Million-Dollar Baby

Clint Eastwood continues to grow in his artistic ability as a director and as an actor. He has evolved from spaghetti westerns to a Renaissance man in his long and prolific career. Here he gives us a wonderful movie that is multifaceted in its entertainment.B

What starts out as a light-weight "Rocky-type" movie evolves into a deep tale of love, redemption and moral questions. Hilary Swank is very credible as Maggie Fitzgerald, a girl from the sticks who dreams of achieving something more than her mother, who is content to sit back and collect her welfare checks. Maggie has guts and determination, a passion for boxing, but limited knowledge of the sport.

Clint Eastwood plays Frankie Dunn, a troubled man who is estranged from his daughter. For years he has written to her weekly, and for all those years, the letters were returned unopened. We never find out why, but we see the result in a lonely, crusty man. Frankie has knowledge and experience.

The two meet in his gym, and it takes a while for her determination to win him over. Frankie finally agrees to help her, and two lonely souls develop a father-daughter type relationship, a love they both crave. As the movie progresses, they realize they only have each other.

Morgan Freeman plays Scrap, the janitor who lives at the gym and has a long history with Frankie. Scrap has been friends with Frankie for years, and he learns to love and admire Maggie. His narration keeps the story moving along and ties everything together at the end. All three characters are very credible and we get to know and care about them.

The movie takes an unexpected turn, and in doing so, becomes a powerful story that will stick with you long after you leave the theater. There is plenty of pathos, humor and drama, but the movie never relies on pure sentiment. The performances of Eastwood, Swank and Freeman, as well as the film itself, are definitely Oscar material.