Million Dollar Baby (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition) | 
| Actors: Jay Baruchel, Marcus Chait, Mike Colter, Joe D'angerio, Morgan Eastwood
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy Used: $0.67
You Save: $14.31 (96%)
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Rating:  509 reviews
Sales Rank: 4163
Format: Ac-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), French (Dubbed)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Number Of Discs: 2
Running Time: 132 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
MPN: WARD59323D
ISBN: 1419802496
UPC: 012569593237
EAN: 9781419802492
ASIN: B00005JNP1
Theatrical Release Date: January 28, 2005
Release Date: July 12, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
BOXING TRAINER FRANKIE DUNN HAS BEEN UNABLE TO LET HIMSELF GET CLOSE TO ANYONE FOR A LONG TIME - THEN MAGGIE FITZGERALD WALKS INTO HIS GYM. IN TURNS OF EXASPERATING & INSPIRING EACH OTHER, THE TWO COME TO DISCOVER THAT THEY SHARE A COMMON SPIRIT THAT TRANSCENDS THE PAIN & LOSS OF THEIR PASTS.
Amazon.com
Clint Eastwood's 25th film as a director, Million Dollar Baby stands proudly with Unforgiven and Mystic River as the masterwork of a great American filmmaker. In an age of bloated spectacle and computer-generated effects extravaganzas, Eastwood turns an elegant screenplay by Paul Haggis (adapted from the book Rope Burns: Stories From the Corner by F.X. Toole, a pseudonym for veteran boxing manager Jerry Boyd) into a simple, humanitarian example of classical filmmaking, as deeply felt in its heart-wrenching emotions as it is streamlined in its character-driven storytelling. In the course of developing powerful bonds between "white-trash" Missouri waitress and aspiring boxer Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank), her grizzled, reluctant trainer Frankie Dunn (Eastwood), and Frankie's best friend and training-gym partner Eddie "Scrap-Iron" Dupris (Morgan Freeman), 74-year-old Eastwood mines gold from each and every character, resulting in stellar work from his well-chosen cast. Containing deep reserves of love, loss, and the universal desire for something better in hard-scrabble lives, Million Dollar Baby emerged, quietly and gracefully, as one of the most acclaimed films of 2004, released just in time to earn an abundance of year-end accolades, all of them well-deserved. --Jeff Shannon
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| Customer Reviews: Read 504 more reviews...
Very touching, very sad June 3, 2009
Charlie Brooks (Vermont)
In all truth, Million Dollar Baby is well-crafted enough to deserve five stars. The dialogue is believable, the acting is terrific, and Clint Eastwood proves once again how much talent he has as both an actor and a director. The only reason I'm giving this movie four stars instead of five is because it's not something I want to watch over and over again. That's got nothing to do with the quality of the film - in fact, part of my reasoning is because the film is so powerful. The reason why I don't want to watch the movie very often is because it is so very sad.
Explaining exactly why the film is sad would ruin it. I'll just say that the movie starts off almost like a female version of Rocky, with a cocky by aging fighter making a run to the top. A surprise twist changes everything, though, and the mood does a complete 180. This film, more than any other movie in recent memory, does an uncanny job of making you not just like but love the characters. Then it strips them bare and puts them through the ringer, bringing you along with it.
Do not purchase Million Dollar Baby if you're looking for a light-hearted sports film or if you want an uplifting tale of a zero rising to become a hero. Do purchase the movie if you enjoy a terrific work of art and don't mind your emotions being openly manipulated by the masterfully created film. Despite the way it begins, Million Dollar Baby is a tearjerker, albeit a terrific one.
 A powerful story with a powerful punch May 7, 2009
thesavvybamalady (Prichard, Alabama USA)
I can see why this picture was named Best Picture and Hillary Swank won the award as well as Morgan Freeman for their performances. Swank plays this waitress from trailer park Missouri who comes to California to pursue her dreams. She eats off folks leavings at work and saves up just about every dime and works hard because as Morgan Freeman so beautifully narrated in the film, there is a dream in everyone that only they can see and for her it's a shot at becoming a female boxer; She don't have many people in her corner rooting for her; Matter of fact, her family down her and even spurns the house she buys in cash money for them because as the mother puts it, "she don't wanna mess up her welfare" that just reinforces to me that that mentality isn't in any one group of folk. Anyhow, in spite of the odds(she's over 30, little or no support, one woman in a male dominated field,the lack of respect female boxers get, the reluctance of Eastwood to even want to train her ("I Don't Train Girls") she makes a name for herself and rise up in the ranks in spite of the fact that other fighters are reluctant to spar with her due to her knocking them out in the first round.And even when things get better, she stays grounded and keeps on training. One of the saddest yet triumphant scenes in the movie is when her family comes to see her in the hospital, going to Disneyland on her dime mind you(Remember they felt she was a laughing stock) and wanted her to sign some papers basically giving them complete control over her affairs and with the lawyer in hand, mind you but she kicks them to the curb and sends their butts packing. But in spite of the good, there's some bad and sad; Won't spoil it all. One more thing, I think Morgan Freeman's role in the movie as narrator and as the voice of reason to Clint Eastwood's character was refreshing and candid; I liked and applauded it; Eastwood gave a great performance as well. I tell you what though, that priest needed telling off. If a person is trying to find God no matter how old or what have you, it is your job to help them to him. How you gonna sit and pass judgment over a man who wanted answers? didn't like that at all. Otherwise, a great movie.
