Southpaw: Movie Analysis

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“Southpaw”
For years directors have been making sports movies that audiences love. Movies like the Gavin O’Conner film “Miracle”, based on the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team, and the Richard Linklater comedy “Bad News Bears” have stood the test of time and remain fan favorite movies. However, “Southpaw”, which premiered in 2015, is the next generation of sports films. The movie follows lightweight boxer Billy Hope as he struggles with the fame, fortune, and tragedy that come with being the reigning champion. Hope loses everything and must navigate a tough road before he can return to the ring. Unfortunately, critics didn’t agree on this film; some gave it great reviews, and some gave it terrible reviews.
One aspect of the film that the reviewers found to be positive was the plot. Scott states that “Kurt Sutter, torques this baby until it screams” (Scott par 4). This shows that the plot is filled with tiny twists and turns that ultimately make the movie a nail biter. The critic goes on to say “the plotting is somehow both flat footed and operatic in its absurdity” …show more content…

Movie critic A.O. Scott summed up the movie saying, “I wish I could say ‘Southpaw’ was a knockout, or even a contender, that it went the distance or scored points, but it’s strictly an undercard bout” (Sott par 8). However, Peter Suderman says “‘Southpaw is no knockout, but thanks to the calming presence of Mr. Whitaker - along with some increasingly surefooted direction by Antoine Fuqua - it still comes out a winner” (Suderman par 13). Just like the movie’s main character, Billy Hope, “Southpaw” has seen both the good and bad. Some fans have seen the movie multiple times and can recite lines word for word while others could barely make it through their first viewing. “Southpaw” is no “Miracle” or “Bad News Bears”, but it might be this generation’s “Rocky

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