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''Million Dollar Baby'' is an Academy Award winning 2004 Drama tic Film Directed by Clint Eastwood . The film stars Clint Eastwood , Hilary Swank , and Morgan Freeman . It is the story of an under-appreciated boxing trainer, his elusive past and his quest for Atonement in helping an underdog amateur female boxer (the film's title character) achieve her fragile dream of becoming a professional. The film won four Academy Awards , including Best Picture . The screenplay was written by Paul Haggis , based on short stories by F.X. Toole , the pen name of fight manager and " Cutman " Jerry Boyd. Originally published under the title ''Rope Burns'', the stories have since been republished under the movie's title. It was released on DVD on July 12 , 2005 . It was released on HD DVD on April 18 , 2006 Business Wire Warner Home Video to Deliver First HD DVD Titles to The Marketplace . March 16, 2006 , one of the earliest releases on that media format. PLOT Maggie Fitzgerald ( Hilary Swank ), a young female amateur who aspires to prove her worth by becoming a successful boxer, is taken in by Frank Dunn ( Clint Eastwood ), a down-and-out boxing trainer who has been cast aside by most of society, including his estranged daughter Katie. Dunn aids Maggie in realizing her goal while developing a stronger-than-blood bond. Initially, Dunn is dispassionate toward Maggie because she is a 32-year-old female. Maggie, however, perseveres in her attempts to gain Dunn's favor by training each day in his gym, even when others discourage her. Frank's friend and employee, ex-boxer Eddie "Scrap Iron" Dupris ( Morgan Freeman ), sympathizes with Maggie's efforts and convinces Dunn to coach her short-term (Dupris is also the narrator of the film, who reveals the extent to which Maggie and Dunn's relationship transforms both their lives). Dunn has an estranged relationship with his daughter and writes to her every week with no luck. Dunn's priest cannot conceive of why his daughter wouldn't respond and instead shows disbelief in Dunn's claims that he is writing letters to her. Dunn, having experienced no intimate relationship with his own daughter, forms a stronger bond with Maggie, whose family does not care for her well-being, and decidedly coaches and manages her professional career. With his expertise, Maggie fights her way up to the women's Welterweight boxing division, eventually placing a match in Las Vegas against the WBA women's welterweight champion (played by real life boxer Lucia Rijker ), who is known for her foul play. During the match, an illegal attack after the bell by her opponent sends Maggie down toward the mat, directly in the path of her corner stool. Dunn frantically tries to move it out of the way, but cannot reach it in time. As a result, Maggie hits it with neck-shattering force and is paralyzed from the neck down. Dunn, venting his rage at the unjust circumstance, originally blames Dupris for convincing him to bring her in but in the end blames himself for her downfall having trained her against his better judgment. In the medical rehabilitation facility, Maggie holds out hope for her family in visiting her, whom Dunn makes repeated calls about the news but to no avail. The family arrives several days later (in theme park wardrobe) with an attorney in tow to turn over Maggie's fortunes to them. This appalls Dunn who realizes their motives but when her mother insists that Maggie sign the paperwork that would confirm the family as the beneficiary, she sees through the façade and tells her mother off for good. Eventually, Maggie confides to Dunn that she has "seen it all" and asks to be relieved of suffering. Dunn flat out refuses and begins to question the morality of it all, even speaking with a priest who objects (the same priest who didn't believe that Dunn was sending letters to his daughter). She attempts suicide by biting her tongue multiple times in an attempt to bleed to death. Hospital staff subdue her attempts, causing Dunn to realize that her suffering should last no more. Dunn ultimately commits Euthanasia by injecting her with an overdose of Adrenaline . As he is administering the injection, Dunn finally tells Maggie the meaning of ''Mo Cuishle'', a Gaelic phrase Dunn had used as a nickname for her. As the narrator, Dupris states that Dunn then disappears. The film's narration by Dupris is revealed to be a letter to Dunn's daughter, who has forsaken him all the while, to inform her of her father's true