Christy

You know I love an underdog sports film. There are tons of them. It's basically its own genre, right? And boxing films - good grief - there are so many, it's bananas. So do we really need another one? Yes. We. Do. The first time I laid eyes on Sydney Sweeney was in a film called Reality. I have been a big Sweeney fan since. Christy (Sweeney) is the true story of Christy Martin, the woman who put female professional boxing on the map in the '90s. Christy was gay but she hid it from the world. She married her trainer, Jim Martin (Ben Foster). So why do you need to watch another sports film? This is no ordinary sports film - it's also a horror movie, in the same way Gimme Shelter is a horror movie. I hated Jim Martin from the first frame I saw him in. I hated his hair. Ben Foster should be nominated for all the awards for creating a character this unlikable. And Christy's mother, Joyce Salters is played by Merritt Wever (Nurse Jackie) was also unbelievable good (I hated her character too) - awards for her too, please. And then back to Sweeney. It goes without saying that I thought she gave a powerhouse performance. This film is a very long and slow burn and when it hits at the end, it's a knockout. I might have cried. And on top of all this, after all the boxing movies I have watched - all the Rocky films and all the Creeds, Raging Bull, etc. - director David Michôd has somehow managed to make the fight scenes feel fresh. Christy hits like a freight train. Catch it streaming or go rent it from Movies 'N Stuff here in Ottawa.