Cinderella Man, a powerfully inspiring true story brought on film by the celebrated director Ron Howard.

Cinderella Man is a 2005 American drama film titled after the nickname and inspired by the real life story of former Heavyweight boxing champion, James J. Braddock.

Braddock was a once-promising light heavyweight boxer forced to give up on boxing after losing a number of fights. As the United States enters the Great Depression, Braddock worked at a variety of menial jobs to support his family, but still dreams of somehow returning to boxing and making it big. Thanks to a last minute cancellation by another boxer, Braddock gets a second chance to fight but is put up against the number two contender in the world by the promoters who see Braddock as nothing more than a punching bag. Braddock stuns the boxing experts and fans with a third round knockout of his formidable opponent. Fighting with permanent injuries to his hands, Braddock continues to win and before long he comes to represent the hopes and aspirations of the American public coping with Depression. Dubbed the "Cinderella Man," in one of the biggest upsets in boxing history, he eventually defeats the invincible Max Baer to become the heavyweight champion of the world and stuns everyone with one of the greatest comebacks in history. Driven by love for his family, he makes an impossible dream come true. The film shot in muted shades of browns and grays conveys the depression of the era since this is a movie set in the 1930's.

• www.hollywood.com
• www.matchflick.com
• www.moviemartyr.com
• www.moviefreak.com