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This week's Answer:
To
Much Goodness Goes A Long Way
Have you tried putting a thumb on it,
Errol? Or how about a toe? But if you insist
on a finger, so be it. I believe that Cinderella
Man, for all its positive qualities, could have been
an even better cinematic experience for us all if it
hadn't fallen into a trap that many screenplays have
unwittingly found themselves in. This trap could be
likened to a speed trap in a small town. The
allegory continues because, just like a speed trap, by the
time you realize you've sped into one, it's too
late. This small town with the trap could be called
Maudlinville or Sentimentalburg. Or how about Take
Yourself Too Seriously City? All little towns that
you want to avoid at all costs.
Even though the story was based on
the real life of a real boxer in the 1930's, a proud ,
courageous,, and generous man, the way he was depicted was
just too good to be true -- even if all of it was
true. The story isn't allowed enough balance on the
teeter totter because there's a big sack of self-pity holding
it down. There's not enough humor in the
telling. I say it again. There's not enough...
humor!
The story is too obvious, to
predictable. The only twists in it are when the prizefighter
moves to avoid punches. We're the ones punched silly with the
same idea over and over again. Yes, he and his pathetic wife and
children are very poor. We got that. An hour ago.
Here comes another scene and... Okay, that's different. Now we
know that he and his family are still poor. That was a
shock.
The screenwriters had quite a
challenge before them. In a sense, they were already down for
the count before they started. First, Cinderella Man is a
bio-pic. It's not easy to write dramatically when you have to
follow the life of somebody. Let's face it: most of our
lives are quite dull -- especially when you compare them to the
fictitious ones we watch on the screen. For some reason, people
are just not willing to live their lives so they will coincide well
with a three-act structure. Curse them to Bad Screenwriting
Software Hell, I say. If someone isn't going to have the decency
to have an early inciting incident in their lives and also some
intermittent plot points, then who needs them?! And don't even
get me started about their lack of twists!
Second, Cinderella Man is a
sports story, and we all know that most sports stories end up with the
protagonist winning. (Except for Friday Night Lights.
I still say they would have won hands down if they had played on
Saturday). It's up to the screenwriter to come up with a fresh
way to keep us involved as we head for the big win at the end of the
film. And it is here where the screenplay of Cinderella
Man holds its
own. We truly enjoy the uphill battle the fighter must wage to
finally surface as the victor. (But I still didn't cry as much
as I did when I saw Rocky. The original one, that
is. I think by Rocky 56, where Rocky takes on the dark
forces of Galaxy Zod, I was starting to be less moved by his
victories.) Still, the authors of Cinderella Man could
have thrown in a few more surprises during the final fight. At
least Clint did something different with the fighter's stool in I
Made Millions of Dollars from this Baby.
All in all, Cinderella Man, is
a heart-warming story that highlights bravery and
goodness. But I believe we would have appreciated
all that bravery and goodness just as much without having to be
assaulted by them.
And, from what I hear, both Bravery
and Goodness have a mean uppercut.
DcH
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