Million Dollar Baby (2005, DVD)

Every boxer and their team dreams of the day when that boxer will be good enough to contend for the title. For many years, Frankie Dunn has been very tentative when it comes to title fights. In "Million Dollar Baby," Frankie (Clint Eastwood) is a trainer and manager who never seems to know when to make a move or throw in the towel. He is also the owner of the Hit Pit, a boxing gym where would-be contenders look to flourish under Frankie's tutelage. The gym manager is one of his former boxers, Eddie "Scrap Iron" Dupris (Morgan Freeman). After Eddie's career ended, Frankie became less sure of himself as a manager. Eddie tells us, though, that Frankie is the best cut man he's ever seen. Frankie can prepare virtually anyone to get back into the ring between rounds.

The only boxer he had no interest in preparing for the ring was Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank), a 31-year-old waitress who has saved her tip money to buy a six-month membership at the Hit Pit. He insists boxing's not for girls, and he's not the least bit impressed with her technique. When Frankie's not there, though, Eddie teaches her, and even loans her one of Frankie's old speed bags. Maggie keeps working on her boxing, and Frankie eventually manages to arrange some fights for her. However, Frankie asks other managers who come to the gym to manage Maggie. That goes on until Frankie suddenly decides to become her corner man. As Maggie makes her mark in the ring, both she and Frankie think about a shot at a title bout against Billie "The Blue Bear" Ostermann (Lucia Rijker), an undefeated champion.

While "Million Dollar Baby" may seem, on its surface, like a female "Rocky" movie, Eastwood, instead, presents an engrossing portrait of three people who grow to act like a family. A love of boxing has brought them together, but even deeper bonds develop between them. Eddie never speaks of any family, Frankie is estranged from his, and Maggie has a family we wish would become estranged. When Eddie lends Maggie a hand, Frankie decides with his usual reluctance to train her. When he commits to a fighter, Frankie is a tough disciplinarian. He says he wants his rules followed without question, but Maggie always has questions about his methods. Rather than being a hard-headed old man about it, Frankie likes that she's a thinking fighter. She, of course, does not dismiss the most important elements of the training, for these elements make her a contender.

The family-like bonds are at their strongest in the final act, and boxing takes a back seat in their relationship. Without giving away what happens, Frankie and Maggie have to make crucial decisions following the title bout. Eddie also voices his views with Maggie, Frankie, and the audience. Some of the solutions are not the sort associated with a Clint Eastwood film. The solutions, in fact, will upset people with certain strong beliefs. One of the truths that is revealed in this sequence is something any adoptive parent can explain: Family does not require biology to be a family. Frankie, Maggie, and Eddie do things for each other that are normally reserved for flesh and blood. I was cheering for these characters during the boxing sequences, but I was moved by the non-boxing moments. Screenwriter Paul Haggis, working from the stories of F. X. Toole, is as wise about boxing as it is about these characters. One of the best examples of that is in a sequence narrated by Eddie that's accompanied by boxers who practice what they've learned, even when they're not in the ring or the gym. Boxing found them, and it will always be in their blood.

"Million Dollar Baby" showcases three of America's finest working actors in performances that allow them to show their range. Eastwood is comically crusty, but also concerned, as the veteran trainer. He's also a devout Catholic who enjoys engaging his pastor (Brian O'Byrne) in daily debates about faith. Frankie does the same sort of thing at the gym with Eddie and with the Hit Pit boxers, except he expects people who are with him to believe in him. In the final act, he shows the sort of vulnerability I don't recall seeing from him in his other movies. Swank is excellent as the boxer looking for someone besides herself to believe in her. Maggie's charm and determination provide a perfect balance to Eddie's attitude. Each pushes the other to do their best. Freeman is strong in support as Eddie, who provides a carefully worded narration about the film's events. He's also funny in scenes where Maggie learns things about his private life, as well as in a scene where, with just one glove, he teaches a cocky young boxer some lessons about the sport.

Eastwood also gives some relative unknowns a chance, and they provide solid support in their parts. First is Mike Colter as Big Willie, a contender who leaves Frankie over issues of Willie's readiness to contend. Then there's Jay Baruchel as a young man known as Danger Barch, who comes to the gym to learn about boxing, but will never be ready for the ring. He keeps talking about the day he'll be ready to fight Thomas "Hit Man" Hearns, a boxer who's long retired from the ring. Anthony Mackie has good scenes as Shawrelle, a boxer whose ability is accompanied by bad attitude, as does O'Byrne as the beleaguered Father Horvak. As director, Eastwood is in control with a slow, but steady pace. He never lingers on a shot, and he never tips his hand on the film's events until the events occur. He also provides the film's primarily orchestral score, as he did in his previous effort, "Mystic River." In all three areas, Eastwood is a success.

"Million Dollar Baby" is more than a story about a boxer who aspires to be a champion. It's the tale of a group of people who aspire for a shot, or for one more shot. In each case, they'd like to be a winner, but it matters more to each person to say that they had the chance to do their best. It's also a look at the things that define a family. Frankie, Maggie, and Eddie are there for one another, in good times and in bad. Their biological families are not on the scene unless they seek something good for themselves. In "Million Dollar Baby," three people learn about the bonds of family and of trust. In the end, they don't worry about winning or losing in the ring. They learn that the biggest win comes when they do well by one another.