MovieChat Forums > Southpaw (2015) Discussion > Shifting Perspectives Fail this Film

Shifting Perspectives Fail this Film

posted 9 years ago by knowledgeofafter
3 replies | jump to latest

This movie has no idea what it wants to be. It has a conflicting message of rehabilitation vs violence:

Hope has his daughter taken away because of his voilent behavior and drug use.

The judge orders he seek drug and anger counseling.....none of which the viewer sees. Instead, tons of training footage follows

Later at the bar Wills asks Hope to confront his role in his wife's death....alluding again to anger issues

However when Hope's former manager, trainer offers him a "revenge" fight, This all goes out the window.

Wills refuses to help Hope, essentially saying he's going back to his old ways. Then, a killing happens off screen, and Wills does a 180 and says 'let's beat the crap out of the guy!"

The fact that then the Child Protective Sercives woman takes the daughter to the fight (the one in which Hope is fighting the man he blames for his wife's death) is ridiculous.

How does Hope beating the crap out of his opponent, and making money, suddenly deem him a fit father in the eyes of the court?

I'm thoroughly enjoy fighting films (Rocky, The Fighter, etc) but this one seems to swerve from one perspective to the other and I think it fails in doing so

[–] sunchick116-872-583383 9 years ago

IMO, you're supposed to see his getting back into fighting AS his rehab. also, working his way up in Whitaker's place teaches him humility. being able to provide for the child is what the court is alluding what would make him a fit father. as a professional fighter back on top, he can do that. now we can argue the morality of a father being wrestler/fighter as a fit parent all day. i myself kinda joked 'if i saw her father was a fighter, i'd never give her back', but the fact of the matter is that is his JOB, not who he is. fighting IS the way he got his aggression out and how he was able to ok again is how i saw it. Now, did he have a temper? was he a hot head? yes, and maureen had to control it. the only unfortunate part of the film is that in the future, will the daughter have to take the role of keeping her father in line?

[–] knowledgeofafter 9 years ago

Thanks for the response. I do understand what you're saying, and to an extent agree. I also really enjoy your ending question.

Unless I'm mistaken, however, the court did mention actual drug counseling and testing and Whittaker flashes a newspaper referencing his coke addiction. Plus, he plays wasted for a good majority in the middle of this. So I cannot Fully agree with the idea that working out was his rehab. He seemed a little far gone for that to be the case.

And not arguing the morality of professional fighting ( I feel like if you're watching this film, you have to agree with it at least in the context) I just thought the movie did a poor job of making its point clear. Whittaker gave a fairly strong speech about not going into the ring for 50s character who had sold him out...but he did anyway.

Honestly, halfway through, I thought Jakes character was going to become a teacher or coach himself....lol guess I'm sappy

[–] sunchick116-872-583383 9 years ago

I took him flashing that newspaper as a tabloid and more asking if it was true. was he an alcoholic for a bit? yeah, but i didn't see anything in the film to reference a drug addiction, just that he had to be TESTED, both for the jobs and courts. he even got defensive saying 'all you'd find is tylenol' or something. maybe the drug scenes went over my head. lol