MOVIE OF THE WEEK #2 (7/24/15): SOUTHPAW
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| "I will whoop Donnie Darko's #@#! right now!" Billy "The Great" Hope (Jake Gyllenhaal) makes his presence known in a scene from director Antoine Fuqua's boxing drama SOUTHPAW. Credit: Scott Garfield © 2015 The Weinstein Company. All rights reserved. |
WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE:
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rachel McAdams, Forest Whitaker, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Oona Lawrence, Miguel Gomez, Beau Knapp, Naomi Harris, Skylan Brooks and Victor Ortiz
WRITER(S): Kurt Sutter
DIRECTOR(S): Antoine Fuqua
60 SECOND PLOT SUMMARY (OR AS CLOSE TO THAT TIME AS ONE CAN MAKE IT): A project that originally had Eminem attached to play the lead role, Southpaw stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Billy "The Great" Hope, a world champion light heavyweight boxer who in the ring is fueled by anger and all about loving his wife Maureen (Rachel McAdams) and daughter Leila (Oona Laurence) out of it. Undefeated with 40-plus fights under his title-wearing belt, Billy knows how to throw a punch, but his wife is concerned about the increasing number of hits he's taking in the process. But since he's winning, Billy – a former orphan like his wife who remembers what life was like before he became a star – is happy as is his promoter Jordan Mains (Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson).
Who is not happy, however, is Miguel Escobar (Miguel Gomez), the man who wants his shot at Billy's title and wants it now. And as fate would have it, Miguel's desire for his shot leads to an incident that changes Billy and his family's lives forever. (To say more would be to spoil a major plot point in the movie).
Following the incident, Billy will find himself having to pick up the pieces of his life to get himself and his family back on track. It's not going to be easy in the slightest, however, as the incident has left him in complete shambles and seeking the guidance of the trainer of the one man Billy feels beat him: Tick Willis (Forest Whitaker). And that relationship is as rocky (no pun intended) as the one Billy has with Leila following the incident.
But while Billy may be down, he's not out yet ... He's just in for the fight of his life.
Who is not happy, however, is Miguel Escobar (Miguel Gomez), the man who wants his shot at Billy's title and wants it now. And as fate would have it, Miguel's desire for his shot leads to an incident that changes Billy and his family's lives forever. (To say more would be to spoil a major plot point in the movie).
Following the incident, Billy will find himself having to pick up the pieces of his life to get himself and his family back on track. It's not going to be easy in the slightest, however, as the incident has left him in complete shambles and seeking the guidance of the trainer of the one man Billy feels beat him: Tick Willis (Forest Whitaker). And that relationship is as rocky (no pun intended) as the one Billy has with Leila following the incident.
But while Billy may be down, he's not out yet ... He's just in for the fight of his life.
WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? Jake Gyllenhaal fans; Forest Whitaker fans; boxing enthusiasts; fans of movies where the child actor is actually a strong performer in a prominent role; anyone looking for inspiration to this the gym
WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN'T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? Rocky fans who will fixate on certain parallels between the two films; people who dislike the brutality of boxing; anyone who's family has suffered as a result of senseless, avoidable violence; deadbeat dads and people who dislike the court system
SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? While the film doesn't break any new ground in regards to the field of the sweet science (a.k.a. boxing), Southpaw delivers a very entertaining, nuanced drama that will capture your attention from its opening bell to its last punch.
Whereas one can feel Eminem's influence (in both the character's attitude, mannerisms and dialogue) throughout Southpaw, Gyllenhaal owns the role from start to finish. While it's obvious the training regimen he underwent for the physical aspects of the role would make most Reebok Crossfit Games competitors jealous, the physicality of Billy Hope extends far beyond him throwing punches. Gyllenhaal's presence is felt in every scene as he goes through a rollercoaster of emotional turmoil that strips him bare; it's that great juxtaposition of seeing a man who is a warrior in a setting he controls completely be stripped to the bone in just about every other aspect of his life. But you only feel the deep stress and strain Billy does because Gyllenhaal makes you feel all of it every time that you think his character is going to succumb to yet another damaging blow. That's not to suggest that Gyllenhaal looks out of his element during the film's excellent boxing scenes – as he has been quoted saying in interviews, since Southpaw's filmmakers didn't find a boxer who could act, Gyllenhaal looks and acts like an actor who can box. (Yours truly will not be challenging him to a fight any time soon.)
While Gyllenhaal may earn an Oscar nomination for his performance, he would have no shot at without the supporting performances of Whitaker and Lawrence who may in fact both earn nominations for their work in the film as well. Southpaw is about boxing as much as Taco Bell is about food; sure, there is boxing in the movie, but the film is really about second chances and family – and Whitaker and Lawrence's character bring these aspects to the forefront.
