Madre's Missives
Inadvertent and Occasionally Intentional Thoughts
More Movies from Madre
Posted On: July 13th, 2005 at 5:10 am
Someone told me Million Dollar Baby was a great movie. It was. Sort of...as long as I don't think about it. Maybe I just never watched enough violent cartoons as a kid or something.
It is the story of Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank), a past-her-prime (to pick up and master a new competitive sport anyway), youngish woman of 32 from a low-class upbringing, who decided that she was going to become a boxing champion. So she convinced a coach to train her and in time, became great at it. She was knocking out her opponents right and left -- in 4 punches, then in 3, and even a bunch in 2. Not only was she never knocked out herself, she won every fight in a matter of seconds.
That is, until the World Championship Match when an extraordinarily brutish and masculine-looking woman fought dirty and cheated, cleaning Maggie's clock after the bell rang. She fell, catching her neck against the side edge of her stool, and ended up paralyzed and on a respirator.
Coach Dunn (Clint Eastwood), a devout guilty Roman Catholic who attends daily Mass but drives his priest nuts with questions and doubts, has since fallen in love with Maggie but never says or acts on it.
When Maggie loses her leg to gangrenous bedsores, she begs Dunn to help her die. When he refuses, she bites her tongue badly enough that she nearly bleeds to death during the night. But the nurses catch it and get her tongue sewn back together, padding her mouth so she can't do it again. Nor can she talk anymore (as though she could with a tracheotomy anyway).
Eventually, after consulting with his priest and going against his word that he was committing murder, Coach Dunn murders Maggie, as she smiles and sheds a tear of gratefulness (a truly touching moment :P), by disconnecting her respirator and shooting her up with enough adrenaline to kill her several times over. He then disappears, presumably to a cabin in some remote location, and avoids prosecution.
But, yeah, other than all that...it was a great movie.
Edited on: July 13th, 2005 5:13 am
Comments:
Re: More Movies from Madre
Posted On: July 13th, 2005 at 10:52 pm by john pawlitz
Wow, I totally sympathize with your review. -True, I didn't watch it-merely because I sensed the dark side in it.
Cinderella Man had less of the dark side in it, but I guess that's still in theaters. It's pretty good, but anytime the best part of a movie happens inside the ring you might as well be watching Rocky IV, right?
Re: More Movies from Madre
Posted On: July 14th, 2005 at 12:58 pm by Naomi Kavouras
I saw this movie a while back with my dad in theatres. I agree with you, it was a good movie...except for the plot ;0) Overall, I think the acting, directing, etc. were all really well done.
One thing, I didn't get the impression that he had fallen in love with her but that he loved her like his own daughter. There was something with his own daughter that they hinted at--he had been estranged from her for years. I think he sort of saw his relationship with Maggie as how he would have liked to have with his own daughter.
In any event, I left the theatre sobbing and veeery disturbed :0/
Re: More Movies from Madre
Posted On: July 28th, 2005 at 10:27 pm by JBOC
Why would you sit though a movie like that? What does that say about you?
Re: More Movies from Madre
Posted On: July 29th, 2005 at 2:47 am by Madre
I'm not sure what you mean. What do you think it says about us?
Re: More Movies from Madre
Posted On: July 29th, 2005 at 9:39 am by JBOC
You must be an amazingly strong person to be able to immerse yourself in evil and escape unchanged. I am not that strong. I find that movies have a very powerful affect on my inner being. I try to watch movies with clearly defined Good and Evil. Million Dollar Baby appears to be designed to advocate a Godless morality disguised as good. So I read up on movies before I go and if I get in the wrong one I get up and leave. I admire that you are so much stronger in your faith that can do what you do.
Best wishes,
Barry
Re: More Movies from Madre
Posted On: July 30th, 2005 at 2:05 am by Madre
I'm not sure watching a movie is exactly comparable to immersing myself in evil. I watch a lot of movies and TV shows.
Aren't we immersed in evil every day of our lives? Even movies with a clearly defined good guy and bad guy don't necessarily teach a Godly morality. Then again, I don't watch movies to get my morality, I watch them to be entertained and provoked in thought. :)
Re: More Movies from Madre
Posted On: August 02nd, 2005 at 4:48 pm by Daniel Gadbaw
I have to say I can identify with what Barry is talking about. Movies like Fight Club, Robo Cop, Crow II, Starship Troopers, Hell Raiser and most of the horror genre depict such a complete and utter depravity that it literally attacks the soul. What I am referring to are scenes of human mutilation or ghastly murder. These movies carry with them an underlying theme that humans are nothing more than another piece of the cosmic soup that can be treated as flippantly as fish on the cutting block.
Of course as Madre points out we are immersed in evil every moment of the day, and any movie or tv show subconciously teaches us earthly values. Yet depravity that shows disregard for humanity or more specifically the value of human life, truly grates on one's conscience. Movie lovers have desensitized themselves to such imagery, but I would argue that sustained exposure to grotesque horror or hardcore immorality is measurably harmful to the psyche.
While I can appreciate the classical status of Clint Eastwood as an actor, his movies each leave something to be desired in the realm of morality. He is always breaking the boundaries of right and wrong, mostly with the sanctity of marriage but now with a woman's "right" to die. I suppose if he didn't struggle with these topics, though, he wouldn't be seen as a cutting edge dramatic artist. Point being though, what society wants to be entertained with is most definitely not worshipful imagery.