Southpaw is a movie about boxing that perhaps suffers ever so slightly because I just saw Creed a couple weeks ago. Creed has an interesting story to tell while Southpaw bring practically every boxing cliche into one movie. There is nothing terrible about it per se, but there is nothing we haven't seen many times before and seen it done better. It's all here: a boxer falls from grace to make a comeback, his wise coach reluctantly takes him on, and there is an estranged family member. I bet you can imagine how this will end. There will be a boxing match and the main character will win. That's not really a spoiler because that is pretty much how it always happens unless it is a Rocky movie. I think Jake Gyllenhaal is a great actor, and I admire his commitment, but frankly I think he was miscast in this role. The best acting for me was done by the actor who played his daughter, Oona Laurence. Otherwise there isn't much special about this.
Southpaw 5 out of 10
I'm not a huge sport fan so it takes something extra to keep me entertained, so here in alphabetical order are 12 great sports movies for the non sports fan. Their sport of choice is in parenthesis.
Bend it Like Beckham (soccer)
Creed (boxing)
Field of Dreams (baseball)
Foxcatcher (wrestling)
The Heart of the Game (basketball documentary)
Hoop Dreams (basketball documentary)
The Iron Ladies (volleyball)
The Karate Kid (karate. The 1980s version obviously)
A league of their own (baseball)
Million Dollar Baby (boxing)
Moneyball (baseball)
Murderball (Wheelchair rugby documentary)
Any that you would add?
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