Cinderella Man

I think the title of this movie is Cinderella Man because James Braddock came from nothing after the Great Depression hit and worked hard to achieve success.  He was the underdog.  Unlike the ugly stepsisters in Cinderella, he didn't have everything handed to him.  He was faced with the devastating effects of the Great Depression and worked his way up to the top in his boxing career.  I really loved the story.  I thought it was a very inspiring and heartwarming movie.  I found myself developing feelings for the characters and I was rooting for the Braddock family as a whole, hoping they would work out their financial issues in such tough times.  I really did like James because he was a good parent and husband.  It was clear that he was selfless and would go to any extent to provide for his family, even if that meant taking on a job lifting heavy objects with a broken hand.  One scene that really showed how caring of a father he was, was when he gave his meal to his daughter even though he must have been starving.  Each family has their own struggles.  Several families today, and throughout history, struggle with financial issues, especially with the unemployment rate being so high and it getting more difficult to obtain a job.  I think our children will find it very difficult in the future to get jobs.  Everything is getting more and more competitive.  More schooling and skills will be required to get jobs.

Although stealing goes completely against my character, I would definitely stoop to that level if my family hadn't eaten in a week.  I wouldn't form a habit of stealing, though.  I would continue to search for job opportunities or find alternative ways to make money.  I feel like the ethics of this decision could be understand in certain situations.  If a family consisted of parents who were too lazy to work and make money to provide for a family, then stealing would certainly be unethical.  But if a family is truly undergoing a financial struggle and has tried their hardest to get a job, then I think an exception can be made and this can be considered ethical if it doesn't become habit.  I'm sure no one would feel good about stealing, but it isn't the worst thing that could be done if it came to a starving family.  I don't think anyone could say that they wouldn't steal in such an awful situation unless if they were actually put in that situation.

Although I feel bad for Max Baer's family after they had to deal with the negativity that was brought to Max from the movie, I definitely think it made the story more interesting that they changed his character.  The movie wouldn't be quite as interesting without an antagonist/"villain".  If Max was portrayed as a man devastated by his killing of his opponent, he would almost become a protagonist along with James and would take away from the suspense of the fight.  With a likable opponent, people watching the movie wouldn't know who to root for.  It's typical Hollywood and it cannot be expected that everything is portrayed accurately.  If it were, the movie would become more of a documentary.  I don't think that what they did was unethical, it was within their rights to do that.  Maybe to justify it more they could've had a written paragraph on the screen once the movie ended explaining Max's true character.  I don't think it took away from James Braddock's story at all, but only heightened the intensity.  But, if Max's true character was portrayed, then it would take away from James's story.

I thought the scene where Braddock begs for money from the same men that brought an end to his boxing career was sad.  I felt bad that it came to the point where he had to do that.  I'm sure it was humiliating for him and came across as a bit pathetic, but I'm sure it also took guts to admit how badly he needed the money and put himself out there like that.  I think he did the right thing by asking them for the money because it was a last resort and they were the exact people who left him broke once they ended his career.  Instead of stealing or taking from others who couldn't afford it, he went to those who could afford to, and should've, helped.  I think this moment helps define Braddock as "Cinderella Man" because he took matters into his own hands and found a way to provide for his family.