Christy

Christy tells the inspiring and possibly overlooked true story of female boxer Christy Martin. Christy emerged in the 1990’s when female boxing was basically unheard of. Her dynamic wins and personality pushed her and the sport into the spotlight.

Synopsis: Christy Martin (Sydney Sweeney) never imagined life beyond her small-town roots in West Virginia—until she discovered a knack for punching people. Fueled by grit, raw determination, and an unshakable desire to win, she charges into the world of boxing under the guidance of her trainer and manager-turned-husband, Jim (Ben Foster). | 2h 15m | Rated R for language, violence/bloody images, some drug use and sexual material.

I am continually impressed by the scope of actress Sydney Sweeney. From White Lotus to Immaculate to Eden, and now this film which pushed her physical abilities and dedication. Boxing is a grueling sport and add to that the clothes and hairstyles of the early 1990’s and that is asking a lot.

No spoilers here since Martin’s life is chronicled on most sporting websites. If you are not familiar with her journey you might stay away from reading up until after the movie is over. It does allow some of the OMG moments to hit harder.

The film spans all of her career, but most of it is pretty redundant. With any sport dominating athlete it gets monotonous after a while if you see the same slam dunk, home run, or touchdown run. With Christy it is the circle of dominate in the ring, go home to your sucky family, train more, then repeat.

Regardless of how long the movie feels there is no overlooking Sweeney’s performance. She is fantastic. Not only in how she captures the personality of Martin, but how she emulates the drive and passion of a talented female athlete in a man’s field. Until Martin came along female boxing was a back alley sport. It wasn’t until men found out they could make money that it took off. Enter the money making king, Don King (Chad Coleman).

As remarkable as Martin was inside the ring, her story outside the ring and what she does now for women in abusive relationships is another powerful part of this story. It is hard to imagine that in the 1990’s women were still looked at as the lesser sex. Her husband and manager loomed over her and used such horrible mental and physical intimidation that Martin’s hardest battle was with the one person who should have been there to lift her up.

If you are looking for intense prolonged boxing scenes like you would get in the Creed and Rocky franchise, you won’t get it here. There are some strong in the ring moments but they are short and end pretty much the same each time. The story more is about her journey in the sport and her personal life. That could be a benefit for those who want drama over sports action. Luckily – again worth mentioning – Sweeney does a powerful job of bringing both.

Another thing worth driving home is how long this film feels. It is over two hours but feels even longer. It could have done with some editing or quicker cuts. Even shaving off 20-minutes would have made the movie more engaging and left viewers entertained without fatigue. Still, worth watching for sports fans, performance fans, and those who like to see the underdog rise to the top.

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Matt Mungle

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