 Million Dollar Disappointment March 12, 2009
Leslie Johnson (Lake Orion, Michigan)
0 out of 8 found this review helpful
After waiting over a week to avoid paying for the high cost of shipping, my DVD arrived. I settled in with my popcorn and pepsi to watch my movie that same evening. I popped it into my DVD player and it said "loading, loading, loading" and then finally, "bad disk". This is my second unhappy experience with Amazon. I shipped the disk back and decided to instead purchase the DVD at the video store. Not only was it $6.00 cheaper (not including the shipping!) but when I popped it into my DVD player, it actually loaded and played! And it had a second disk of special trailers included! The good thing is that you were able to credit my account after only a week which I appreciate. Thank you.
Absolutely stunning. February 15, 2009
ken Oconnell (Cape Cod, MA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
First, I dont give many films five stars. I believe the absolute pinnacle of filmmaking and talent with an ensemble cast that brings cohesion and belivability, makes a five star film. Fanboys and fanatical followers who follow their fav actors or directors around like lemmings and unfairly give their work five stars is sophmoric. I believe films like Empire of the Sun, Europe Europa, Remains of the Day, Schindler's List, E.T., Dead Poet's Society, Zeff's Romeo and Juliet, even Saw, are five star films. I finally have room to garner another film five stars, thus is 'Million Dollar Baby'.
Million dollar baby gave me an upper cut in which I still have not regained consciousness from. A mind numbing extasy of emotion, surrounded by a cornucopia of unpredictability, that I wanted to lather in its warmth and tenderness long after the rolling credits whited out an otherwise black screen. All I can simply find the need to say now is 'WOW'. Without a doubt this emotional masterpiece of finely honed craft, is without question, and rarely do I ever say this, one of the best films I have ever seen in my life.
I had given the idea to seeing this some thought several times, but loathing anything Clint Eastwood and my inate disdain to boxing, simply left my tongue dry with any thought of watering it. I was very surprised by my addiction to it from jumpstreet. During many moments I was grilled to the tv, so close I could hear my mother as a child telling me I would go blind because I was sitting so close to it. Actually routing her on from time to time, like we all did in Rocky, it made me smile and cheer and cry and think; it told me in a fashion that few films do, to move with your heart, think that you will acheive greatness, despite everyone around you saying you can't and despite obstacles, and the film spoke to me, in its own personal way, telling me not to take anything for granted.
I like the fact that a film can be an uplifting experience that stays with you days after you view it. Sure nothing wrong with a Harrison Ford flick once and again, but nothing beats the feeling of walking out of something tangible, that you can feel a part of.
Million Dollar Baby, full of stucco bravado and yearning contempt towards status quo and mainstream, its message is a strong and important one, a redefining look at the underdog in its capacity to have others pay attention, stagggeringly detailed in its tempo, it marvels in a way that makes me want to quit my every day job or night job I have, collect all the bills in the mattress and head out and be a filmmaker. Damn I dont know about you, but if I made a film, and someone, anyone, said that about my film, it would fill me with tears and a joy in which I know, wholeheartedly, would be the reason why film is made.
A way past prime female boxer, gets a chance from a worldclass trainer, in his own right, bitter with his ways, to train her to be the best in the world, and thus both finding solace through each other, which grows as each one learns more about the others world and where they came from. It's tender and tragic and seems to find its way from every nuance and turn in a fine display of cinematography and acting, that is uncompromisable.
The only moments that made the film stretch a bit, which really bothered me, as it was THAT good, was boy with serious issues that looked like he had turrets was very annoying, and not needed in any fashion and his return was pointless (save sticking with a dream) and unncessary.
Over-rated February 13, 2009
C. J. Leach (Midwest, United States)
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
Short takes:
Hillary Swank is brilliant as the would-be champion student fighter.
Cinematography is stunning (the in-ring action jolts you).
Morgan Freeman only plays one character -- and he shows up again in this film.
Clint Eastwood needs to stay on the back side of the camera. I idolized him in his early westerns, and the Dirty Harry stuff. Now, he can no longer get away with just turning in long steely eyed profile shots. Maybe he's just bored with it. It certainly looks that way. He was the worst actor in the film.
While generally enjoying the film, I noticed the awkward "dreamy" music. It was out of place. Then I was surprised (but not surprised) to see that Eastwood had written the music. This attempt as a composer was not much better than his performance as a "singer" in Honky-Tonk Man. I admire Eastwood for stretching his boundaries . . . I just wish he wouldn't do it with my entertainment money.
Still, the story is quite good, and Swank as the centerpiece is great. Worth the watch. 3 1/2 stars.
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