The idea of the grizzled trainer is not a new concept in boxing movies; neither is the concept of the reluctant trainer who has a heart that's been hurt by seeing too many good kids go down the wrong path for a variety of reasons. The thing that Whitaker does to overcome both tropes is deliver a strong performance where he brings conviction and passion to his character to the point you that the idea of "Forest Whitaker" fades into the background of "Tick Willis." He talks like a boxing trainer, his mannerisms follow those of a boxing trainer and the wisdom he imparts feels genuine from start to finish. Lawrence, however, might be the show stealer as she delivers a performance that has the rare combination of being wise to her situation without losing her childlike sensibilities. Both characters serve to put an onus on Gyllenhaal's to get his life together while showing the raw physical and emotional toll all of the punches he's taking in and out of the ring.
Last but certainly not least, one has to give credit to director Antoine Fuqua for taking writer Kurt Sutter's (Sons of Anarchy) script and putting it all together in a way that delivers both the hard-hitting action of boxing with the emotional angst Billy Hope experiences. Save for one cartoonish sequence during the film's climatic moment, Southpaw is as real as real can be without taking an uppercut to the face. (Then again, since Fuqua was a boxer himself in his youth, it's pretty easy to see why he'd have such a reverence for the sport and how he treats his subject matter.)
While there will be some inevitable comparisons to boxing movies of the past – one starring some guy named Sylvester Stallone among them – Southpaw is able to stand on its own two feet because it's a solid movie. It's not going to reinvent the boxing movie; it's just going to add its name to the list of title contenders.
Whereas one can feel Eminem's influence (in both the character's attitude, mannerisms and dialogue) throughout Southpaw, Gyllenhaal owns the role from start to finish. While it's obvious the training regimen he underwent for the physical aspects of the role would make most Reebok Crossfit Games competitors jealous, the physicality of Billy Hope extends far beyond him throwing punches. Gyllenhaal's presence is felt in every scene as he goes through a rollercoaster of emotional turmoil that strips him bare; it's that great juxtaposition of seeing a man who is a warrior in a setting he controls completely be stripped to the bone in just about every other aspect of his life. But you only feel the deep stress and strain Billy does because Gyllenhaal makes you feel all of it every time that you think his character is going to succumb to yet another damaging blow. That's not to suggest that Gyllenhaal looks out of his element during the film's excellent boxing scenes – as he has been quoted saying in interviews, since Southpaw's filmmakers didn't find a boxer who could act, Gyllenhaal looks and acts like an actor who can box. (Yours truly will not be challenging him to a fight any time soon.)
While Gyllenhaal may earn an Oscar nomination for his performance, he would have no shot at without the supporting performances of Whitaker and Lawrence who may in fact both earn nominations for their work in the film as well. Southpaw is about boxing as much as Taco Bell is about food; sure, there is boxing in the movie, but the film is really about second chances and family – and Whitaker and Lawrence's character bring these aspects to the forefront.
The idea of the grizzled trainer is not a new concept in boxing movies; neither is the concept of the reluctant trainer who has a heart that's been hurt by seeing too many good kids go down the wrong path for a variety of reasons. The thing that Whitaker does to overcome both tropes is deliver a strong performance where he brings conviction and passion to his character to the point you that the idea of "Forest Whitaker" fades into the background of "Tick Willis." He talks like a boxing trainer, his mannerisms follow those of a boxing trainer and the wisdom he imparts feels genuine from start to finish. Lawrence, however, might be the show stealer as she delivers a performance that has the rare combination of being wise to her situation without losing her childlike sensibilities. Both characters serve to put an onus on Gyllenhaal's to get his life together while showing the raw physical and emotional toll all of the punches he's taking in and out of the ring.
Last but certainly not least, one has to give credit to director Antoine Fuqua for taking writer Kurt Sutter's (Sons of Anarchy) script and putting it all together in a way that delivers both the hard-hitting action of boxing with the emotional angst Billy Hope experiences. Save for one cartoonish sequence during the film's climatic moment, Southpaw is as real as real can be without taking an uppercut to the face. (Then again, since Fuqua was a boxer himself in his youth, it's pretty easy to see why he'd have such a reverence for the sport and how he treats his subject matter.)
While there will be some inevitable comparisons to boxing movies of the past – one starring some guy named Sylvester Stallone among them – Southpaw is able to stand on its own two feet because it's a solid movie. It's not going to reinvent the boxing movie; it's just going to add its name to the list of title contenders.
OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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