Best Movie of the Year?

I keep hearing great things about Clint's new movie "Million Dollar Baby." Roger Ebert has already declared it the best movie of the year. Now Roger L. Simon (a screenwriter himself) weighs in:

MILLION DOLLAR BABY"Etonnez-moi!" Diaghilev famously told Cocteau was the prescription for great art. I'm not sure Million Dollar Baby is quite that, but Clint Eastwood's film from a Paul Haggis screenplay (based on stories by F. X. Toole) did astonish me, continually taking me further than I ever expected it would. It is the complete opposite of Finding Neverland in that regard.

I admit boxing flicks tend to be predictable, so they present easy opportunities for this kind of surprise. Still you don't expect them to spend their third act dealing with the essence of father-daughter love in the face of death, but this one does. Million Dollar Baby is one of those rare films that continue to grow in impact in your imagination after you have seen it. Much credit goes to Eastwood, of course, who year after year uses his immense Hollywood power to confront bleak and powerful dramatic themes. That his directing skill grows at his age is extraordinary and almost unique. Praise is also due his actors, notably Morgan Freeman (as usual) and Hilary Swank (soon to be as usual).

Haggis's script, however, is the structure that makes this all happen. Like the film it is quite subtle, seemingly at first a rehash of ground we have trod before (Requiem for a Heavyweight), but then so much more. Rarely does it call attention to itself with flashy writing; always it moves the story forward to a new place. This is no simple thing, especially when it is based on a series of short stories. For now it sits atop my nominating list for this year's "Best Adapted Screenplay."