Southpaw is quite well acted and directed. I have no idea if the boxing is true to life, but the action is okay, so no complaints there.

It's the rest of the story that's so absurd. The light heavyweight champ of the world, who'd be worth tens of millions is reduced to penury minutes after his wife dies.

That wouldn't be so bad, although still utterly implausible, if Hope had been completely surrounded by crooks and charlatans. However, the main character in his life is his wife, who's portrayed as having an intense interest in his affairs and as being a paragon of responsibility. It simply doesn't make sense that she would not have saved some of that money. Indeed, the script clearly suggests they had plenty of money as the wife was urging him to quit fighting so they could enjoy their wealth before he became permanently injured.

I don't think social services operate in the way depicted in the film. Hope is not abusive towards his daughter, it seems cruel and unusual to separate a child from her father after her mother has been killed. Yet, those same social services are portrayed as being wise and kind. It was just there to thicken the fatuous plot.

I quite enjoyed the movie.