The Mediocre Southpaw Is Nothing You Haven't Seen Before
Film: Southpaw (2015). Young Actress: Oona Laurence, age 11.
Billy Hope (Jake Gyllenhaal, Brothers) is a professional boxer who has it all: a mansion, championship career, a loving wife who's always supportive and wears a lot of tight clothes (Rachel McAdams, The Time Traveler's Wife), and an adorable daughter (Oona, who was 11-12 during filming but looks younger). But after his wife suddenly dies, Billy makes a string of bad decisions, including driving drunk and crashing into a tree. His newly-motherless daughter Leila finds him unconscious and bleeding and calls 911. Billy hits rock-bottom, losing his house and custody of Leila, and has to fight his way back to the top.
That plot should sound pretty by-the-numbers, and the movie is, too. In its attempt to be gritty and realistic, the script runs into a lot of cliches and over-the-top angst. Billy's wife bleeds to death in his arms from a gunshot wound, while he frantically pleads, "Look into my eyes, baby, just look into my eyes." Later, Leila yells at him that he should've died, instead of her mom. There are also too many long, technical boxing scenes that offer nothing to viewers who aren't fans of the sport.
A tearful, triumphant Billy carries Leila out of the locker room after winning his last fight.
Who didn't see this ending coming?
Probably Oona's longest scene is of Leila at Billy's big finale fight. She begs him to take her along, and he eventually relents. (His wife never let Leila come to the fights because they were too violent.) The fighting is interspersed with cuts of Leila watching it on TV in Billy's dressing room, cheering him on when he does well, or wincing and crying for him when he gets knocked down. But in all likelihood, the fight hadn't been filmed yet, and Oona was just reacting to descriptions of it from the director. That's difficult for actors of any age, and I think the difficulty shows.
For more about Rachel McAdams's role in Southpaw, see Why Rachel McAdams Never Became a Movie Star.
Other reviews of Oona's films: Lamb (2015).
Billy Hope (Jake Gyllenhaal, Brothers) is a professional boxer who has it all: a mansion, championship career, a loving wife who's always supportive and wears a lot of tight clothes (Rachel McAdams, The Time Traveler's Wife), and an adorable daughter (Oona, who was 11-12 during filming but looks younger). But after his wife suddenly dies, Billy makes a string of bad decisions, including driving drunk and crashing into a tree. His newly-motherless daughter Leila finds him unconscious and bleeding and calls 911. Billy hits rock-bottom, losing his house and custody of Leila, and has to fight his way back to the top.
That plot should sound pretty by-the-numbers, and the movie is, too. In its attempt to be gritty and realistic, the script runs into a lot of cliches and over-the-top angst. Billy's wife bleeds to death in his arms from a gunshot wound, while he frantically pleads, "Look into my eyes, baby, just look into my eyes." Later, Leila yells at him that he should've died, instead of her mom. There are also too many long, technical boxing scenes that offer nothing to viewers who aren't fans of the sport.
Click to viewA tearful, triumphant Billy carries Leila out of the locker room after winning his last fight.
Who didn't see this ending coming?
Probably Oona's longest scene is of Leila at Billy's big finale fight. She begs him to take her along, and he eventually relents. (His wife never let Leila come to the fights because they were too violent.) The fighting is interspersed with cuts of Leila watching it on TV in Billy's dressing room, cheering him on when he does well, or wincing and crying for him when he gets knocked down. But in all likelihood, the fight hadn't been filmed yet, and Oona was just reacting to descriptions of it from the director. That's difficult for actors of any age, and I think the difficulty shows.
For more about Rachel McAdams's role in Southpaw, see Why Rachel McAdams Never Became a Movie Star.
Other reviews of Oona's films: Lamb (2015).