Cinderella Man

In my United States History class, we are watching Cinderella Man so we can see how the Great Depression impacted individuals everywhere. I thought it did a great job at showing how everyone was affected and what it might have been like. When I was watching some parts, I almost had a feeling of guilt for how much I take for granted on a daily basis and how much harder it actually could be. In other parts, I felt scared or worried for if it were to happen again (which it probably won’t, but still).

My favorite parts of the movie are watching the fighting scenes, which may sound a little weird and crazy but watching them and seeing the main character, James J. Braddock, I saw how much he really liked fighting and how much he needed this so he could provide for his family. It showed him doing anything and everything to make sure that his family was taken care of and that they were happy. Another part that I really enjoyed was the part when he had to go get the relief check from the bank so that he could get his kids back and so that he could keep his family together. Watching that part was so sweet because it really showed how much he cared about them and it also showed how he wanted to keep his family together at all costs because that was important to him.

                My least favorite part in it was when his wife, Mae, sent the kids away without consulting with him first. I didn’t like this part because it kind of showed a little bit of giving up, even though I completely understand why she did it. It made me sad because when James got home and saw that his kids weren’t there, he had a look of complete anger and confusion because he thought that him and his wife were going to talk about every decision that they were going to make and when they didn’t, he thought it was her giving up and he wasn’t quite ready to give up yet. This part showed me that there were a lot of things that people would do to try and keep their families safe no matter how hard the decision is to do it. It also showed me how some people would just give up when things got hard and how other people would try everything to keep safe and try and salvage what they had left.

                If you have not seen this movie, I would highly suggest you do because it truly is fantastic, and it really shows you how hard people worked to save their families during the Great Depression.