There are three questions that come to mind in Clint Eastwood’s soap-opera-twist story of a young determined girl (Hillary Swank) who convinces a coach (Clint Eastwood) to represent her as a female boxer. Why does Clint star in a role he struggles to perform in – voice sounding like an old man stricken with a bad case of laryngitis? What is the point of this story that goes into some lame turn around soap-opera mid-way through? And who is the PR person responsible for considering this for an Oscar nomination? The upside to this movie is Morgan Freeman as a laid back Eddie “Scrap-Iron” Dupris, Frankie Dunn’s (Clint’s) helpmate at the gym where they train wanna-be boxers. And while she may be a light weight, Hillary Swank pulls all the weight in this otherwise slow-moving tale. She proves her stint in “Boys Don’t Cry” wasn’t just a fluke. She’s the real acting deal. While the movie is a brave attempt, it comes off more anemic and haunting, than successful.
