Ron Howard’s ‘Cinderella Man’ is one of the big Hollywood films of the year. It sets out to be a classic bio pic. Howard took the score/script written by Cliff Hollingsworth, based on the life and times of working class hero, James J Braddock, and brought together such fine actors as Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger, and a strong creative/production team, to deliver the goods.

There were so many good moments in this classic blood, sweat and tears tale. There’s the scene where in the midst of lean times Braddock’s manager organises a fight for him. The camera shows Braddock in the dressing room getting ready for the fight. He tells his manager he’s hungry and asks for some food. When he gets a meal he eats the food off the plate, he hasn’t eaten in days. Yet, he goes on to box, and wins the fight.

Or, the scene when Braddock, who has had his kids taken away from the family because there’s no money to look after them, goes to the professional boxers’ club, and takes around a hat asking for any donations so that he can get his kids back.

There was a Damon Runyon quote that came up on the screen with the opening credits. ‘There was never any greater Cinderella story than that of James Braddock’. Director Ron Howard has served this classic tale well.