Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

Executscan Expected more

Cooktopi The acting in this movie is really good.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Antonius Block There is a lot to like about this movie, starting with the beautiful Myrna Loy, who is caught in a love triangle between a gangster and an up and coming boxer. The boxer is played by real life heavyweight Max Baer, who is certainly as good an actor as most for the time period, and very interesting to watch. The gangster is played well by Otto Kruger, so it's a strong cast. The film's pace over the first half or so is great, and I found myself a little surprised with one of the directions it took, but I won't spoil it. I liked seeing Loy singing (though it may have been lip sync'd), and it was fun (and a little silly) to see Baer in a pretty long musical number later. That's probably the beginning of where the film finds itself being a little too long, but it's really the big fight at the end with real-life champion Primo Canera which drags on. They introduce a number of other real-life boxers, which may have been a thrill to boxing fans in 1933, but with the exception of Jack Dempsey, is less interesting today (at least to me). During these introductions, there is a pretty mean joke about Kate Smith, who is said to be in the audience "sitting in seats one, two, and three". The boxing action itself is spotty – director W.S Van Dyke includes some nice shots, such as Carnera coming out of his corner, as well as an overhead angle, but there is quite a bit of footage that you can tell has been sped up, and quite a bit that looks unrealistic. I also hated the ending. Oddly enough, in a movie with so many big name boxers, it was the boxing that caused me to drop the rating a bit. Still worth watching though.

classicsoncall I almost don't know where to start with this review. Without the principals involved it's just another romance gone wrong/sports story, but when you throw in the fact that there are five, count 'em, five former World Heavyweight Boxing Champions in the picture, well just the idea simply blows me away.Regarding the love story, it's rather improbable that a character portrayed by Myrna Loy would fall for a lug like boxer Max Baer, but that's the premise so you'll have to go along with it. Gangster Willie Ryan (Otto Kruger) couldn't believe it himself, he was Belle Mercer's (Loy) main squeeze until Steve Morgan (Baer) showed up, and when Belle announces her surprise marriage to the fighter, Ryan had to ask her "Were you on the junk"? Whoa, pre-Code remarks like that are always a sit up and take notice moment!Before we get to the picture's world title match, Max Baer genuinely surprises with talent that supersedes the boxing ring. Lined up chorus style with a bevy of dancers about half his size, Baer sings and dances his way through 'Lucky Fella', while manhandling the gals through an entertaining gym performance and a solidly choreographed table routine. Seriously, I couldn't get over Baer's performance here, he had showmanship and style that belied his large, muscular frame.The story builds to an eventual boxing match between Steve Morgan and the real heavyweight champ at the time, Primo Carnera. The introductions prior to the match allow modern day viewers a look at some of the boxing greats of yesteryear - Joe Rivers, Jackie Fields, Billy Parke, Jess Willard, Frank Moran and Jim Jeffries. Even wrestling champ Strangler Lewis makes an appearance, while Jack Dempsey shares a joke with Jess Willard regarding their own title match in 1919; Willard stating that he didn't remember much about that day.Though the relationship between Belle and Morgan turns rocky during their marriage due to Steve's wandering eye and libido, her presence at ringside for the title bout brings her around to caring about the big lug once again. There's not much about their reconciliation that's believable following the match's draw decision, much less Willie Ryan's favorable reaction to their getting back together again. I guess the best way to describe it is by using Belle's own words from earlier in the film - "Oh, that's a lot of horseradish".

Itsamoomoo I watched this movie tonight on Turner Classic Movies just to see the man who bore the handsome Max Baer, Jr., star of TV's "The Beverly Hillbillies." I don't know anything about "Cinderella Man" or the violent sport of boxing that so many people seem to be drawn to. So this was a film I wasn't sure was even going to be worth my time. But I love pre-code films of the early 1930s and I do like Myrna Loy, so I figured there might be a chance I'd enjoy the movie somewhat. Well, it was one of the best films I've ever seen and for those who are wincing or gagging at that, let me say it's all a matter of opinion, folks.I've been reading the reviews here (I did not know Max Baer "killed" anyone in his boxing career) and I just have to laugh at some of the comments from those who couldn't get anything out of this.For example. Someone said that a real actor should have been used for the role of the prizefighter. Okay. How about Clark Gable who was just coming in to his own at the time? Needless to say, Gable would have been perfect, as he was and always will be "The King." Actors today should bow to the man, and simply step aside. But, they went with a real athlete and, to my surprise, he pulled it off and then some! If you want to get technical and start nit-picking on Baer's acting then you'll find exactly what you're looking for. But as far as I was concerned I was thoroughly entertained by a man who had never acted in his life before and then to sing, and tap dance in a musical number midway through the film? My gosh, why haven't we heard about this film before? Someone also said that Walter Huston's performance wasn't believable. Gee. I've never seen any film work of Huston before, but I not only found him believable but I walked away a fan, looking forward to seeing more films of his. He definitely deserved a nomination for Best Supporting Actor had the category existed in those days.I also walked away appreciating Myrna Loy more than I ever have. What a beautiful woman, and what star presence! This might have been a good role for Claudette Colbert, once a grand star of her time and much forgotten today, but I think Miss Loy probably has the edge here.At the end I had tears in my eyes. All was forgiven, everybody reunited and walked away happy, ain't love grand?

Karen Green (klg19) Max Baer, Myrna Loy, and Otto Kruger deliver worthy performances in this curiosity of a film. Clearly it was made and distributed "pre-Code," as Myrna Loy's character displays a certain...moral laxity that would not have gone unpunished a few years later. Kruger's tough guy is also unusually nuanced for a gangster of this period.But the real surprise--and delight--is Baer. He acts, he sings, he dances, and he does it all as convincingly as he fights in the climactic bout. In that bout he takes on then heavyweight champ Primo Carnera. I found myself on the edge of my seat as I waited to see which of these two renowned boxers would be the one to post an on-screen loss. The resulting decision is best explained by this entry in the American Film Institute Catalog: "Professional heavyweight boxer Max Baer made his screen debut in the film. At the time of the film's production, Primo Carnera, who also made his screen debut in the picture, was the world's heavyweight boxing champion. Baer was considered the main contender for Carnera's crown, and in 1934, he defeated Carnera for the title. Variety notes that Carnera refused to be knocked out at the end of the film and agreed to the draw decision in the script only after the studio added an extra $10,000 to his $35,000 salary. Hollywood Reporter notes that Baer was 'mutilated' for the first time in his two-year boxing career when he had two teeth knocked out during a staged fight. According to the modern interview with Myrna Loy, Baer studied Carnera's boxing techniques during the filming and later used this 'scouting' information to beat Carnera. In March 1934, Daily Variety announced that the picture had been banned in Germany because Baer was Jewish." That last line is quite the kicker, isn't it? All in all, this is a film that's worth giving time to.