{"id":556,"date":"2006-08-12T07:44:00","date_gmt":"2006-08-12T12:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/?p=556"},"modified":"2006-11-21T07:36:15","modified_gmt":"2006-11-21T12:36:15","slug":"million-dollar-baby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/?p=556","title":{"rendered":"Million Dollar Baby"},"content":{"rendered":"

I don’t write about movies much. The subject is quite well covered elsewhere and I tend to watch movies about two years after everyone else. But I need to get Million Dollar Baby<\/em> out of my system, and the only way to do that is to catalog it’s egregious flaws. If you loved the movie, or have not seen it, then you probably won’t have any use for this…<\/p>\n

Many people have said the the movie has a “surprise ending”. It did. I have a knack for dodging spoilers. I managed to see The Sixth Sense<\/em> without knowing the movie’s secret. (Which was great.) I managed to see The Crying Game<\/em> without learning what it was about. (Huge mistake. Had I known, I would have skipped it.) Now I managed to see Million Dollar Baby<\/em> without knowing about what it was really<\/em> about. <\/p>\n

Steven<\/a> once said of Cowboy Beebop<\/del><\/a> Bebop:<\/p>\n

[…] The ending felt like being punched in the gut.<\/p>\n

For all I know, that’s what they wanted me to feel. If so, it was their artists’ choice. But as a reviewer, I can’t really recommend the series to anyone else. It isn’t any fun getting punched in the gut.\n<\/p><\/div>\n

If Cowboy Bebop is getting punched in the gut, then Million Dollar Baby<\/em> is a flying roundhouse kick to the bridge of your nose. The last fifth of the movie came out of nowhere. Spoilers follow…<\/p>\n


\nI thought I was watching Rocky<\/em>, but instead I ended up watching a tragedy that culminated in euthanasia. The movie was heartbreaking, horrible, tragic, sadistic, and (worst of all) manipulative. Let’s look at this girl’s life:<\/p>\n