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MILLION DOLLAR BABY By Tom McCurrie
MILLION DOLLAR BABY may not be the best movie of the year, but it's certainly the most provocative. Now BABY doesn't shock us with rivers of gore and perverse sex. That would be too easy. Instead, it shocks us in a deeper way -- by challenging our conceptions of right and wrong, of how to live life itself. And in a market dominated by safe, middle-of-the-road filmmaking, that's something to celebrate.
On the surface, BABY, adapted by Paul Haggis from a short story by the late, great F.X. Toole, is nothing more than a ROCKY clone in feminist clothing. Frankie, a cantankerous, way-past-his-prime manager (played by producer-director Clint Eastwood) trains a spunky fighter from the sticks named Maggie (Hilary Swank) so both can finally make it to the big time. But in a major twist two-thirds of the way through,
(Warning: Spoilers Ahead!)
Maggie is injured so badly during a fight that she's rendered quadriplegic.
Now any script that dares to subvert the ROCKY formula deserves to be applauded (Credit Where Credit Is Due Department -- this twist, along with most of the other major plot points, was lifted directly from Toole's story). Formula storytelling is predictable storytelling, and nothing kills off interest quicker than predictability. Throw in career-best performances by Eastwood and Swank, two turns that pull the heartstrings so hard you run out of tears to cry with, and it's no surprise that BABY picked up seven Oscar nods.
But the twist and performances aren't what make BABY so provocative. It's the turn the plot takes after Maggie is crippled. Permanently paralyzed and leg amputated, Maggie asks Frankie to kill her. This gives Frankie one of the strongest inner conflicts we've seen in recent cinema. Maggie is more like a daughter to him than anything else, filling the void for his real daughter who is now estranged. So killing Maggie would be like killing his own blood. But he can't stand to see her suffer either, or lose the other leg. The torment on Frankie's face is palpable, and utterly gripping.
But beyond the heightened drama, this part of BABY asks the hard questions movies almost never ask, challenging our morality on a basic level. What happens when doing the right thing is the wrong thing? Is there a right beyond what society says is right? I'm against murder and suicide, but it's easy to be "good" when you haven't been tested. Is life always worth living? We're taught to never give up, to fight, to survive. But what if the pain and suffering is too great? Would any of us have a positive, never-say-die attitude as a paralyzed amputee? Any movie that can get us to think outside the box our beliefs sometimes trap us in is quite an achievement.
That's not to say BABY isn't flawed. When Maggie talks about putting down her father's dog at the mid-point, it tips off the assisted suicide climax too early. The Third Act is needlessly protracted, and burdened with some sloppy logic. Maggie seems to be in a top-flight care facility, but the doctors don't catch the skin decomposition in time to avoid amputation? And when Frankie finally performs the mercy killing, the facility seems to be deserted except for one attendant who wanders off, never to be seen again. Nighttime or not, the place shouldn't be this empty. And once Frankie turns off the vent and Maggie's heart stops beating, shouldn't some alarms go off to warn the attendants there's a problem?
Nevertheless, here's the short version. Since my favorite movie of 2004, HOTEL RWANDA, wasn't nominated for Best Picture, my choice to receive the prize is MILLION DOLLAR BABY.
Responses, comments and general two-cents worth can be E-mailed to gillis662000@yahoo.com.
(Note: For all those who missed my past reviews, they're now archived on Hollywoodlitsales.com. Just click the link on the main page and it'll take you to the Inner Sanctum. Love them or Hate them at your leisure!)
A graduate of USC's School of Cinema-Television, Tom McCurrie has worked as a development executive and a story analyst. He is a screenwriter living in Los Angeles and is currently writing a novel about Spaghetti Westerns.
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