A Hard to Watch Boxing Movie with a Few Clichés

Rating: 9/10 (1 March 2016)

Southpaw is a movie about a boxer struggling with the loss of his family. It was a big surprise to me that this movie wasn't completely focused on boxing, and I was pleasantly surprised by how well-done it is.
The plot is not at all what I expected. Although then again, I never even read the plot summary. I just assumed that it was another boxing movie. The movie is much more focused on the characters' lives after their loss instead someone trying to become a pro boxer, mostly because that someone already is a pro boxer. While I noticed that, towards the end, there were a small handful of clichés that were indulged in, they were only indulged in because they made sense for the plot. The only reason why some parts were cliché or formulaic was because the movie industry has used them to death, so when the clichés actually have a legitimate reason for happening they stand out because of what we have done to them. However, the small amount of clichés that I actually noticed were so minuscule that it barely mattered.
The characters are the major driving force of this movie, and they are great. The actors are all fantastic, with Jake Gyllenhaal reminding me once again why I love him as an actor, Rachel McAdams pulling off a likable mother and wife, and even Oona Laurence playing Billy Hope's daughter was great. Everyone else really helped sell their characters, and while most of them weren't horribly unique characters, the three main ones that I just listed really shone, especially Gyllenhaal and his character, Billy Hope. The realism of the characters was great, and I found the main character in particular to be quite relatable. Thanks to the great performances and characters, this movie tends to be very hard to watch at times, and that's a good thing. If a movie can make you feel something for the characters themselves then that's already a feat on it's own. Considering I was cringing and sighing throughout, I think that that proves that this was a success.
The ending was incredible. I don't think I've ever been that into a climax before, but I was excitedly twitching and shaking for the entire time. It was great, and I loved every second of it.
Overall Southpaw is amazing. It's unique, filled with characters to care for, well-acted, and featuring one of the best endings I've ever seen. While the clichés were there, and they did stand out at times, they really didn't distract me because of how amazing the rest of the movie was, and how much sense they made. In the end I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this movie to pretty much anyone.