Published December 10, 2025
BY ZANA BALABAN
Though built on powerful material and anchored by Sydney Sweeney’s intense performance, “Christy,” a biographical sports drama following the life of boxing pioneer Christy Martin, ultimately buckles under its own weight, struggling to shape its sprawling story into something cohesive.
The film traces the journey of a coal miner’s daughter in West Virginia who becomes one of the most prominent female boxers of the 1990s. In bringing to light her personal struggles, including an abusive marriage that culminates in an attempt on her life, the story focuses on her triumph and survival both inside and outside of the ring.
Bulked up and adorned in a shaggy mullet and brown contacts, American actress Sweeney, typically blonde-haired and blue-eyed, makes a drastic transformation to play the young lesbian fighter. Just months after public backlash over Sweeney’s suggestive ad campaign with American Eagle, the actress steps into another tabloid spotlight. The “Euphoria” star was an unlikely and even controversial pick for the role and faced questioning, especially among the LGBTQ community, yet she responded with visible dedication. Working directly with Martin, Sweeney underwent intense boxing training and physical weight gain, committed to honoring her character.
Beyond Sweeney’s performance, the supporting cast provides uneven results. David Harbour brings a chilling volatility to Jim Martin–Christy’s husband, trainer and abuser–and his acting grounds the film’s darker moments with an unsettling realism.
Yet the rest of the ensemble struggles to leave an impression. Those who shaped Christy’s rise, from early coaches to rival fighters, are sketched so thinly they fade into the background. As a result, Sweeney shoulders nearly all the emotional and narrative weight, sometimes to the film’s detriment.
Overall, the showcase of Martin’s real-life experiences is earnest and compelling. Director David Michôd doesn’t shy away from the trauma attached to the boxer’s personal life and keeps her abuse and survival central to the plot arc, refusing to soften the violence she faced or the emotional toll it took.
Michôd’s visual approach is gritty and textured, capturing the claustrophobic intensity of small-town gyms and the smoky, low-budget venues where Christy first made her mark. Close-up shots during fight sequences emphasize the sweat, strain and physical cost of every punch.
“Christy” fails to balance its ambitions and ultimately falls flat as another attempt at a formulaic underdog movie. While the deeper themes of abuse and identity add a brutally honest edge, they feel tacked on, as if the plot is stuck in a 135-minute tug-of-war game between a boxing biopic and a domestic abuse drama that ends with neither being given the focus they deserve.
Even if the film didn’t succeed commercially, its intentions–giving voice to a female sports icon and sparking conversations about domestic violence–remain commendable.
7/10
