Clichéd and contrived

Rating: 4/10 (5 October 2015)

I'll say this for Jake Gyllenhaal: I don't think any other currently working actor physically commits to a role as much as he does. He went from the spindly, underweight creep in 2014's "Nightcrawler" to a totally ripped boxer in 2015's "Southpaw." As far as physicality is concerned, Gyllenhaal is 100% believable as a boxer. Unfortunately, that's where the plausibility of this film pretty much begins and ends.
In a very short time span (even the supposed time frame within the movie), we see Gyllenhaal's Billy Hope go from undisputed world light heavyweight champion to losing literally all of his money and living in the projects. All this happens because another boxer mouths off to Billy at a charity event, which leads to fisticuffs and a gun going off that kills Billy's wife! The other boxer takes the gun from his crew member who fired it, but even though the police are en route and he's at the center of the incident, he is not caught with the gun and is never formally implicated.
From there it's a very quick slide downhill, as Billy loses his title and is even suspended from the sport, followed by further descent as he loses his daughter into state custody, and somehow losing every single thing he owns and even every last nickel. Even though he's a famous sports personality, overnight he goes from living in a mansion to living in the projects working as a janitor. Again, even in the movie's time frame this is all a matter of weeks.
He needs to train and he needs work, so he finds a dirty old gym and a tough, no-nonsense trainer. Meanwhile, the boxer at the center of the murder of Billy's wife is now the light heavyweight champion. After a single exhibition match, Billy is offered a chance at the title! If you're thinking this sounds familiar, yes it is, you've seen in 100 times. Do you wonder how it will end? No, you don't. You know how it will end.
"Southpaw" borrows from dozens of films -- from pretty much every sports movie ever, but most notably the "Rocky" movies (in particular "Rocky V," I think), "The Karate Kid" movies, "The Wrestler," and "The Champ," and no cliché is too clichéd for the filmmakers. Yes, there is even a training montage!
That's all a shame, too, because Billy Hope and his wife's shared background (both orphans) has the making for an interesting story, and there are some fine actors on hand, including Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker, and Rachel McAdams. Unfortunately, McAdams is only allowed to be the standard boxer's wife nagging her husband to quit the sport or risk brain damage, before being unceremoniously killed off, while Whitaker is stuck playing a combination of Mr. Miyagi, Eddie Dupris and Mickey Goldmill.
Within these limitations, each actor has his moments, especially Gyllenhaal. In fact, there are several scenes that work well on their own, but on the whole the movie just doesn't add up to anything but another "champion becomes underdog and becomes champion again" film.