I know nothing about professional boxing, but to say that I was not intrigued by the notion of reviewing David Michod’s 2025 biopic “Christy” would be a lie. I figured it would be a good time, and for the most part it was an adequate viewing experience.
The plot follows Christy, played by Sydney Sweeny, on her lifetime journey through the world of professional female boxing, starting from small bouts in her hometown of West Virginia before meeting her future husband, James Martin, played by Ben Foster, a boxing coach who takes her into the big leagues but ultimately turns out to be a violent abuser.
The film has themes of repressed homosexuality, with Christy constantly being belittled for her love of women. But it does not really hit the nail on the head, so to speak. The same pacing bug that bit films like Paul Thomas Anderson’s new film “One Battle After Another” seems to have bitten this film as well because once again, Christy’s pacing really brought the film down.
“Christy” very much wants you to connect with its characters, to empathize with their situations and to feel for Christy and her plight. However, for the most part characters are just present in the film without much emphasis or care being put into their impact on Christy’s life. For example, her boxing crew just sort of shows up halfway through the film and it leaves us feeling bewildered when Christy returns from the hospital to them at the end of the film after James Martin attempted to murder her.
The acting in this film is adequate. Sydney Sweeney’s performance as Christy is quite good, and the supporting actors did not feel like they were simply phoning in. Though at later points in the film, I would be remiss if I did not mention how it was somewhat jarring to see Christy, who is supposed to be in her 50s looking like she is in her mid-20s.
The choice to have Ben Foster play James Martin was certainly an odd one. He plays a very good scumbag for certain, and as a Floridian I would like to mention that he very convincingly pulls off the average middle-aged scumbag wardrobe later in the film when the two are living in Apopka. I could not help but feel that the filmmakers were hoping for someone more like Woody Harrelson and his performance in the 1996 film “Kingpin”. Though I am sure that it is simply because they could not afford Woody Harrelson.
The most engaging parts of “Christy” had to be the fighting segments, but even these felt odd, as they sort of followed the pattern of, ‘Christy is rising through the ranks, she beats all the opponents, uh oh there is a big opponent, oh yay she beats them.’
Of course, this formula changes later during her depicted decline when she is in the depths of abuse from James and her career-ending fight with Laila Ali. The film attempts to be the 1966 film “Rocky” in these moments, but unlike how I felt for Rocky, I had a hard time empathizing with Christy’s struggle, her journey or her relationships with the people around her. The struggle was not properly translated to the screen, and in some ways I believe that this really hurt the film.
Contrived is the word that I feel most represents Christy; you cannot escape the feeling that the film is simply manufacturing its high moments. Even in the climax, where Christy is stabbed and shot by James, it comes out of left field, and while I did feel bad for Christy, I did not feel bad in the same way that I felt bad for when Tommy Devito died in “Goodfellas,” or when Old Yeller was shot. I felt the same pity I feel for anyone who gets shot and stabbed, a natural response, and it did not last very long.
The themes of homosexuality and Christy’s struggles regarding such also felt a bit forced. It felt like every time the film would bring up the topic, it was used to create “Oscar moments.” In fact, the whole movie feels like a giant attempt to get this director some notoriety for the season. It is filled with slow, silent long shots, such as the one-take shot where Christy is walking out of the house after getting stabbed. It should have had midroll beneath it saying “for your Oscar nomination.”
Overall, it’s days like these when I find myself very glad to be a University of Maine student. The fact that we receive free tickets every Wednesday at the Black Bear Cinema is nothing short of a Godsend (not a paid promotion, but it should not go unappreciated). If I had to pay $10 to see this movie, I would be lamenting it for the rest of the week.
