Million Dollar Baby

Jet, Jan 31, 2005 by Sylvia P. Flanagan

Frankie Dunn has trained and managed some incredible fighters during his lifetime. The most important lesson he teaches his boxers is "above all, always protect yourself." In the wake of a painful estrangement from his daughter, Frankie has been unwilling to let himself get close to anyone for a very long time.

His only friend is Scrap, an ex-boxer who looks after Frankie's gym and knows that beneath his gruff exterior is a man who has attended Mass almost every day for the past 23 years, Then Maggie Fitzgerald walks into his gym and wants Frankie to train her. The last thing Frankie needs is that kind of responsibility--let alone that kind of risk. He tells Maggie the blunt hard truth: She's too old and he doesn't train girls. "No" has very little meaning to Maggie. She pays to use the gym for six months hoping Frankie will change his mind. Her determination and Scrap's encouragement persuade Frankie to take her on. The two come to discover they share a common spirit and soon both face a battle that demands more heart and courage than they've ever known. Starring: Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, and Hilary Swank.