Sports fans of a certain age will remember the name of boxer Christy Martin (née Salters), who became one of the first big female names in the sport in the 1990s. Her moment in the sun resulted in a lot of wins, but her legacy has not been as lasting as some other female sports pioneers. The new biopic Christy attempts to change that, as well as tell a fuller account of her life.
As we meet Christy (Sydney Sweeney) in 1989, she’s in her early twenties and still living in her hometown in rural West Virginia with brother Randy (Coleman Pedigo), mom Joyce (Merritt Wever), and father Johnny (Ethan Embry). After developing a reputation in local “toughman” contests, promoter Larry Carrier (Bill Kelly) recruits her for small-time boxing matches. Success there leads to her starting to be trained under Jim Martin (Ben Foster), who initially resists coaching a woman.
As Christy starts to prove her worth against almost all-comers, Jim starts to believe more in her talent, although that belief also includes a side of control issues/jealousy. As Christy rises up the ranks, including getting promoted by Don King (Chad L. Coleman) himself, her relationship with the much older Jim remains fraught even after they get married. Her winning wins her the respect of the public, but her private life stands in stark contrast with the feeling of victory.
Written and directed by David Michôd, and co-written by Mirrah Foulkes, the film plays out in a very typical biopic kind of way, with the protagonist achieving a good bit of fame before being brought back down to earth thanks to a complicated personal life. The filmmakers do a decent job of navigating through the tropes, although early fight scenes lean hard into the idea that Christy is a rare talent who can knock out people of both sexes with ease. Still, the fight scenes themselves are staged well, with Sweeney and the other actors ably embodying the athleticism of pro boxers.
The depiction of Christy’s personal life is similarly up-and-down. Struggles with a controlling and/or abusive partner and substance addiction issues are regrettably common in these types of stories, and so it’s up to the filmmakers to show them in a way that doesn’t feel trite. While the film does a decent job of digging into why Christy makes the choices she does, it never reaches the level of being completely compelling.
Christy’s sexuality plays a relatively big part in the story, as she’s forced to tamp down her being gay in order to please others in her life and to further her career. The sacrifice she has to make is clear, especially when she marries Jim out of convenience (and maybe more). The idea of her appearing more feminine, including wearing bright pink while boxing and styling her hair differently, is brought up to her on multiple occasions, weighing on her even as she goes along to get along.
Sweeney follows the playbook of other actors like Charlize Theron in Monster and Hilary Swank in Boys Don’t Cry, making herself less glamorous to play up the drama of the role. She succeeds for the most part, with her best scenes coming during the multiple fights. Foster has played similar slimeballs before, and — with the help of a heinous haircut and more — he inhabits the role completely. It’s a little disappointing to see Wever reduced to a one-note part, however.
The story of Christy Martin is one filled with everything you could want for an engrossing sports movie, but even though it has its high moments, it ultimately fails to deliver the knockout punch it needed. Sweeney deserves credit for portraying the boxer in an interesting way, but the story around her could have used some more oomph.
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Christy opens in theaters on November 7.