Southpaw Review

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker, Rachel McAdams, Naomie Harris, 50 Cent

Southpaw is a sports drama that tells the story of Billy Hope. Hope is defending his title of World Light Heavyweight champion. He has everything: the glory, a supportive wife and daughter, a giant mansion, and a multitude of things to fill it with. He just has a bit of a temper. One night, his whole life changes when he gets involved in a brawl that ends with his wife Maureen being accidentally shot and killed. From that moment on, his life and all of his glory begins to unravel as Child Services determines whether he keeps his daughter, and he gets suspended from boxing from erratic behavior. Southpaw is at first glance, your average sports movie. I will say that nothing new really is brought to the table and everything in Southpaw I have seen before. But I was compelled by the performances, and I left the theater having really enjoyed the film.

First off, Jake Gyllenhaal is amazing. I have yet to see a movie when he doesn't give an incredible performance, and Southpaw is no exception. A method actor, Gyllenhaal goes to great lengths for his roles. Just last year in Nightcrawler he got scarily thin for that character, and this year he's gained a bunch of muscle. As Hope, he brings the crazy misunderstanding from his character in Nightcrawler, in which he doesn't really understand people. But he also brings a sense of longing. He wants things to be right after all of this tragedy, but he's having trouble getting there. Rachel McAdams turns in a fine performance as his wife, but she's an often used character that really only serves as motivation for the protagonist. And she's not around long enough to make a huge impact in her acting. The movie really kicks into gear when Forest Whitaker steps in as his trainer. Whitaker is another actor who just brings an extra gravitas whenever he's onscreen, no matter what movie. He also has some struggles of his own, and in a role that's been done over and over in literally every boxing movie ever, he brings something extra that makes his feel brand new.

Here's my big problem with Southpaw. It is incredibly formulaic. The plot, the characters, and the script. I could have told you going into the movie how it would end. I was hoping I'd be proven wrong, but it happened exactly as I thought it would. In a story about a man with his wife dead, and fighting for custody of his child (and a championship title) the same tropes happen that you would expect in a Lifetime movie. But that doesn't mean the quality of the movie doesn't outweigh the couple of eyerolls it gave me. The actors are able to make the movie feel genuine, even if truly it is the same melodramatic formula we've seen before. This spin on the story proved very effective, and I actually loved Southpaw. I recommend it to anyone who likes the genre.

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