Deliberate mistake: To make Jim Braddock look more heroic, Max Baer is portrayed as being very mean and hateful. In fact, the real Max Baer was an extremely pleasant man who was devastated when Frankie Campbell died after fighting him. Many boxing historians and sportswriters have complained about this inaccurate depiction of Baer.
Cinderella Man (2005)
1 deliberate mistake
Directed by: Ron Howard
Starring: Russell Crowe, Paul Giamatti, Renée Zellweger, Paddy Considine, Craig Bierko
Deliberate mistake: To make Jim Braddock look more heroic, Max Baer is portrayed as being very mean and hateful. In fact, the real Max Baer was an extremely pleasant man who was devastated when Frankie Campbell died after fighting him. Many boxing historians and sportswriters have complained about this inaccurate depiction of Baer.
Reporter: Bob Johnson, Boston Globe. Two days ago, we ran a story about you giving your relief money back. Can you tell our readers why?
Jim Braddock: I believe we live in a great country, a country that's great enough to help a man financially when he's in trouble. But lately, I've had some good fortune, and I'm back in the black. And I just thought I should return it.
Trivia: Rosemarie DeWitt, who plays Sarah Wilson a wife of one of the characters in the movie, is the real life granddaughter of Jim Braddock, the subject of the movie. And according to Ron Howard she was able to provide copies of letters her grandfather wrote her grandmother.
Question: When the Braddocks are interviewed by reporters prior to Jim's biggest fight, one reporter asks Mae how she feels that he will be facing a boxer who has killed two people in the ring. Why do you think the reporter asks her that question rather than Jim Braddock.
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Answer: It's typical for reporters to ask someone who is married to a notable person how they feel about their spouse. It gives a different slant and perspective to their story. Other reporters have probably asked Jim for his reaction, or he had publicly made statements to that affect, so asking again provides nothing new.
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