“Christy” review

Going into the screening of this film at the 34th annual Philadelphia Film Festival, I didn’t know much about Christy Martin or her story. I didn’t really watch any of the trailers either. I did know that Sydney Sweeney was starring and that the film had gained some traction at various film festivals, so that piqued my interest. While it is another one of those safe, cliched biopics, Christy does a good enough job of honoring Martin’s career and story, with a standout performance from Sweeney. 

This is a sports biopic, so naturally it follows the template of many of the other biopics that have come before it. We are introduced to a young Christy in 1989, who has a passion for boxing but is unsure if she wants to pursue it as a full-time career. Her parents are skeptical as well, not only about boxing but about who she is as a person. Christy is in a relationship with a girl named Rosie, and her parents (her mom especially), do not approve. Eventually, she gets a break when boxing promoter Larry Carrier offers her her first professional fight. It’s around this time when she meets her trainer Jim Martin, who she eventually marries. Her career takes off from there, though it’s not without struggles, both on and off the ring. 

To be completely honest, this movie wouldn’t have worked nearly as well without a strong cast, especially Sydney Sweeney in the title role. She gives a career-best performance here, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see her in the Oscar race coming up in a few months. This role demanded an intense, committed performance, and that’s exactly what we got. Ben Foster as Jim Martin also deserves recognition, as his presence on screen is intense and unsettling, particularly towards the end of the film. 

Many of the truly good biopics are the ones that resonate emotionally and sometimes even personally. This is one of those that works on both levels. It’s emotionally resonant in a sense that Christy had to overcome a lot to get to where she ended up being. It’s a classic underdog story that everyone knows and loves but holds some more weight due to her experiences that many can relate to. This includes things such as sexuality and domestic violence, which are slowly unveiled over the course of the film. The film’s pacing does get bogged down a bit when it strays away from the ring though, but it luckily stays on track just enough to not feel like a slog. 

Ultimately, the most important thing that Christy accomplishes is that it feels like it’s a solid tribute to Christy Martin. Not only does it tell the story of her career, but it also shows what was going on outside of her career and how those experiences shaped her, which is arguably just as important. While many might consider it to be on the safe side, even I would describe it as “solid yet unspectacular”, there is a limit on how much one can do with a sports biopic. Christy is yet another good addition to a large catalogue of them at this point. 

Rating: 3.5/5