southpaw
(ˈsaʊθˌpɔː)Jake Gylenhall
This bugged me throughout. There are obvious comparisons between this film and the Rocky series. So much so that the title suggests we are going to get the plot from Rocky II where he specifically trains to switch his lead to protect his weak eye. With Gylenhall and his funny eye on the payroll we are nicely set up for the same. Instead we get a single punch at the end claiming to be southpaw, but actually an misbalanced punch as he oversteps from a conventional stance.
Throw in a bit of Rocky with the rags to riches background. A bit of Rocky V with the financial problems. Add some Rocky Balboa with the dead wife. Have a problematic relationship with the kid throughout. All we are missing for the whole Rocky series is an appearance from Mr T. If we are doing a boxing film anyway, why not steal the one-eyed black character from Million Dollar Baby and get an Oscar winner in to play him.
So with that copycat nonsense out of the way we can get to the rest of the film. There are a lot of other problems. How he goes from being a multi-millionaire to living in a run-down rented shack, overnight, makes no sense. Why the courts withdraw custody is unclear. Where the babysitter is when he is out at his losing fight is completely missing. Headbutt a referee and get a ban of a year cut to under 4 months. Pay off boxing judges but still lose a close match on points. Always covered in wet blood and seeping wounds but never any scabs or scars.
The boxing scenes are not too bad. Gylenhall obviously put a lot of work into his physique. Just the story is so patchy that it becomes a distraction.
Overall 5 out of 10.
Throw in a bit of Rocky with the rags to riches background. A bit of Rocky V with the financial problems. Add some Rocky Balboa with the dead wife. Have a problematic relationship with the kid throughout. All we are missing for the whole Rocky series is an appearance from Mr T. If we are doing a boxing film anyway, why not steal the one-eyed black character from Million Dollar Baby and get an Oscar winner in to play him.
So with that copycat nonsense out of the way we can get to the rest of the film. There are a lot of other problems. How he goes from being a multi-millionaire to living in a run-down rented shack, overnight, makes no sense. Why the courts withdraw custody is unclear. Where the babysitter is when he is out at his losing fight is completely missing. Headbutt a referee and get a ban of a year cut to under 4 months. Pay off boxing judges but still lose a close match on points. Always covered in wet blood and seeping wounds but never any scabs or scars.
The boxing scenes are not too bad. Gylenhall obviously put a lot of work into his physique. Just the story is so patchy that it becomes a distraction.
Overall 5 out of 10.
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