Soundtrack Review: Cinderella Man

By Douglas Strassler Jun 8, 2005, 22:12 GMT

This sentiment echoes that of Howard’s film itself, a hollow piece of accessible meat-and-potatoes entertainment made strictly for the masses.  In other words, Howard, like always, has played it safe with his material.  Newman, whose scores include American Beauty, Finding Nemo and TV’s Six Feet Under, does the same here.

That’s not to say that there isn’t some beautifully listening in store anyway.  Here, his strings support piano melodies.  This minimalist style is most evident in the title track, “The Cinderella Man.”  Newman’s harmonic structure suggests a sense of hope that permeates through the whole picture.  In fact, as the track swells, it becomes even grander and more exciting.  It is at this point that Newman also encourages flute work, which he also uses on tracks including “All Prayed Out,” which does not stand out in the movie but certainly does on this soundtrack with its repeated use of a touching configuration of piano and flute work.

Other highlights include supposed jazz numbers interspersed throughout the record.   While the two musical do not mesh well in the movie or the soundtrack, the numbers sound nice and up-tempo on their own.  These include Depression-era tunes such as Chicago tenor sax player Bud Freeman’s "Tillie¹s Downtown Now," Roane's Pennsylvanians' "We’ve Got to Put that Sun Back in the Sky," and especially Eddie Cantor’s wonderfully biting "Cheer Up, Smile, Nertz." “The Hope of the Irish” and “Turtle” are further examples of Newman’s interesting instrumentation, with its jangly guitar rhythms.  A better standout is “Londonderry Air,” performed (specifically, whistled) by Paul Giamatti, who delivers yet another masterful performance as the coach of Jim Braddock (Russell Crowe).

The Cinderella Man soundtrack could use more subdued work like that of “Londonderry Air,” instead of the more swelling sounds that become redundant the more they permeate the album.  Newman is at his best when he lets his lighter, more ominous touch do the talking.  It is here that the soundtrack speaks volumes.

The soundtrack is available via Amazon and Amazon UK.

Visit our database for a full track listing.