Scrap gives Maggie some tips and lets her borrow a speed bag. In the wake of a painful estrangement from his daughter, Frankie has been unwilling to let himself get close to anyone for a very long time. Maggie soon develops bedsores and undergoes an amputation for an infected leg. Toole, the pen name of fight manager and cutman Jerry Boyd. Clint Eastwood was awarded his second Best Director Oscar for the film, and also received a Best Actor in a Leading Role nomination. On June 8, 2002, the U.K.s Lennox Lewis showed the planet that might makes right when he won against Mike Tyson by glorious KO and claimed the title of heavyweight champion of the world. On the strength of believing in herself, Maggie reaches the pinnacle of success and is about to become world champion. As the Torah teaches, "Do not stand idly by as your neighbor's blood is shed" (Leviticus 19:16). "She came from southwestern Missouri," Scrap explains, "the hills outside the scratchy-ass Ozark town of Theodosia, set in the cedars and oak trees, somewhere between nowhere and goodbye. Maggie fights her way up in the women's amateur boxing division with Frankie's coaching. (Um, yeah. With the help of her coach, Frank, Maggie is on her way to becoming one of the greatest boxers to ever live. . For those who are new and are wondering about why this was necessary, read the shift in editing starting March 1st blog. Much like Mary Kay Ash, Maggie started from nothing, slinging hash at a dive somewhere in the Ozarks when she meets trainer Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood). He secures Maggie a $1 million match in Las Vegas against the WBA women's welterweight champion, Billie "The Blue Bear" Osterman, a German ex-prostitute who has a reputation as a dirty fighter. Maggie not only proves to be the boxer he always dreamed of having under his wing, but a friend who fills the great void he's had in his life. Film(s) I was wrong to say that. Hilary Swank bagged her second Oscar for the sheer determination and heartbreaking emotion on display as Maggie Fitzgerald, a 31-year-old waitress desperately clinging to her dream of . Yet let us consider: If a physically healthy person, with a stable family, wealth, and a successful career, would state that he wants to die, we would naturally find it hard to support such a decision. In the end, the real tragedy of Million Dollar Baby is not the heart-wrenching decision that Frankie has to make. A fulfilling life requires hope for the future -- new vistas to reach, new goals to achieve. "[15] The Chicago Tribune reported that protests against the film by disability activists occurred in Chicago, Berkeley, and other cities, and that Clint Eastwood had previously lobbied for weakening provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. A determined woman works with a hardened boxing trainer to become a professional. Create your own unique website with customizable templates. Heres the answer. People cheered her name and watched her in awe- she was wondrous and captivating. Maggie wants the legendary trainer Frankie Dunn to teach her how to fight. Frankie is initially reluctant to train a woman, but Maggie persists and soon wins him over. If it doesn't work out, you can always come back here later.". Common wisdom declares that the wishes of a patient, whether they be for more treatment, less treatment, or physician-assisted suicide, must be respected and carried out. Maggie asks Frankie to train her, but he initially . [3], On Rotten Tomatoes, Million Dollar Baby has an approval rating of 90% based on 269 reviews, with an average rating of 8.40/10. Since she has earned a reputation for quick KOs, Frankie must resort to bribery to get other managers to put their trainee fighters up against her. Million Dollar Baby was theatrically released on December 15, 2004, by Warner Bros. Pictures. Shneidman, founder of the American Association of Suicidology, explained: "The paradigm is the man who cuts his throat and cried for help in the same breath.". Let us analyze the issues raised by the movie: Why would someone ask to die and should we be willing to oblige? Both Katie Dallam and Maggie Fitzgerald were born into poverty in Missouri and began boxing in their 30's. Both ended up in the ring against a much younger, stronger opponent. She was like a fire cracker. Or that shed have given Frankie a glimmer of hope and picked a potato chip from the bowl a la Jill Kinmont* in The Other Side of the Mountain., Maggie fights on in my imagination. Frankie, who studies Gaelic, tells Maggie that he does not know what the phrase means. The movie is narrated by Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris (played by Morgan Freeman) and opens on a boxing match in Los Angeles in which cut man and trainer Frankie Dunn (Eastwood) is in the corner of Big Willie Little (Mike Colter). As she puts it, "I was born two pounds, one-and-a-half ounces. His only friend, Scrap, an ex-boxer who looks after Frankies gym, knows that beneath his gruff exterior is a man who has been seeking, for the past 25 years, the forgiveness that somehow continues to elude him. [27][28] The film is also available online through video on demand and most major streaming platforms. Bent on becoming a professional boxer, plucky 31-year-old Missouri waitress Maggie Fitzgerald sets foot in silver-haired trainer Frankie Dunn's run-down gym. Maggie is tired of washing dishes and waiting on tables. I wish that the scriptwriters would have given her the happy ending that Lewis got when he went up against Tyson ten years ago in Memphis. A horrified Frankie refuses, so Maggie later bites her own tongue in an attempt to bleed to death. [27] The Blu-ray Disc version was released on November 14, 2006. I cant help but to get really choked up when I write about Margaret