Cinderella Man, Starring Russell Crowe, Joins Netflix on June 1 – What to Know

Come Monday, the calendar will flip to June, and Netflix will begin its monthly reshuffling of its streaming library. Dozens of titles will be coming and going from the platform throughout the month, including many on June 1 alone.

One of the movies joining Netflix June 1 is Cinderella Man, the 2005 biographical boxing movie directed by Ron Howard and based on the life of unlikely heavyweight champion James J. Braddock.

What to know about Cinderella Man

Russell Crowe stars as Braddock, a Hudson County, New Jersey native forced to retire from boxing to support his family during the Great Depression.

After spending time as a longshoreman, Braddock makes a boxing comeback and eventually defeats Max Baer in 1935 to become the world heavyweight champion. Braddock held the title for for two full years before losing to Joe Louis in 1937.

Renée Zellweger stars as Mae Braddock, Crowe's wife, with Paul Giamatti playing boxing manager Joe Gould. Bruce McGill, Craig Bierko, Paddy Considine, Connor Price, Ariel Waller, Rosemarie DeWitt, Linda Kash and Nicholas Campbell are among those who also have key roles.

Cinderella Man earned critical praise

In addition to three Academy Award Nominations, Cinderella Man has an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an equal 8/10 mark on IMDB. Giamatti also won Best Supporting Actor at the Critics' Choice Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Parade slotted Cinderella Man as its No. 4 boxing movie of all time, with Entertainment Weekly ranking it 16th in the same category.

"Thanks to the finely-tuned efforts of everyone involved, this hefty boxing movie floats like a butterfly, with EW's critic noting that 'Howard's research and Crowe's dedication are so dazzling in the ring that you almost forgive the formulaic clichés when the gloves are off.'" Entertainment Weekly said.

Currently, Cinderella Man is available for Amazon Prime Video subscribers as well as for purchase on YouTube, Apple TV, Google Play and Fandango.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

2026 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 5:00 AM.