I. Opening
At the beginning of the film, James Braddock is a very wealthy and successful boxer. Unfortunately after the great depression Braddock and his family are left poor and Braddock no longer being picked up for fights because of an injured hand, and is left begging for work everyday at the docks.
II. A Turn of Events
With the help of manager Joe Gould, Braddock is able to make a come back to boxing when the opponent of the number two contender in the world, Corn Griffin, suddenly drops out. To everyone’s surprise Braddock is victorious, and much to his wife’s dismay Braddock accepts Gould’s proposal to rebuild his career. James’ wife Mae, is angry at Gould for trying to profit out of James’ dangerous profession, until she find’s out that Gould and his wife have also been hurt by the depression.
III. Build Up
Braddock keeps winning fights and even uses some of the money he won to pay back the government for all of the unemployment checks he got, which impresses many people. In a newspaper James is nicknamed the “Cinderella Man” cause of the way he dances around the ring. Braddock starts to inspire people because he can relate to their struggle. In many ways he represents them. After many fights a title match comes his way, against Max Baer. Mae is terrified because Baer is known to have killed two men in the ring.
IV. The Big Fight
Many people from all around the neighborhood watched the fight rooting for Braddock, and even his children who weren’t allowed to watch it listen to it on the radio. During the fight Braddock was pummeled with a storm of punches. Much to Baer’s confusion Braddock kept coming back and slowly was able to wear down Baer. On June 13, 1935 by unanimous decision, James J. Braddock was given the Heavyweight title in what would be known as a historic match.
