; best director, Clint Eastwood; best actress, Hilary Swank; and best supporting actor, Morgan Freeman.
Million Dollar Baby Region 1 DVD (U.S. / Canada / U.S. territories) release date: July 12, 2005
- Picture: Choice of anamorphic widescreen or full screen
- Audio: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1)
- Language: English
- Subtitles: English, French, and Spanish
- Color
- Closed captioned
- "James Lipton Takes on Three": 25-minute roundtable chat with Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman, and moderator James Lipton
- "Born to Fight": A look at the parallels between the movie’s heroine and real-life boxer Lucia Rijker (the film’s boxing heavy)
- "Producers Round 15": a behind-the-scenes look
- Theatrical trailer
- 132 minutes
- Two discs
List price: US$29.95.
A three-disc edition of the Million Dollar Baby Region 1 DVD also includes a CD of the film’s soundtrack.
List price: US$39.98.
A Warner Home Video release.
The Joan Crawford Collection DVD Set
The Bette Davis Collection DVD Set
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