History YMMV / RagingBull

* HeartwarminginHindsight: A meta example: As noted under CreatorBreakdown, Creator/MartinScorsese was struggling with a cocaine addiction at the time and planning on retiring as a director. Creator/RobertDeNiro specifically brought the project to Scorsese in hopes that its themes of self-destruction would help Scorsese overcome his problems. Needless to say, they succeeded.

* Heartwarming: A meta example: As noted under CreatorBreakdown, Creator/MartinScorsese was struggling with a cocaine addiction at the time and planning on retiring as a director. Creator/RobertDeNiro specifically brought the project to Scorsese in hopes that its themes of self-destruction would help Scorsese overcome his problems. Needless to say, they succeeded.

* HeartwarmingMoments: A meta example: As noted under CreatorBreakdown, Creator/MartinScorsese was struggling with a cocaine addiction at the time and planning on retiring as a director. Creator/RobertDeNiro specifically brought the project to Scorsese in hopes that its themes of self-destruction would help Scorsese overcome his problems. Needless to say, they succeeded.

* HeartwarmingInHindsight: As noted under CreatorBreakdown, Creator/MartinScorsese was struggling with a cocaine addiction at the time and planning on retiring as a director. Creator/RobertDeNiro specifically brought the project to Scorsese in hopes that its themes of self-destruction would help Scorsese overcome his problems. Needless to say, they succeeded.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Creator/CathyMoriarty made her official acting debut with a minor role as Jake's second wife Vikki. Not only does she have her share of fans for this reason, but also because she comes across as being a very sympathetic victim among Jake's abuse.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Creator/JohnTurturro makes his film debut as the man at table at Webster Hall.

* TheWoobie: Vikki [=LaMotta=], although if you ''were'' to give her a hug then Jake would probably fly into a rage and attack you and her both, because he is a {{Jerkass}}.
** JerkassWoobie: Joey can act like a crude, violent KavorkaMan at times, but he's also something of a MoralityChain for Jake, trying intermittently to keeps the latter grounded.
** Jake himself becomes one when he turns into a washed-up hack, averting sports movie sentimentalism by showing that VictoryIsBoring. The fact that he comes out a changed man and finally owns up to being a colossal asshole (in fact, the real La Motta was a consultant on the film and was perfectly fine with such a negative portrayal) doesn't hurt either.
*** Jake undoubtedly does some horrible things throughout the film, but try not go feel at least a bit sorry for him when he starts punching the walls of his cell in self-punishment. It sheds a lot of light on his character.

* MemeticMutation: The opening scene with Jake inside the boxing ring with his face hidden in the monk-like hood of his leopard-skin robe, warming up alone in the ring by shadow-boxing into the smoky air. He gracefully dances or jogs up and down - in slow-motion - in the dreamy sequence to the melancholy, haunting soundtrack of the "Intermezzo" from Cavalleria Rustican.
** "He ain't pretty no more!"

* SignatureScene: Any of the boxing ring scenes, Jake asking Joey to hit him in the face and the later scene in which he accuses Joey of sleeping with Vikki.

* SignatureScene: Any of the boxing ring scenes, Jake asking Joey to hit him in the face and accusing him of sleeping with Vikki.

* SignatureScene: Any of the boxing ring scenes, and Jake accusing Joey of sleeping with Vikki.

* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail: Scorsese initially didn't have a lot of hope with this biographical film since his [[Film/NewYorkNewYork previous film]] was a BoxOfficeBomb and he later got a drug addiction. But considering the film's star won an Oscar for Best Actor, and the film turned out to be very significant, it's safe to say Scorsese had better luck than he ever could have thought.
* AwardSnub: One of the more notorious ones. It won for Actor and Editing, but not for Director, Screenplay, or Picture.[[note]]Some people theorize that ''Film/RagingBull'' didn't win Best Picture because Creator/UnitedArtists couldn't afford to finance an Oscar campaign following the financial debacle that was ''Film/HeavensGate''.[[/note]]

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Creator/CathyMoriarty made her official acting debut with a minor role as Jake's second wife Vicki. Not only does she have her share of fans for this reason, but also because she comes across as being a very sympathetic victim among Jake's abuse.

* SignatureScene: Any of the boxing ring scenes, and Jake accusing Joey of sleeping with Vickie.

* MemeticMutation: "He ain't pretty no more!"

* VindicatedByHistory: When it came out, it received pretty mixed reviews and was snubbed by the Oscars. Now if you ask most critics what the best film from 1980s was, most of them will say ''Film/RagingBull''. There are many who will also call it the best film of ''all time''.