Just like last year's way over-rated Mystic River, we get another serving of contrived hokum from director Clint Eastwood with his new film Million Dollar Baby. Luckily for us, this time it's top notch contrived hokum - at least the first half is - before it spirals down in a tailspin and crashes into the side of Mount Maudlin. All the actors are predictably good (but no more than that). Whatever - it'll be prime oscar bait for sure...

C+

(Note: If you are planning on seeing this movie, I recommend that you read as little as possible about this movie - it could be easily spoiled by a clumsy critic.)

As long as it's not like Mystic River, which set up an good premise, with great acting and then...

SPOILERS (highlight).

... creates a contrived and convoluted plot convienence to pin the killing on a secondary and unimportant character that is specifically introduced to take the fall for the killing.

To me, it seems like, with Mystic River, Eastwood made it 50% through the movie, saw that the actors were doing so well, and made the plot almost an afterthought.

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