Million Dollar Controversy

If you have not seen Million Dollar Baby, don't bother reading any further.

Seriously. Just ignore this post, move away quietly and no one gets hurt. But then come back after you see it -- and do go see it.

If you have already seen the film, then check out Roger Ebert's take on the controversy that the movie has inspired for the sanctimonious hand-wringing likes of Michael Medved, Rush Limbaugh and others of their ilk.

As Ebert correctly puts it:

"The decision of Maggie [the Hilary Swank character] and her trainer is not a surprise to the readers or listeners of two right-wing commentators, Michael Medved and Rush Limbaugh. They have revealed every secret of the plot. Limbaugh even chortled as he 'apologized' for an earlier broadcast. Just as the movie was opening, Medved appeared on Pat Robertson's '700 Club' to describe the plot in great detail. The outcome of the movie does not match their beliefs. They object to it. That is their right. To engage in a campaign to harm the movie for those who may not agree with them is another matter.

"Most movies have no issues and inspire no thought. A movie like this forces you to think about its issues. If you leave it and discuss what Maggie should have done, what you would do, and what you would wish for your loved ones, then the movie has served a purpose, whether you agree with it or not. A movie is not good or bad because of its content, but because of how it handles its content. Million Dollar Baby is classical in the clean, clear, strong lines of its story and characters, and had an enormous emotional impact."

There's nothing I can really add to this except: Abso-friggin-lutely. What he said.