(Originally published March 2005)
Major spoiler alert! If you desire to know nothing about the ending of the film, “Million Dollar Baby,” it is highly recommended you stop reading now and move on to the news briefs. You have been warned.
What does a controversial novel for young adults and the Oscar winning film, “Million Dollar Baby” have in common? Read on.
Much debate lately has been centered around the novel, “Whale Talk,” by Chris Crutcher. For those who have not picked up an Independent in the last few weeks, I offer the “Cliff Notes” version.
“Whale Talk,” is a book selected by Grand Ledge High School as the center piece of its comprehensive reading program. It tackles positive and realistic themes related to racism and abuse. The problem? The book has its share of profanity. Some parents don’t like that. Some have even called for the removal of the book from the curriculum.
I admit I have not read “Whale Talk,” but I do believe that high school principal Richard Pochert and other educators at the school knew what they were doing when they selected this book.
“Million Dollar Baby” stars Hilary Swank as Maggie, a female boxer who is paralyzed from the neck down after getting a sucker punch. Clint Eastwood plays Frankie, a veteran trainer who becomes her best friend.
Maggie is a semiliterate waitress whose family is stupid, cruel and selfish. She saw prize fighting as her only way to free herself from “waitressing for the rest of my life.”
A few days after the tragic accident, she says she feels “frozen.” She persuades a reluctant Frankie to assist in her death.
The film has been attacked as a thinly disguised argument in favor of euthanasia.
The National Spinal Cord Injury Association joined the critics. A spokesman commented, “The movie is saying ‘death is better than disability.’”
In a USA Today commentary about films, author Michael Medved said, “Both Million Dollar Baby,’ and
‘The Sea Inside’ portray assisted suicide as an explicitly and unequivocally ‘heroic’ choice.”
In his interview with the New York Times, Eastwood responded: “I’m just telling a story. I don’t advocate.
I’m playing a part. I’ve gone around in movies blowing people away with a .44 magnum. But that doesn’t mean I think that’s a proper thing to do.”
These attacks are unfair and the same goes for “Whale Talk.” Crutcher, like Eastwood, is just telling a story.
Whether you agree with the methods of the storytellers or not, the important thing is it opens important issues for discussion and makes people think about the issues.
Was Frankie’s choice to assist Maggie in her death the right decision? Maggie and Frankie seem to think so. I do not.
What do you think?
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