Southpaw (2015)

A boxer named Billy Hope loses everything and has to fight his way back. That’s not a summary, that’s the whole script, and it never surprises you. Jake Gyllenhaal makes it worth sitting through anyway. He’s bulked up, battered and mumbling, and he plays Billy as a guy who only knows how to answer pain by walking straight into more of it. After a tragedy at a charity event knocks his family apart, the movie stacks up losses until it feels like a dare. Then Forest Whitaker shows up as Tick, the trainer who makes Billy mop floors before he’s allowed near a heavy bag, and the whole thing calms down and gets good. Oona Laurence is terrific as Leila, a kid who’s furious, heartbroken and smarter than every adult around her. The fights look like real TV broadcasts. It made $92 million worldwide on a reported $30M. A 5.8 because the acting is heavyweight and the story is a sparring dummy. $6,702 says someone hands you a mop this week and you start bobbing and weaving around the furniture.

What works: Jake Gyllenhaal and Forest Whitaker are both excellent, and Oona Laurence gives Leila real fire.

What doesn’t: The story is a checklist of boxing movie clichés, and the melodrama piles up so fast it starts to feel manipulative.

Who it’s for: Fans of comeback sports dramas who want big performances and don’t mind knowing exactly where it’s headed.