‘Christy’: A Hard-Punching Sydney Sweeney Transforms Into Christy Martin for a True Story of a Boxer’s Battle With Abuse  

Alci Rengifo

A story like that of Christy Martin has a wrenchingly tragic irony at its heart. As a ferociously talented boxer who could easily knock out an opponent, she found herself for years gripped by an abusive marriage to a rather pathetic man. For Sydney Sweeney, her leading role in “Christy” may be the performance that proves she’s the real thing, not just a personality defined by the controversies surrounding a jeans ad and odd publicity stunts. This role is tailored to her strengths while pushing her to show off new dimensions. Director David Michôd wisely doesn’t let the material sink too much into sports movie clichés. Christy Martin’s personal battles are more essential than throwing punches in the ring.

Michôd opens the story in 1989 West Virginia, where Christy (Sweeney) is introduced as part of the working class while working hard at her boxing. She gets into some fights that start garnering attention. She also has a girlfriend, Rosie (Jess Gabor). Christy’s sexual identity is like an open secret in a society where a strict, misogynist conservatism frowns on gay women. Her mother, Joyce (Merritt Wever), is openly disapproving of her daughter’s sexuality. A knockout fight brings Christy into the gym of trainer Jim Martin (Ben Foster), whose goal is to bring the young boxer to the attention of famous promoter Don King (Chad Coleman). Though he’s 47 and she’s 22, Christy ends up marrying Jim. They move to Florida and Jim does indeed train Christy into an even more efficient fighter. But as her success grows, so does his controlling nature, jealous rages and homophobic paranoia.

“What made me want to make the movie was having the opportunity to dig in and understand the way these coercive control relationships work,” Michôd told Entertainment Voice about the appeal of Martin’s story. “How is it that a woman as strong as Christy could get trapped in a relationship of this nature for 20 years? I didn’t think there had been much left to mine out of the boxing movie genre.” The ads for “Christy” will surely fool some audience members into thinking they will be walking into a bone-crunching sports saga. The moments where we see Christy’s prowess in the ring, capable of knocking out opponents early in a bout, are fleeting, though impressive. This film is more of a domestic drama, profiling a woman who was entrapped by multiple factors. Her marriage to Jim feels like something she simply falls into due to his early paternal nature as her trainer, and a need to maybe prove she can fall into her family’s expectations. Already she gets scrutinized for a sport typically associated with males, so being gay only enhances the prejudice of her family and surroundings. 

“Christy” almost becomes a kind of domestic horror film. Jim is played with a subdued, unnerving presence by Ben Foster. Some may complain it’s a one-note delivery, but from another angle the point is clear that there is not much more to this man. He may be such a good trainer at first precisely because his existence depends on brute force. He can’t express any loving feelings towards Christy beyond lazy one-liners. A sly man of the world like Don King instantly sees through Jim, nearly pushing him aside when talking business with Christy. In private is when Jim has the courage to be a violent attacker, intimidating the younger boxer who could surely break his jaw without effort. Here is where the psychology of the screenplay by Michôd and Mirrah Foulkes becomes truly engaging. Part of the tragedy of Christy’s situation is that her own sense of self worth and confidence have been thoroughly crushed by a mother ashamed of her daughter’s sexuality and a society that is defined by old patriarchies. Even Christy snaps back at Jim with emasculating taunts about him being so poorly suited for the roles that should belong to men, such as being the one who works. Of course, this only fuels his own resentments.

Sweeney makes a titanic effort in looking like a well-built boxer while capturing Christy’s inner fear and vulnerability. Ever since breaking through in “Euphoria,” Sweeney has threatened to become a blonde cliché, grabbing headlines over selling her bathwater in soap bars while starring in quirky jabs at box office prominence like “Immaculate.” “One of my favorite things to do is find ways of using actors in ways they are not known for,” said Michôd about the appeal of giving Sweeney the opportunity to truly transform. He pointed out that he’s done it before with actors like Robert Pattinson in the apocalyptic road film “The Rover.” “Sydney already had a fighting background. She had done MMA from 12 to 19. After five minutes of speaking to her I knew that she would do the work. She said she would have auditioned if I asked her to. The joy in working with her was how engaged and intuitive, and happy to just be there, she was. Some actors put up walls of resistance, which I understand out of self-preservation. With Sydney there was a wide-eyed enthusiasm that lasted all through the day.” In a way Sweeney finds in “Christy” a perfect example of using one’s strengths in the role. The combination of somberness and live wire energy she displayed in “Euphoria” works well for a woman whose only real freedom is fighting in the ring. This is where she can let out all her anger and pain, even as the money starts rolling in, which can create new problems in this hellish marriage keeping her trapped.

Instead of hurtling towards some kind of euphoric grand fight that will define the boxer, “Christy” stays true to the real woman’s story. By 2003 Jim is pushing Christy into the rash choice of fighting the younger, and much bigger Laila Ali, daughter of Muhammad Ali. The couple is also constantly doing cocaine, fueling his anger and her desperation to flee. By the time a shocking, violent event takes place, it feels almost inevitable. As an audience we are no longer invested in fight statistics or some invented villain, we just want Christy to somehow survive her life’s journey. Even one of her major opponents from the early days, Lisa Holewyne (Katy O’Brian), not only helps train Christy for the Ali fight but attempts to offer help since clearly the boxer’s life is under the grip of an abuser. “Christy” may not be the boxing movie sports fans will expect, which is its value. It presents Christy Martin as an individual, not just an impressive athlete, who found herself in a situation many have fallen into with or without fighting skills. This is a story not about winning but surviving.

“Christy” releases Nov. 7 in theaters nationwide.