Opening in theaters November 7 is ‘Christy,’ directed by David Michôd and starring Sydney Sweeney, Ben Foster, Merritt Wever, Katy O’Brian, Ethan Embry, Jess Gabor, and Chad L. Coleman.
z1lQ7f330vbgvGB5rGf7j7Related Article: First Images of Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried in ‘The Housemaid’
Initial Thoughts
There are two films out now based on the true stories of professional fighters: one, ‘The Smashing Machine,’ focuses on its subject (MMA fighter Mark Kerr) and his addiction, while the other, ‘Christy,’ chronicles the career of the first major female boxer, Christy Martin (Sydney Sweeney), as well as her abusive marriage to her trainer and manager.
‘The Smashing Machine’ doesn’t follow the usual biopic route, hopping through random moments in Kerr’s life in kaleidoscopic fashion but leaving us wondering just who he really was. ‘Christy’ follows the standard biopic formula – the rise, fall, and rise again of its subject in linear fashion – and while it doesn’t break the mold of those tropes, it’s ultimately the more affecting film because of its protagonist, her resiliency, and two incendiary performances from its stars.
Story and Direction
We first meet Christy Salters (later Martin) when she wins a local boxing match for the princely sum of $300 and a jacket. But her parents (Ethan Embry and a quietly vicious Merritt Wever) are more concerned with the rumors that their daughter is dating another local girl named Rosie (Jess Gabor as a fictionalized version of the real person). When Christy gets a call from a regional boxing promoter, it’s a chance to get some space of her own and learn whether boxing is really ‘her thing’ or not.
Enter trainer Jim Martin (Ben Foster), who is at first dismissive of the idea of training a woman until he sees Christy knock a sparring partner out cold. Martin trains Christy and ultimately marries her, but her rocket-like rise to fame and fortune as the first major female boxing star is only matched by the increasingly controlling and abusive behavior of the toxic, tightly-wound Martin, who sees Christy as less a partner and soulmate and more a meal ticket he can shove around.
Christy’s ascent, peak, and eventual downfall are documented by director David Michôd (‘Animal Kingdom,’ ‘War Machine’) in standard fashion. There are the early scenes of her going-nowhere life, her conflicts with family, training and fighting montages, and eventually financial and drug problems (Christy claims later that Martin got her addicted to coke to keep her under his thumb). There’s nothing exceptional about the way the story is structured and even the boxing scenes, while well-staged, don’t bring anything new to the table.
What gives ‘Christy’ its power is the dark road it goes down in its second half, as the relationship between Christy and the malignant Martin curdles into something dangerous and climaxes in a sequence that is outright shocking. But the seeds for this are planted early on, and not just through the dynamic with Martin: so much of the movie shows how men – from her own loving but hapless father to boxing promoter Don King – condescended to Christy from the start. Martin tells her how to dress, how long her hair should be, and who she can talk to, but her family tells her who she can date and King tells her to sign a contract without having a lawyer read it.
Most biopics that follow the rise/fall/rise formula don’t have a person at their center who went through what Christy Salters when through – being left for dead both professionally and literally at one point. That things get to that point – and yet she manages to literally walk out of it all on her own two feet – gives ‘Christy’ an extra power that gives it an extra boost in a genre that’s been running on fumes for a while.
Cast and Performances
Sydney Sweeney is a formidable young actor, and ‘Christy’ may be her best big-screen work to date. She is almost unrecognizable at first, but more than capably projects Christy’s drive, determination, and self-assurance, as well as her fear and inner vulnerability. Sweeney also handles herself quite well in the boxing scenes and bulks up a bit to create Christy’s physical presence. The wigs representing Christy’s hairstyles throughout the years may be the only flaw in her transformation here. Otherwise she is absorbing as this not always likable but still empathetic figure, and brings a raw level of pain to her work.
Seeing Ben Foster’s name in a movie sends a signal that there is an extreme, often repressed and/or unpredictable character afoot, but he ups even his impressive intensity with his immersive work as the vile Jim Martin. From his wheedling initial manipulation of Christy to his later dead-eyed psychosis, Martin goes from distasteful to horrifying over the course of the story and is believable every step of the way. He and Sweeney could both be in the Oscar race if ‘Christy’ gains some traction.
Merritt Wever (‘Nurse Jackie’) plays Christy’s homophobic mother Joyce with an enraging soft-spoken cruelty, while Katy O’Brian (‘Love Lies Bleeding’) delivers some welcome humanity and warmth as boxer Lisa Holewyne. Chad Coleman brings the comic relief as Don King, while we wish we saw more of Christy’s father as played by a sad-eyed Ethan Embry.
Final Thoughts
‘Christy’ is a boxing picture from a different perspective. It’s not ‘Rocky’ or ‘Raging Bull.’ While the characters in those movies face considerable challenges, they are never denigrated for their sexuality or abused by a borderline psychotic narcissist and degenerate. Christy’s fate is sadly no different from that of so many other women – she just meets it in a profession and climate that is stacked against her.
