Million Dollar Baby

Yes, I know I should have seen this movie a few years ago but I just saw it on one of the movie channels the other night.

Hillary Swank isn't my favorite actress based on the types of roles she chooses (I tend to like more fun or edgier stuff not just plain drama and struggle) but I met her once at a US Open Tennis match and she was very kind and gave me an autograph. Chad was a little more reluctant but she had a very big smile and a very pleasant, down-to-earth dimeanor.

I'm not sure why she always plays these gut-wrenching characters with major issues but she does. I didn't see Boys Don't Cry either and doubt I will.

But I do like Morgan Freeman, so I decided to watch this. I remember my roommate a few years ago said this was a real tear-jerker so I grabbed the kleenex and sat down in my big chair to watch the show. All prepared for what was to come.

Hillary wants to be a boxer and she bugs Clint until he says yes to training her. Clint has an estranged relationship with his very own daughter and so he treats Hillary as his daughter and takes care of her through thick and thin. Hillary under his tutiledge does well as a female boxer and is faced with a tough match that changes her life. This is where the kleenex would come in. Hillary was trying to prove herself to her mother and her family and to herself and through it all finds a lasting bond and friendship with her trainer, Clint. And the two become a family- father/daughter relationship.

I won't ruin the story for you, but I didn't cry. I just wanted the movie to be over but I did want to see how it ended. It wasn't horrible but you knew what was coming pretty much- all the drama.

But I think it was well acted on Eastwood, Swank and Freeman's part. And well shot. So if you're in the mood for a drama-filled movie, this is for you. Or perhaps you could do back to back Hillary movies and then watch an old episode of Melrose Place for a pick-me-up.

Worth the money: $$$