Maggie Fitzgerald, the protagonist in the 2004 Academy Award-winning film, Million Dollar Baby. Shes a Wow! The film follows Margaret "Maggie" Fitzgerald (Swank), an underdog amateur boxer who is helped by an underappreciated boxing trainer (Eastwood) to achieve her dream of becoming a professional. And shes a damn good boxer too, starting off winning small fights and then graduating to the big leagues, often winning by KO thats a boxing acronym for knock out. Frankie sticks with her every step of the way. Species With Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman, Jay Baruchel. The Academy Award-winning film forces us to assess the value of life amidst a shattered dream. In case you havent seen the film, Hilary Swank played Maggie, and she looked majestic in this role: Hilary Swank as Maggie is some kinda BAD ASS. "I had it all," Maggie tells Frankie, "so don't take it away from me.". In Million Dollar Baby, what is presented as a question of the right to die is perhaps a distraction from the deeper question of responsibility to help our fellow human being. No, Million Dollar Baby is not based on a true story. Disgusted, she orders them to leave and threatens to report their welfare fraud if they try to contact her again. Almost uniformly, these people reported regretting their decision to jump. Maggie, in the story, had a crusty and protective trainer who became a surrogate father and who reluctantly and heartbreakingly helped her die. Maggie lands hard on her corner stool, breaking her neck and leaving her a ventilator-dependent quadriplegic. Get familiar with the big names that everyone talked about. ", Often we fail to recognize that a cry for death is really a cry for help. Jewish law would assert that all of the lives in question have intrinsic value. One man told New Yorker magazine that upon jumping, "I instantly realized that everything in my life that I'd thought was unfixable, was totally fixable -- except for having just jumped. Is it really possible for a person to want to live following an injury like Maggie's? Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris: Don't say that. If the person doesn't have a plan "Well, let's make one. Frankie then reluctantly agrees to train Maggie but states that he will not manage her. He later goes to Maggies room, tells her that Mo cuishle means my darling, my blood, and accedes to her request. On the strength of believing in herself, Maggie reaches the pinnacle of success and is about to become world champion. [6][7], Eastwood had confidence in Swank's acting, but upon seeing Swank's small physique, he had concerns, "I just thought, 'Yeah, this gal would be great. Gender If Im too old for this, then I got nothing.. Instead, Maggie's request for permission to train receives a flat refusal from the cantankerous, coarse, and overly complicated old-school boxing guru. Frankie is initially reluctant to train a woman, but Maggie persists and soon wins him over. * Ill get around to Jill later shes definitely another Wow! Biography She is a transplant from working-class Missouri who arrives in Frankie Dunn 's gym seeking his expertise. After Maggie bites through her tongue in an effort to bleed to death, however, he changes his mind. Occupation characters are most like you. Hollywood Athletic Club - 6525 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA. As with Frankie, we're not told much about Maggie or how she came to discover that, at 31, she's destined to become a champion boxer. Frankie is finally willing to arrange a title fight. Gal in my book because her character has deep personal meaning. Frankie leads a lonely existence, alienated from his only daughter and having few friends. Little by little, an unbreakable father/daughter bond develops between them, and for the first time in a long while, both Dunn and Maggie seem to have found purpose in life. Boyd had written the book when he was on the crux of 70, and died two years before the film arrived on the screens. [citation needed] The titular phrase 'million dollar baby' was used as an insult during pre-fight publicity by Sonny Liston to Muhammad Ali, the latter of whom was an underdog at the time. Maggie is alive and kicking. Maggie Fitzgerald Remembered She was like a fire cracker. It grossed $216,763,646 in theaters; $100,492,203 in the United States, and $116,271,443 in other territories. I never got my shot. An HD DVD release was issued on April 18, 2006. [13] Michael Medved stated: "My main objection to Million Dollar Baby always centered on its misleading marketing, and effort by Warner Brothers to sell it as a movie about a female Rocky, 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. Your email address will not be published. What is prudent is subjective, but that does not stop us from establishing societal norms. I think I did all right. Right.) Maggie Fitzgerald (Swank) watches the match and later asks Frankie to train her, but he refuses. Frankie then reluctantly agrees to train Maggie but states that he will not manage her. So perhaps the real ethical question is not "why does Maggie want to die? . Grew Up in utter poverty. Down she went, no longer burning and sizzling, to the earth. * Was 36-0 (25 by knockout) as a kick boxer, and . Maggie, a waitress from the Ozarks region of Missouri, starts working out at the gym. She has also written and directed plays, dabbled in music, and served as an advocate for animal and human rights. Information With such an inspiring and heart-breaking tale at the same time, one is bound to wonder if it is true? I still have a passion for all things boxing, as evidenced by the name of my furry red Somali cat, Lennox Lewis. Hd DVD release was issued on April 18, 2006 be willing to oblige and is about to world! 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