Friday Night Movie: Southpaw

via joblo

"A boxer fights his way to the top, only to find his life falling apart around him." (IMDb)

Okay, so normally the sport drama does nothing for me. I've just never been too interested in them, however, Southpaw has been getting my attention as of late. One, because of the TV advertisements for the film, and the reviews I've been reading on the watch-worthy film.

The most common thing I've read about the film is that the storyline is pretty generic, meaning it doesn't stray too far from all the other boxing movies out there. What makes it different is standout Jake Gyllenhaal. He's transformed himself for the role of troubled fighter Billy "The Great" Hope, a Junior Middleweight Boxing Champion of the World. The film will follow is personal struggles outside as they influence him outside as well as inside of the ring. There's been a lot of talk lately of films that have Oscar potential, and Southpaw is one of them. Critics have been calling out Gyllenhaal as a contender for the Best Actor category. Not sure if people would be saying the same thing about Enimem. Yes, that's right I said Eminem. The rapper was originally offered the role of Billy "The Great" Hope, but turned it down. Gyllenhaal then took his place. Eminem still has is hands in the project, as he is executive producing the movie's soundtrack.

Besides Gyllenhaal if there's anything else that will draw people into the film, it's the amazing cast. Southpaw also features Rachel McAdams who plays opposite Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Rita Ora, Naomi Harris and Victor Ortiz.

Southpaw opens in theaters July 24. Check out the trailer below. What do you think?


Sources: IMDb, CinemaBlend