Good acting BUT why is he white?

Rating: 5/10 (22 September 2015)

Good acting by Gyllenhaal, but this movie just doesn't ring true. The way that his character is treated by the system when his daughter is taken away, the suspicion with which he is treated when he tries to visit his daughter, even the way he interacts with his wife and child before tragedy strikes.... "baby this", "baby that", "baby, baby, baby". The way the actor interacts with his homies. It just doesn't ring true at all that this character is cast as white. Gyllenhaal acted well, but there are plenty of black actors who would have given the story more realism. This story portrays a tale that is totally unrelatable to many white men (even from working class/care backgrounds), but would be VERY relatable to black boxers trying to make it (not necessarily the death of a wife, but the role in the sport, the way he can't even lose control in grief without losing his child, the mistrust from authorities and the way he is treated in court).
I read that the lead character was actually supposed to be played by Eminem, not Jake - and that explains a lot. They wanted a white/wanna-be type hero who has struggles LIKE that of a black man...without actually having to BE black.