Writer and director David Michod along with screenwriter Mirrah Foulkes try their hand at bringing the remarkable story of boxer Christy Martin to the big screen – she was the most successful boxer of the 1990s and her story is one of power and determination, but of course her life was not an easy one. As far as the movie goes, it doesn’t do anything particularly interesting and the story while captivating faults in its incredible paint by numbers retelling of her life ultimately leaving this heavyweight pedigree of a film to be carried by its lead, Sydney Sweeney who is astoundingly fine in the role – but ultimately the bout for her and the overall production of the movie can’t last the rounds for the audience to feel like they’ve come out as a champion.
The movie focuses on Christy’s life and the struggles she has to overcome from the get go, the massive one of course being her family (Merrit Wever and Ethan Embry) playing Joyce and Johnny Salters respectfully not being supportive understanding or respectful of her sexual orientation, and then being thrown to her trainer , Jim Martin(Ben Foster) who also wants to ensure that she portrays herself as heterosexual to appeal more to a male audience and ensure she can continue to thrive as the up and coming best female boxer of all time. His manipulation and narrative that he drives through Christy’s life is uneasy and disturbing which furthers the hurdles that Christy Martin had to overcome, and not to downplay her struggles by any means but there is such a formulaic way it is told throughout the story that it almost feels disingenuous and uneventful, despite being the exact opposite of that. While the story progresses, in 1996 she impresses the famous Don King (Chad Coleman) but when she starts to slowly decline in her ability to box in the early 2000s her relationship with trainer turned husband Jim becomes much more volatile. The largest saving grace of Christy is Lisa Holewyne (Katy O’Brian) whose so remarkable in the role, the question begs why she wasn’t cast as the lead versus the saving grace of the third act.
There are preciously two and a half things in Christy that makes the movie remotely watchable, the first is Katy O’Brian whose simply captivating and electric in her role. It is a shame she is not in a more prominent role throughout the movie, or simply the titular character, but her performance is simply electric and brings a much needed punch to the film. Secondly, Sydney Sweeny who does her best to make audiences be engaged with the story of Christy Martin and does the best with what she is given from Michod and Foulkes but unfortunately cannot change the script and what she is given to work with. Lastly, the costume designer and make up team on Christy is where the Oscar conversation is going to breath – they transform everyone into the characters they play and captures the time period perfectly.
Is Christy a good movie – simply put no, unfortunately. The movie is unanimously and undeniably absolutely fine a paint by the numbers biopic that doesn’t reinvent the genre or boast an exceptional performance from its lead. The supporting cast of Ben Foster and Katy O’Brien are exceptional, the latter of which deserves more screen time however. Christy is ultimately acceptable and passable, but for a movie to live beyond hype and initial peaked interest – it needs something more than that.
