‘Christy’ Review: Sydney Sweeney delivers a win by split decision

Christy is destined to go down as the movie that made everyone take Sydney Sweeney more seriously as an actress. The film itself was about what you’d expect from an obscure sports biopic, no surprises or egregious shortcomings, just solid acting and character work.

Sydney Sweeney had a challenge in front of her - between her recent American Eagle ad scandal and her other box office performances this year, Christy feels like an honest attempt at changing the narrative of what could’ve been a career-defining year.

It doesn’t take long for Sweeney to captivate you with her performance. Since the role of Christy Martin is so out of Sweeney’s wheelhouse, she’s forced to commit to the performance or risk the movie not working at all. Thankfully, the performance she turns in is bold and unlike anything she’s done to date.

Opposite Sweeney is Ben Foster’s James Martin who provides Sweeney with the scene partner she needs to bring Christy to the silver screen. The pacing and sequencing of the film almost shatters the mirage of what we’re supposed to think of James. In an early scene, James directs another boxer to break Christy’s rib early in the film, only to have him change his mind once he sees her potential. It isn’t until about half way through the film that we’re shown that James and Christy won’t grow to love each other, and that they begin to spiral towards the film’s conclusion.

Despite the uneven narrative and odd pacing, Foster and Sweeney gel well together on screen. The scenes they share together are also the scenes where they’re the most committed to the characters.

From a sports biopic perspective, Christy leaves much to be desired. It’s clear early on in the film that the boxing serves as the left hand to the main focus, the attempted murder.

Tonally, the film can’t decide if it’s a celebration of Christy’s accomplishments or a cautionary tale of how that success plays into her attempted murder.

Despite its flaws, Christy feels worthy of watching, even if only once. The shortfalls of the directing, pacing and script are covered by career best performances from Sydney Sweeney and Ben foster.

3/5