Cinderella Man

Entertainment Film Reviews Cinderella Man

BBC Learning English - Entertainment September 15, 2005

Entertainment © BBC Learning English September 15, 2005 Page 2 of 5

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Callum: Hello, I'm Callum Robertson, and this is Entertainment. In the programme today

we are looking at one of the first stages of how to review a film. We'll be

listening to two BBC film reviewers talking about the new film, Cinderella Man.

One of the first things to do when reviewing a film is to give the listener or

reader a few details about the film, its cast or director for example and then a

short summary of the plot, or what happens in a film.

Cinderella Man was directed by Ron Howard and stars actor Russell Crowe

who won an Oscar for his role in the film Gladiator. It's the true story of Jim

Braddock who was boxer, someone who fights for money, in the United States

in the 1930s.

Here is BBC film reviewer Mark Kermode with a brief outline of the film. As

you listen, see if you can answer this question – is the main character successful

throughout his career, is he successful throughout his career? Here's Mark

Kermode.

Mark Kermode

The story of this guy's rise and fall and then re-rise and then er how's it all going to end? He

loses everything he then gets back the right to fight again and he ends up in a fight in which it

is entirely possible he may actually lose his life.

Callum: Is he successful throughout his career. Well the answer is no. Mark says the

story is about his rise and fall. If someone has a fall in their career it means they

were successful, but then their career took a turn for the worse. However, the

fall is not the end of the story as the fighter has another chance to fight – this



time someone who was very dangerous and could kill him, he might lose his life.

So we wonder – how is it going to end? Let's listen to Mark again.

Mark Kermode

The story of this guy's rise and fall and then re-rise and then er how's it all going to end?

Because it ends up with him going in [to a fight having lost everything he then gets back the

right to fight again and he ends up in] a fight in which it is entirely possible he may actually

lose his life.

Callum: Nigel Floyd is another film reviewer and he gives his overview of the film – here

he describes in more detail the boxers rise and fall and his final challenge.

Nigel Floyd

Here's this guy, he's been washed up for years, his family's on the breadline, and he gets a one

shot deal to fight this guy and he beats him, it's an astonishing result. Everyone thinks it's all

over, then his manager says actually I think we can set you up with some more fights.

Everyone again treats him as the outsider as the underdog but he wins through and eventually

he comes up against Max Beyer, who's a killer of a man and the world champion.

Callum: Let's look at this summary in more detail. He refers to the main character as 'this

guy'.

Nigel Floyd

Here's this guy

Callum: Here's this guy, this guy. Guy g-u-y is a very common word used for a man. It's

very informal – and Mark Kermode also used it in his review.

Mark Kermode

The story of this guy's rise and fall



Callum: The story of this guy's rise and fall. Of course, it's not only used for film

reviews, but also in everyday informal conversation.

In the next part of the review, Nigel tells us a little bit about the boxer's life

Nigel Floyd

he's been washed up for years, his family's on the breadline

Callum: He's been washed up for years, 'washed up' if someone is described as being

'washed up' it means they can no longer do their job and they have no chance of

success. His family is on the breadline means that they are very very poor. But

things get a bit better

Nigel Floyd

and he gets a one shot deal to fight this guy and he beats him, it's an astonishing result.

Callum: and he is given a chance for another fight and he wins. His manager then

arranges more fights and he isn't expected to win –

Nigel Floyd

Everyone again treats him as the outsider as the underdog

Callum: Everyone again treats him as the outsider as the underdog. An underdog is the

person or team that is expected to lose. Finally at the end of the film he meets

the challenge of fighting the world Champion, Max Beyer. How is he described?

Nigel Floyd

eventually he comes up against Max Beyer, who's a killer of a man and the world champion.



Callum: Max Beyer is described as a killer of a man – a killer of a man. A man who

could kill him. Here's the whole of Nigel Floyd's outline again.

Nigel Floyd

Here's this guy, he's been washed up for years, his family's on the breadline, and he gets a one

shot deal to fight this guy and he beats him, it's an astonishing result. Everyone thinks it's all

over, then his manager says actually I think we can set you up with some more fights.

Everyone again treats him as the outsider as the underdog but he wins through and eventually

he comes up against Max Beyer, who's a killer of a man and the world champion.

Callum: In the programme today we've looked at two different reviewers describing the

story of a film. Both of them tell the story in a few words, without giving away

too much information about the ending. How does Jim Braddock do in the

fight? Does he win or lose? Live or die? Well you'll have to see the film to find

out, though as it's a true story you could just look on the internet! That's all

from the programme today. To end here is a clip from the film Cinderalla Man.

Here's Russell Crowe playing boxer Jim Braddock. In this scene which is the

beginning of his fall, he is told for the first time that he can no longer fight he is

not fit enough because he has a broken hand.

Cinderella Man clip

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Cinderella Man