‘Christy’ review: Sydney Sweeney is a knockout in David Michôd’s broad boxing biopic

Dir: David Michôd. US. 2025. 135mins

Very similar to its namesake, David Michôd’s girls’s boxing biopic Christy is unflinchingly direct. It follows Christy Martin (Sydney Sweeney), the primary main feminine American star of the game whose meteoric rise witnessed her gracing the quilt of Sports activities Illustrated and commanding giant pay-per-view audiences. Regardless of her bruising, assured exterior, nevertheless, Christy turned a sufferer of abuse by the hands of her trainer-husband Jim Martin (Ben Foster). Whereas Christy’s harrowing multi-decade story instantly engenders urgency, notably within the palms of a dedicated Sweeney, Michôd’s movie usually succumbs to flat characterizations and a restricted scope. 

Sweeney instructions a lot of the movie

Christy, in fact, isn’t the primary female-led boxing flick. Karyn Kusama’s Sundance winner Girlfight (2000) broke floor, whereas Clint Eastwood’s Million Greenback Child (2004) gained 4 Academy Awards and, extra just lately, Rachel Morrison’s The Fireplace Inside additionally premiered at Toronto in 2024. Christy, which bows as a Particular Presentation, is just like these movies in its rags-to-riches spirit, however finds its personal distinct lane by mixing queerphobia with home abuse. Following the movie’s world premiere in Toronto and subsequent berth in London, Black Bear Footage will hope this offers an awards breakthrough for a show-stopping Sweeney when it’s launched within the US on November 7.

Sweeney instructions a lot of the movie, handing over a efficiency that remembers Margot Robbie in I, Tonya by way of portraying false bravado. She additionally simply takes on the bodily elements of the position, displaying the tangible development of Christy’s preventing expertise and the private draining of her soul. Sweeney and the movie’s visceral dealing with of home violence—which leads to many unsparingly violent encounters, culminating in a bloody after which cathartic conclusion—are the excessive factors of an in any other case deeply flawed inspirational biopic.              

When the movie opens in 1989, Christy’s again is up in opposition to the wall. When Christy returns dwelling to Mullens, West Virginia after profitable $300 at a boxing competitors, her coalminer father (who impressed her sporting nickname ‘The Coal Miners Daughter’) and queerphobic mom Joyce (Merritt Wever) usually are not involved in her triumph. They’re scared of a hearsay that she’s courting her pal Rosie. Regardless of their muted response, Christy does draw the eye of a promoter based mostly in Bristol, Tennessee, who units her up with Jim as a coach. Although Jim initially doubts her capacity to battle, he quickly begins to help her. It looks as if Christy may’ve discovered a golden ticket – till she hasn’t. 

Michôd’s movie doesn’t beat across the bush in revealing Jim’s vile intentions. He instantly hangs the carrot of success over her head, advising her to develop out her ‘butch’ haircut, cease courting girls and marry him. A hungry and decided Christy rapidly complies – principally as a result of Jim positions himself as the one one who actually believes in her. He moulds her look by gifting her a heteronormative pink boxing outfit, then cuts her off from household and mates. As Chrisy’s wins mount in Tennessee and later in Florida, Jim’s grip tightens; notably as soon as she begins incomes main purses from promoter Don King (a hilarious Chad L. Coleman).

Sadly, many of the characters in Christy are one-note. A few of that’s by design: as a result of Jim segregates Christy from her life, we be taught little about these round her. And but, her father’s solely trait is his ineffectiveness whereas her mom stays broadly queerphobic. The world round Christy doesn’t evolve both. As soon as once more, that is partly supposed – there isn’t a outdoors gentle when Jim’s round. However we be taught nothing in regards to the development of ladies’s boxing, a lot much less the opposite main gamers outdoors of her rival Lisa Holewyne (an underused Katy O’Brian). Whereas one may argue Christy’s anti-feminist leanings—that are born from Jim’s poisonous affect—would routinely make her tired of a wider information of her sport, the whole lack of awareness is tough to dismiss. 

Even the boxing scenes are pretty rote. At one factors, Michôd pulls a Raging Bull freeze body and slows the motion, however the sequence lacks poeticism. It doesn’t assist that the shallow focus eliminates any sense of a crowd, thereby firming down the environment. Fortunately, Christy and her opponents know bodily transfer by means of the body, and Sweeney can greater than promote a punch.