Southpaw Movie Stars Jake Gyllenhaal 50 Cent
'Southpaw' Movie Stars Jake Gyllenhaal, 50 Cent Movies for Grownups
Rating: R Run Time: 2 hours 3 minutes Stars: 50 Cent, Jake Gyllenhaal, Oona Laurence, Rachel McAdams, Forest Whitaker Director: Antoine Fuqua Professional boxing seems to be going the way of pelota — a sport that was all the rage in before Columbus showed up. Yet just can't resist climbing into the ring every year or so in the name of drama, redemption and lots of flying blood. Answering the bell right on schedule is Southpaw, a down and dirty sports flick that comes out swinging in the early rounds, then loses steam and finally staggers to a split decision. It's no surprise to see director lacing on these gloves, given that boxing combines his trademark choreographed violence (, ) with the sort of flawed, gritty characters who populate his best films (, ). Scott Garfield/The Weinstein Company Jake Gyllenhaal and Forest Whitaker go head-to-head in 'Southpaw' One person you wouldn't expect to find dancing around the canvas, though, is the film's star, . When we last encountered Gyllenhaal, he was the emaciated, crazy-eyed sociopath Louis Bloom in 2014's . He should have won an for that part but was not even nominated. Seeing him here — as bulked up as Louis was scrawny, as monosyllabic as Louis was motormouthed — you can't help wondering if Southpaw might be Gyllenhaal's way of pummeling the Academy into submission. With inevitable leitmotifs borrowed from , and even 's 1931 weepie, (with adorable subbing for little ), Southpaw connects all the overly familiar dots of its genre. When we meet Billy "The Great" Hope (his name echoes the classic boxing play , but the film never bothers to make the connection), he's at the top of his game: He's got a championship belt; a beautiful and adoring wife, Maureen (); and that irresistible daughter, Leila (Laurence). But life lands one haymaker after another, and before long Billy is indigent. Worst of all, he's lost custody of his beloved Leila. Indeed, director Fuqua and writer Kurt Sutter (TV's ) pile so many misfortunes on Billy so quickly that we half expect locusts to come swarming from his locker.
But Billy's not named "Hope" for nothing. He resolves to pick himself up by his gym socks and reclaim not only his former glory, but his little girl, too. With the help of a grizzled old boxing coach (in the movies, is there any other kind?), played to delightful perfection by , Billy whips his scarred, beaten body and soul into shape for a climactic winner-take-all match against a formidable foe indeed: a fighter who has in his corner — naturally — the very boxing coach () who triggered Billy's downfall through a ruthless betrayal. In Southpaw, Fuqua comes closest to recapturing the intriguing character development he showed us in Training Day. won an Oscar for that film in 2002, and Gyllenhaal's transformation here may duplicate that achievement. But as a film, with its by-the-numbers plot and occasional cauliflower ear for dialogue, Southpaw telegraphs one punch too many. Bill Newcott is a writer, editor and movie critic for AARP Media. Featured AARP Member Benefits See more Entertainment offers > See more Entertainment offers > See more Entertainment offers > See more Entertainment offers > Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures
' Southpaw' Doesn' t Hit Home
Jake Gyllenhaal' s performance can' t overcome a sucker-punch script
(Video) 'Southpaw' Movie Trailer: 'Southpaw' is a down and dirty sports flick that comes out swinging in the early rounds, then loses steam and finally staggers to a split decision.Rating: R Run Time: 2 hours 3 minutes Stars: 50 Cent, Jake Gyllenhaal, Oona Laurence, Rachel McAdams, Forest Whitaker Director: Antoine Fuqua Professional boxing seems to be going the way of pelota — a sport that was all the rage in before Columbus showed up. Yet just can't resist climbing into the ring every year or so in the name of drama, redemption and lots of flying blood. Answering the bell right on schedule is Southpaw, a down and dirty sports flick that comes out swinging in the early rounds, then loses steam and finally staggers to a split decision. It's no surprise to see director lacing on these gloves, given that boxing combines his trademark choreographed violence (, ) with the sort of flawed, gritty characters who populate his best films (, ). Scott Garfield/The Weinstein Company Jake Gyllenhaal and Forest Whitaker go head-to-head in 'Southpaw' One person you wouldn't expect to find dancing around the canvas, though, is the film's star, . When we last encountered Gyllenhaal, he was the emaciated, crazy-eyed sociopath Louis Bloom in 2014's . He should have won an for that part but was not even nominated. Seeing him here — as bulked up as Louis was scrawny, as monosyllabic as Louis was motormouthed — you can't help wondering if Southpaw might be Gyllenhaal's way of pummeling the Academy into submission. With inevitable leitmotifs borrowed from , and even 's 1931 weepie, (with adorable subbing for little ), Southpaw connects all the overly familiar dots of its genre. When we meet Billy "The Great" Hope (his name echoes the classic boxing play , but the film never bothers to make the connection), he's at the top of his game: He's got a championship belt; a beautiful and adoring wife, Maureen (); and that irresistible daughter, Leila (Laurence). But life lands one haymaker after another, and before long Billy is indigent. Worst of all, he's lost custody of his beloved Leila. Indeed, director Fuqua and writer Kurt Sutter (TV's ) pile so many misfortunes on Billy so quickly that we half expect locusts to come swarming from his locker.
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But Billy's not named "Hope" for nothing. He resolves to pick himself up by his gym socks and reclaim not only his former glory, but his little girl, too. With the help of a grizzled old boxing coach (in the movies, is there any other kind?), played to delightful perfection by , Billy whips his scarred, beaten body and soul into shape for a climactic winner-take-all match against a formidable foe indeed: a fighter who has in his corner — naturally — the very boxing coach () who triggered Billy's downfall through a ruthless betrayal. In Southpaw, Fuqua comes closest to recapturing the intriguing character development he showed us in Training Day. won an Oscar for that film in 2002, and Gyllenhaal's transformation here may duplicate that achievement. But as a film, with its by-the-numbers plot and occasional cauliflower ear for dialogue, Southpaw telegraphs one punch too many. Bill Newcott is a writer, editor and movie critic for AARP Media. Featured AARP Member Benefits See more Entertainment offers > See more Entertainment offers > See more Entertainment offers > See more Entertainment offers > Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures