Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Where to Watch
- Clint Eastwood originally wanted a completely different ending for the film, but test audiences preferred the one we see today.
- Before Clint Eastwood was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
- The original script for Million Dollar Baby was written over a decade before production finally began in 2004.
Million Dollar Baby is a 2004 American sports drama directed by Clint Eastwood, starring Eastwood as Frankie Dunn, a veteran boxing trainer haunted by estrangement from his daughter, and Hilary Swank as Maggie Fitzgerald, a 31-year-old waitress from Missouri's Ozarks who shows up at Frankie's gym determined to become a professional boxer. Morgan Freeman narrates as Eddie "Scrap-Iron" Dupris, Frankie's former fighter who now works at the gym. After reluctantly agreeing to train Maggie, Frankie watches her rise through the ranks with astonishing speed and ferocity, their relationship evolving from trainer-fighter to father-daughter.
Million Dollar Baby appeared to be a conventional underdog sports film for its first two acts before taking a devastating narrative turn that transformed it into a profound meditation on love, dignity, and the moral complexities of mercy. The film won four Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress for Hilary Swank, who underwent months of intensive boxing training and gained significant muscle mass for the role. Morgan Freeman won Best Supporting Actor for his quietly powerful narrator.
The film's final act sparked intense debate about its subject matter, which some viewers and advocacy groups found deeply troubling. Million Dollar Baby earned $216 million worldwide on a $30 million budget.
