Million Dollar Baby was adapted for the cinema by Paul Haggis from tales in Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner (2000), written by experienced boxing trainer and manager Jerry Boyd under the pen name F.X. Toole. The film sparked widespread debate. Some writers condemned it as a politically motivated piece arguing for the legalization of euthanasia, while disability-rights activists complained that the film incorrectly conveyed the message that people living with disabilities are better off dead, arguing that a more satisfying ending would have shown Maggie overcoming her despair and embracing her new life. The issue did not detract from the film's appeal.
Maggie continues to practice in the Hit Pit anyway, and when Frankie's greatest boxer, Big Willie Little, leaves for a less circumspect management, Frankie offers to teach Maggie. When he is not working with Maggie, he attends daily mass, ostensibly to annoy his priest. Additionally, he writes letters to his estranged daughter Katy that are constantly returned unread. Maggie works with Frankie for many months and notices a significant improvement in her abilities. Nonetheless, he is circumspectâScrap would say too circumspectâabout putting Maggie in a genuine battle. When she makes the mistake of inquiring about Frankie's family, he immediately dumps her off on another manager, Sally. Sally, on the other hand, is a menace, and Maggie and Frankie are shortly reconciled.
"Mo chuisle" literally translates as "My pulse," but it may also be interpreted as "My love" or "My sweetheart."
It is an affectionate nickname derived from the original languages "A chuisle mo chro" or "Pulse of my heart."
When addressing directly to someone, use the phrase "A chuisle." When speaking about them, use the phrase "Mo chuisle." The film Million Dollar Baby spells "Mo chuisle" wrongly as "Mo cuishle."
