Christy (2025)

Christy

I went into this not knowing anything about Christy Salters, and expecting a generic sports biopic, but let me tell you, it goes so much farther than that. The first half is all about the boxing and competition that Christy got into, but then the second half hits. It’s basically a survival thriller, and puts a lot of focus on Christy’s domestic problems, rather than focusing solely on boxing. My advice is if you don’t know Christy’s story, then don’t look it up beforehand. I’m not saying what happened to her should be marketed as entertainment or spectacle, but because it sheds so much more light on domestic violence when you aren’t expecting it. The writing was pretty good, and though I don’t know how accurate all the events are, it still seemed very realistic and close to life. The genre bending was very nice, like I said, how it jumps from sports to thriller. I also thought the pacing was strong. I don’t think there was a single scene that felt out of place, or was too short or too long. You can definitely feel the runtime, but everything feels necessary and adds some kind of depth. The amount of emotion you can feel in each scene, from any of the characters, is insane. At least for me. It’s just so powerful. Sydney Sweeney’s performance is easily her best that I’ve seen, and I better see some awards go her way. Not only does she have physical changes for the role, but she opens herself up to the cast and the audience. Despite being a boxer, she’s still very vulnerable and your heart goes out to her. I’m glad the real Christy got the ending she deserved. Ben Foster is also horrifying and extremely memorable as Jim Martin. He is just oozing with evil, but very subtly. You can’t help but hate him, but also admire the performance. Lastly, the score was awesome and beautiful, and the stunts/fight scenes were all exciting and fun. Overall, this film exceeded my expectations, and though it’s not anything super amazing, it does definitely stand out as one of the better sports biopics in recent years. I would recommend it to all sports/drama fans. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go see it now!