Clint Eastwood directed “Million Dollar Baby,” which came out in 2004. The movie features Eastwood as a grumpy boxing trainer who owns a gym for working-class people in Los Angeles; one of his former boxers (Morgan Freeman) helps him run the place and serves as the film’s narrator. Hilary Swank plays a waitress from rural Missouri who asks Frankie (Eastwood) to train her, but he initially declines, saying she's too old at 32 and that he “doesn’t train girls,” likely because of a past disagreement with his daughter. He eventually gives in, though reluctantly. Much of the film feels like a female counterpart to "Rocky" (1976), and I found the dramatic elements more powerful here. The three central characters are well-developed, and the overall tone is respectful, with occasional moments of gentle humor. Frankie and Maggie (Swank) form a bond resembling that of a father and daughter, which is genuinely heartwarming. However, the final act takes a decidedly somber direction. It moves away from typical sports movie conventions and presents a message that seems to go against what was established earlier in the story, and I don’t understand why. The idea is that someone makes a significant sacrifice to do what they believe is best and to respect the wishes of someone they cared for deeply. Still, this shift feels jarring and leaves an unpleasant feeling because it undermines the positive themes explored in the first two-thirds of the film. The movie has a runtime of 2 hours and 12 minutes and was filmed in Los Angeles. GRADE: B-/C+

Source on TMDB