Cinderella Man

I was going to write about the new movie "Cinderella Man," but now the question is, will Russell Crowe go to prison for his two felony charges after he assaulted that New York hotel desk clerk with a telephone? Here's a URL for the NY Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/07/nyregion/07crowe.html?

His publicist is already trying to spin it as an accident, saying (from NYT article):

"After asking the front desk several times to replace a faulty phone in his room - and getting only attitude from the clerk on duty - Crowe brought the phone down to the front desk in an effort to address the situation in person. Words were exchanged and Crowe wound up throwing the phone against the wall. He regrets that he lost his temper, but at no time did he assault anyone or touch any hotel employee."

Of course the real story appears to be that Mr. Movie Star threw the phone directly AT the employee, nailing him on the cheek under the eye and opening up a small cut (but one that didn't require stitches). Unfortunately for Crowe, that has become assault with a deadly weapon, so he could be forced to spend up to seven years in prison (although with his money and clout he will no doubt settle out of court, get the charges dropped, and go on with his life as arrogantly as ever). I like Russell Crowe as an actor, but he obviously has some major anger-control issues in his private life.

This story will no doubt become huge and everybody will know all the details and the media will talk about incessantly. He came out of the police station wearing Ray-Bans and a "Cinderella Man" jacket. Talk about an unusual publicity stunt.

Meanwhile I spent yesterday researching the real life of boxer Irish Jim Braddock and his heavyweight title opponent in the film (and real life) Max Baer, who killed two of his opponents with his deadly right punch (one died in the ring, another died later after a subsequent fight). Crowe himself did a ton of research about Braddock and realized he was a genuinely decent man who returned the welfare money he had borrowed during the Great Depression after his boxing career had been rejuvenated. Crowe even purchased the original receipt for paying the money back at an online auction (revealed during a Charlie Rose interview). Braddock apparently carried that receipt around with him in his wallet until the day he died (according to Crowe).

The movie itself is pure Hollywood, but the true story behind the film is so strong and compelling, plus the performances of especially Crowe, Paul Giamatti as his trainer/manager Joe Gould, and Bruce McGill (who played D-Day in Animal House) as the money man in boxing, are so good that the film couldn't miss. The period sets are pretty convincing overall, too, plus Ron Howard found a way to film the boxing scenes in a fairly convincing manner.

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