Million Dollar Baby Grows Up

Million Baby Worth the Second Watch!

Eastwood and Swank

The movie, Million Dollar Baby, stars Clint Eastwood, Hillary Swank and who else?  Morgan Freeman.  What a trio!  But it is Swank who does the fighting for her life--first just to survive hillbilly poverty and her upbringing, then as a boxer where women don't usually go, and then on life support after getting hit by a chair in the ring.  The bell does not ring to give you a time out in this one--except when Hillary gathers scraps as a waitress trying just to survive.  Enter Clint Eastwood, manager, thanks to Morgan Freeman--the gym owner.  Eastwood goes against all instincts to train her and then to get involved as the father figure Swank (I suspect) fights for his approval.  The constant reference to "Boss" sounds like "Dad" to me.  Million Dollar Baby is trying to grow up. 

Eastwood in Swank's Corner

On with the movie--you bet Swank makes it in the ring--enough to buy an ungrateful mother the house she always wanted.  Her mother complains that the house will be counted as income and kick her off welfare!  So back to the ring goes Swank, to victory and victory until some poor looser clobbers her over the head with a chair and puts her on life support.  The point? She has been struggling to get off emotional and financial life support--to grow up--only to be put on permanent life support.

Swank on life support

 If you have hung with my commentary--then I have set you up for the end when Swank courageously knows it is time to get off life support.  She knows that life is more and made it.  She can ask Eastwood to turn off the machines. He does so with the love of the father he has become for a daughter....using her knick name and spelling it out. 

Frankie Dunn: [to Maggie] All right. I'm gonna disconnect your air machine, then you're gonna go to sleep. Then I'll give you a shot, and you'll... stay asleep. Mo cuishle means "My darling, my blood."

Remember the point of this movie!  It is not success.  It is far from hillbilly girl makes good.  There is a success in achievement to become who you were supposed to be.  We can choke back tears at what the world calls failure--while we die the quiet death knowing inside we never gave up.  In the movie, Eddie is played by Morgan Freeman who jumps into center ring as the voice of conscience.  Here at the end, Eastwood is in the throes of failure when Freeman pipes up: 

Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris:. I found you a fighter. You made her the best fighter she could be.
Frankie Dunn: I killed her.
Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris: Don't say that. Maggie walked through that door with nothing buts guts. No chance in the world of being what she needed to be. It was because of you that she was fighting the championship of the world. You did that. People die everyday, Frankie - mopping floors, washing dishes and you know what their last thought is? I never got my shot. Because of you Maggie got her shot. If she dies today you know what her last thought would be? I think I did all right.