character. FEATURED CAST Full cast and credit listing available . AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS ''Million Dollar Baby'' received the award for Best Picture of 2004 at the 77th Academy Awards . Eastwood was awarded his second Directing Oscar for the film and also received a Best Actor nomination. Swank and Freeman received Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor Oscars, respectively. The film was also nominated for the Film Editing and Writing Adapted Screenplay awards. The film beat what many thought to be the front-runner, Martin Scorsese 's '' The Aviator '', which had won the Golden Globe and the BAFTA for Best Drama. However, ''Million Dollar Baby'' was more popular with critics. The film was also nominated for and won a number of Golden Globes, SAG Awards and the Directors's Guild Awards. 2005 Academy Awards (Oscars)
2005 Amanda Awards
2005 American Cinema Editors (Eddies)
2005 Black Reel Awards
2005 Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards
2005 Casting Society Of America (Artios)
2006 - César Award
2005 Directors Guild Of America
2005 Director's Guild Of Great Britain
2005 ESPY Awards
2005 Florida Film Critics Circle
2006 Grammy Awards
2005 Image Awards
2005 Motion Picture Sound Editors (Golden Reel Award)
2004 National Board Of Review Of Motion Pictures
2004 New York Film Critics Circle Awards
2005 PGA Golden Laurel Awards
2004 Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards
2004 San Diego Film Critics Society Awards
2005 Screen Actors Guild Awards
2005 Writers Guild Of America Award s
CRITICAL RECEPTION The film received highly positive reviews with the review tallying website Rottentomatoes.com reporting that 189 out of the 206 reviews they tallied were positive for a score of 91% and a certification of "fresh".rottentomatoes.com, Million Dollar Baby entry , accessed January 8, 2007 Roger Ebert gave the film four stars and stated that, "Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby" is a masterpiece, pure and simple, "rogerebert.com, Million Dollar Baby review , accessed January 8, 2007 listing it as the best film of 2004. CRITICISM Disability rights activists In January and February 2005, the film became controversial when some Disability Rights Activists protested the ending of the film, in which Frank carries out Maggie's wish to die after she becomes Quadriplegic as a result of a Spinal Cord Injury suffered during her last fight. Prominent among these critics was John Hockenberry , long-time NPR and NBC correspondent and paraplegic. http://www.milliondollarbigot.org/loser.html http://www.lifenews.com/bio674.html http://www.chicagoreader.com/hottype/2005/050128_1.html '' The Weekly Standard '' also criticized the movie for its ending and for missed opportunities. http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/005/307qsmui.asp Christian Right and social conservatives Possibly around the same time, the movie was criticized by activists from the '', with barely a hint of the pitch-dark substance that led Andrew Sarris of the New York Observer to declare that 'no movie in my memory has depressed me more than ''Million Dollar Baby'''". http://www.opinionjournal.com/la/?id=110006305 Irish language speakers Some s, consonants Soften when followed by a vowel, hence the "c" in "cúisle" turns into a guttural "ch". It is translated in the film as "My darling, my blood". The original phrase is short for ''A chúisle mo chroí'', meaning "O, pulse of my heart" Wes Davis Fighting Words . New York Times. February 26, 2005 . Nevertheless, it was cited as one of the most influential phrases from a Hollywood film that year. The movie has also been praised for awakening interest in the Irish language in the U.S. . Responses to criticism Eastwood responded to the criticism by saying the movie was about the of the Chicago Sun Times , who named the film his favorite of 2004, believes "a movie is not good or bad because of its content, but because of how it handles its content. ''Million Dollar Baby'' is classical in the clean, clear, strong lines of its story and characters, and had an enormous emotional impact". http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050129/ESSAYS/501290301 DVD RELEASE Upon its original release, all editions of the Region 1 DVD, except for the "Deluxe Edition", came with a Paperback copy of the book ''Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner''. REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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