The movie leaves some questions unanswered: her wicked mother aside, did her father and brother try to intervene, or was she too afraid to tell them? What happened with Rosie, the only person who helped her in her darkest hour? The limitations of the format leave some plot threads unclear and condense a lot of the narrative’s action as it skips from ‘this happened’ to ‘that happened.’ But the bruising battle outside the ring is what ultimately makes ‘Christy,’ if not a knockout, a win on points all the same.
‘Christy’ receives a score of 80 out of 100.
What is the plot of ‘Christy’?
Determined to win, Christy Martin (Sydney Sweeney) leaves behind her small-town roots and charges into the world of boxing under the guidance of her trainer and manager-turned-husband, Jim (Ben Foster). But her toughest battles unfold outside the ring — confronting family, identity, and a relationship that just might become deadly.
Who is in the cast of ‘Christy’?
- Sydney Sweeney as Christy Martin
- Ben Foster as James V. Martin
- Merritt Wever as Joyce Salters
- Katy O’Brian as Lisa Holewyne
- Ethan Embry as John Salters
- Jess Gabor as Rosie
- Chad L. Coleman as Don King
- Tony Cavalero as James Maloney
- Bryan Hibbard as Big Jeff
Sydney Sweeney Movies and TV Shows:
- ‘ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction‘ (2010)
- ‘The Ward‘ (2011)
- ‘Angels in Stardust‘ (2014)
- ‘The Martial Arts Kid‘ (2015)
- ‘The Handmaid’s Tale‘ (2017 – 2022)
- ‘Along Came the Devil‘ (2018)
- ‘Everything Sucks!‘ (2018)
- ‘Sharp Objects‘ (2018)
- ‘Under the Silver Lake‘ (2019)
- ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood‘ (2019)
- ‘Euphoria‘ (2019 – 2022)
- ‘Big Time Adolescence‘ (2020)
- ‘Clementine‘ (2020)
- ‘Nocturne‘ (2020)
- ‘The Voyeurs‘ (2021)
- ‘Night Teeth‘ (2021)
- ‘The White Lotus‘ (2021 – 2022)
- ‘Reality‘ (2023)
- ‘Americana‘ (2023)
- ‘Anyone But You‘ (2023)
- ‘Madame Web‘ (2024)
- ‘Immaculate‘ (2024)
- ‘Echo Valley’ (2025)
- ‘Americana’ (2025)
- ‘Eden’ (2025)
- ‘Christy’ (2025)
- ‘The Housemaid’ (2025)
We hope you enjoyed 
It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since the release of 
1. Though composed specifically for the film, the song “That Thing You Do” became quite popular in the real world. In 1996, It reached as high as #41 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts that year. It was also nominated for both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award.
2. The song was written by Fountains of Wayne’s bass player, Adam Schlesinger. He entered the contest that Hanks and the producers had, asking people to submit a Beatles-like tune called “That Thing You Do.” Out of 300 entries, Schlesinger’s was picked. 
3. The song proved so catchy, that other bands released their own covers. Both NSYNC (really?!) and New Found Glory recorded their own takes on the retro-flavored song.
5. Though the film is set in Erie, PA, it wasn’t filmed there. The exterior shots were actually filmed in Orange, CA, in the section of town named Old Town. The entire block was converted to look like Erie as it existed in the ’60s.
7. Most fans are probably aware that Tom Hanks wrote and directed “That Thing You Do,” but did you know he also wrote some of the music? Hanks composed the opening song, “Lovin’ You Lots and Lots” (which is credited to the fictional “Norm Wooster Singers” in the credits). He also wrote the drum solo, “I Am Spartacus.”
9. Hanks cast several family members in small cameo roles. His daughter, Elizabeth, can be seen waiting in a dress shop. His son (and future movie star himself), Colin (above), is the usher escorting Liv Tyler’s character, Faye. And Hanks’ wife, Rita Wilson, played a cocktail waitress.
10. Hanks also populated the film with three notable celebrity cameos: Chris Isaak plays Uncle Bob, who records the band’s son on vinyl in a church. Director 
11. Even though the music was mostly re-recorded in post-production, Hanks insisted that all of the actors in the band learn how to play their respective instruments. That required weeks of intensive practice before filming actually began.
13. Ethan Embry’s bass player (above) is never actually referred to by name in the film. Even in the credits, he’s simply named “T.B. Player.”
16. Here are some alternate names for the band: 
*Spoiler alert: Stop reading if you haven’t seen 
Like a nightclub promoted by Stefan on “Saturday Night Live,” last night’s season six premiere of “The Walking Dead” had everything: A literal parade of thousands and thousands of zombies; Daryl back on his motorcycle; a (somewhat effective) black and white flashback device that made some people actually 
“The Walking Dead” season 6 looks like it’s all about “us vs. them” — and now there seem to be more of “them.”
