Million Dollar Baby Respect

A famous Detroit philosopher once said, "R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Find out what it means to me."

In the boxing world, it means absolutely everything. Managers require respect from their fighters. Fighters demand respect from their opponents. And the referees don't get respect from anybody. In Million Dollar Baby, Maggie fights for respect more than any other character in the film: from her family, from her opponents, and especially at the male-dominated Hit Pit gym, where respect comes with acceptance, and, occasionally, some extremely holey socks.

Questions About Respect

1. On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate Frankie's level of respect for Father Horvak? Why?
2. Does Scrap respect Danger, or does Scrap pity Danger?
3. It's pretty clear that Maggie's mother doesn't have much respect for her daughter's chosen career path. Does Maggie have respect for her mother?

Chew on This

Maggie has to fight harder to earn respect because she's woman, she comes from nothing, and (in the world of boxing) she's ancient.

In Million Dollar Baby, the quest for respect is actually the quest for love.