Year of Eastwood #30

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Starring: Eastwood, Hilary Swank
Directed by Eastwood

Let’s take a moment to look back on the life that is Clint Eastwood … TV star that made his big break into movies with Spaghetti Westerns … biggest movie star in the world thanks in part to the Dirty Harry movies … quite the ladies’ man with the squint and the swagger … mayor of a small town in California … Academy Award winner with his triumphant return to the Western genre … everything else has to be gravy.

By the turn of the century, Clint had garnered as much acclaim as a director as he has as an actor. In 2004, Clint turned his attention to a collection of short stories written by a struggling cut-man and the result was a sleeper hit that cleaned up at the Oscars once again for Clint. In what was considered a bit of an upset at the time, Million $$$ Baby won Clint his second awards for Best Director and Best Picture.

Clint has said that this film is his final appearance in front of the camera - and what a way to go out, as the role earned Clint his second Oscar nomination as Best Actor (Unforgiven). Clint is a struggling boxing trainer always missing out on his break into the big time. The fighter he has spent years slowly preparing for a title fight jumps ship right before winning the title. All this strife is sure to leave any guy hardened. Dude’s so cranky, he could even lead a priest to curse.

So when spunky Hilary shows up at Clint’s gym, he don’t want nothing to do with no girl fighters. Hilary doesn’t give up so easy. She’s been munching on left-over steaks and dumpster fries just to save up enough money to pay for her gym membership. Clint needs the money cuz the 24 Hr. Fitness next door has challenged him to a winner-takes-all dodge ball competition. Slowly but surely, Hilary wins Clint over by showing up everyday and pounding on the bag until Clint agrees to take her under his tutelage.

Million $$$ Baby has more daddy issues than Lost … is there anybody on that island who has slapped, punched, or shot their dad? Hilary’s dad was the only caring person in her life, but daddy left early and momma was poor. Clint has lost touch with his daughter and despite his several attempts she has no interest in knowing him. Clint never seems to have any luck with the family life. Clint has always been the epitome of the swinging bachelor … never anyone back home to slow him down. A few times he’s been divorced or widowed, but so far in this Year of Eastwood, Clint’s only been married once … and even in that one he had to share his wife with Lee Marvin.

For skeptics, Hilary’s rise to the top of the women’s boxing world is unbelievable. She virtually steps into the ring and wins fight after fight without even taking a punch. When she quickly makes it to the title fight, the champ is such a blatant cheater that the referee must have had a lot of other things on his mind (like how to make his mortgage payment) instead of actually paying attention to the fight.

It’s probably not much of a spoiler by now to say that things don’t turn out too well for Hilary in the end. She won her first Oscar as a girl in boy’s clothing who gets beaten and killed by a couple of Nebraska good ol’ boys. This go-round she wins another Oscar having to spend the final third of the movie motionless in a hospital bed strapped to ventilators. The final scenes of Million $$$ Baby are agonizing, as Clint struggles with the decision to grant Hilary’s last wish.

Clint has spent his career building his macho screen presence, but this film - along with others such as Bridges of Madison County - have demonstrated his astute skill as a moving story teller.