Million Dollar Baby. Million Dollar Movie.

[Long post ahead.]

Whenever I write ahead of my 5-movie review session, it can only mean two things: 1) the movie sucks big time (Let The Love Begin) or 2) the movie deserves more merit than what the 5-movie review session can give. Million Dollar Baby deserves much, MUCH more merit than what the five to six lines of my usual review can give. Right off the bat, I'm going to say this: Million Dollar Baby is a winner.

I had no intention of watching this film. On the surface, it had all the elements and characteristics of film which do not interest me: heavy drama, Clint Eastwood, and boxing. First, we begin with heavy drama. I've seen good heavy drama films, but these are rare. I'm quite a sentimental person, but there are only few films which I find extremely touching and profound. I then make it a rule not to watch such films unless there's no other viable movie option, or unless I've heard glowing reviews of it, not from critics, but from friends. Second, Clint Eastwood. I've heard of Clint Eastwood's magical directing hand in Mystic River and Unforgiven, but I haven't watched those films, given that the former is heavy drama, and the latter is an action film. Moreover, all movies which star Eastwood provide, at most, only mild entertainment. He's always been more of an action guy, and I've never really been an action type. Third, boxing. Rocky? No interest. Ali? No interest there, either. Karate Kid? OK, but that's not really boxing.

Why did I watch this film? Three reasons. 1) It's an OSCAR winner. 2) There was no other viable option. 3) Jel received glowing reviews of it from friends. Because of these three reasons, I was able to shelf out 70 bucks for the movie. I went inside the theater, not really expecting much, just hoping that it wouldn't be a total waste of my time.

The film was SPECTACULAR. It didn't have the glitz, glamour, and glare of The Aviator, but its subtle solemnity had its own unique sense of SPECTACULAR all the same, even more so. Subtle, because it never tried to tweak with our emotions the way Here on Earth or One Tree Hill episodes did. It presented the whole shebang from start to end without excuses, without pretenses. It was SPECTACULAR in its simplicity and boldness. It was SPECTACULAR in its honesty and courage.

The superb performances of the cast didn't hurt, either. Everyone deserved the praises and awards they got for this film. Morgan Freeman as the boxing has-been provided a quiet performance that settled in me comfortably. I felt calm everytime Morgan Freeman spoke. It kinda reminded me of the way he delivered in Shawshank Redemption. What I liked even more, though, was when Freeman and Eastwood were bantering on the screen. They had a friendly chemistry that really entertained me. Freeman was witty; so was Eastwood.

Speaking of Eastwood, I would never think the same way about him again. Beneath the hard, angular face, and beneath the weary lines that run through it, lay a highly emotional man. I've never seen pain so plainly and effectively expressed in an action star's face. Yeah, scratch that. I'll never think of him as just an action star ever again.

Finally, Hilary Swank. Two-time Oscar Best Actress winner, joining the ranks of an elite few. What can I say? This girl is no teenybopper flash-in-the-pan. I'm hands down amazed with Swank. First, a lesbian, now, a boxer. Needless to say, the roles she plays are not easy to get into. But she manages to do it. As Jel said, there's just something in her face that gets to you. I agree. She may not be the prettiest Hollywood chick around, but she's one of the best actresses around. And that's not something you can get from Botox.

An admission: I cried. From the last ten minutes of the film until Jel and I went out of the movie theater, I cried. And I kept on crying. It was embarrassing, really, but what the heck. I was-- I don't really know if this is the right way to describe it, but it's close-- shaken. The last time I cried that hard was when I watched What Dreams May Come, and that movie was shown in theaters, like, 5 years ago. I don't know if I've just become callous over time, but it's a testament to Million Dollar Baby's emotional prowess that I cried. Big time.

Go watch it. I won't force you, but please do. An article I've read reminded moviegoers to bring tissues, and I just scoffed at him, thinking, "What a sentimental sap." But it's true. Bring tissues. You're gonna need it.

Grade? A/A+. Critics? A-. Close.