| Towards the end of Million Dollar Baby
| |
| | at one point, "If I don't have this, I
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| the character Scraps, ex boxing great
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| | have nothing"; Scraps literally lives in
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| turned gym porter, says of a character
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| | the gym, in a small space in a corner
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| who has been away from the gym for a
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| | with a curtain.He never leaves the place
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| while, "And then a ghost walked in."
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| | (Frankie invites him to come to Vegas for
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| This is an inadvertant commentary on
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| | a fight and he says, "Do you know what
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| almost all the principal characters in
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| | this place would look like if I left
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| the film, and thier relationships to each
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| | it?") Everyone whom Frankie seems to
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| other.Scraps (Morgan Freeman) is a ghost
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| | care about in his life has been gravely
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| for Frankie (Clint Eastwood), as is
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| | hurt by him - his daughter, Maggie, and
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| Maggie (Hillary Swank) - the former
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| | Scraps. The gym is a place of vicousness
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| because he lost sight in one eye in a
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| | and street consciousness - a bully beats
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| match, many years ago, partly due to
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| | an annoying punk to a bloody pulp, only
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| Frankie, and the latter because as time
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| | to be knocked out cold in turn by Scraps.
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| goes on she becomes a surrogate for his
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| | Frankie and Maggie are both on horrible
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| long gone daughter who refuses to
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| | terms with their immediate families, and
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| reconcile with him (we are not told
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| | Scraps has no family in sight;it is such
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| exactly what went wrong between Frankie
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| | a nonissue for him that none is ever even
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| and his daughter, though we see that he
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| | mentioned.In this world, in these lives,
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| has a shoebox full of letters he sent her
| |
| | the characters share much that is bleak
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| marked RETURN TO SENDER).Frankie goes to
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| | and dismal, yet the end effect of the
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| Mass every day; the priest tells him,
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| | film on the viewer is one of hope,
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| "Write to your daughter." Scraps and
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| | respect, and dignity nonetheless. Any
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| Maggie bond because both have been
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| | time one character turns to another,
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| trained by Frankie. Scraps and Maggie,
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| | their souls,their cores, relate - and in
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| without knowing it, become mirrors of
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| | this way these relationships reveal to us
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| each other, each having been gravely hurt
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| | some of the essential truths about
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| in boxing matches with Frankie as their
| |
| | humanity.Peter Quinones is the author of
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| manager. Yet, at the same time, they
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| | Amethyst Secrets, published by I
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| mirror each other in another way - boxing
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| | Universe.
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| is their whole life (Maggie tells Frankie
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| |
|
