Christy (2025) Black Bear/Drama RT: 135 minutes Rated R (language, violence/bloody images, some drug use, sexual material) Director: David Michod Screenplay: Mirrah Foulkes and David Michod Music: Antony Partos Cinematography: Germain McMicking Release date: November 7, 2025 (US) Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Ben Foster, Merritt Weaver, Katy O’Brian, Ethan Embry, Jess Gabor, Chad L. Coleman, Tony Cavalero, Bill Kelly, Bryan Hibbard, Coleman Pedigo.
Rating: ****
If there’s one adjective I don’t like to throw around casually, it’s “transformative”. I reserve it only for performances that truly deserve it like Timothee Chalamet’s in last year’s Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown. I feel completely comfortable applying it to Sydney Sweeney in Christy. The Euphoria actress positively disappears into the role of Christy Martin, a pioneer in the sport of women’s professional boxing. It wasn’t easy. She worked out daily, trained in boxing and gained 30 lbs. She basically did a Robert De Niro (as in Raging Bull) to prepare for the role. Sweeney doesn’t just play Christy Martin, she is Christy Martin. She’s really that amazing!
Directed by David Michod (Animal Kingdom), Christy isn’t your typical uplifting sports drama in which an underdog fighter defies the odds and wins a big match against a mightier opponent. It’s more like Million Dollar Baby (2004) in that it goes to some pretty dark places. Christy Martin might have been hot stuff in the ring with her cocky attitude, but not so much out of it. Her personal life is a hot mess mainly due to her husband Jim Martin (Foster, Hell or High Water), also her coach and manager. He’s abusive, manipulative and controlling. He keeps her under his thumb, belittling her and making promises he has no intention of keeping. He also gets her hooked on drugs. It’s a toxic relationship that culminates in a violent and horrific attack.
Michod follows Christy’s career from her beginnings in 1989 when she was still living at home in West Virginia. She comes from a conservative family that refuses to accept she’s not like other girls. Her mother Joyce (Weaver, Nurse Weaver) doesn’t approve of her relationship with a female classmate. Yet she’s okay with Christy taking up boxing. She becomes a sensation in the ring even capturing the attention of boxing promoter Don King (Coleman, The Walking Dead) immediately becoming the first female fighter to sign with him. Of course, all good things must come to an end.
Christy is every bit about domestic violence as it is boxing. Despite being a fierce and fearless fighter in the ring, she’s helpless against Jim. He controls every aspect of her life including who she communicates with and what she says in interviews. When she finally asks her mom for help, she dismisses Christy as crazy and under the influence of drugs. It’s a nightmare from which there is no escape until she finds it in herself to take action. It’s a harrowing and realistic depiction of DV. It might even be triggering for some.
I can easily see Sweeney earning an Oscar nomination for her knock-out performance, but she’s not the only one bringing it on in Christy. An unrecognizable Foster is absolutely loathsome as Jim, a guy who’d get on well with Ike Turner. He excels at playing unbalanced characters and that’s certainly the case with Jim Martin. However, this time plays the part with quiet menace. It’s a slow burn leading to an explosion of violence. Even then, Foster keeps it under control.
Weaver turns in a strong performance as the mother, making her just as hateful (and at times, more) than the husband. She’s one of those annoyingly prim types with a sweet façade and a phony sing-song voice. She’s all about appearances and Christy doesn’t jibe with her vision of a perfect family. The way she treats her daughter is deplorable. She’s especially awful to the classmate/girlfriend (Gabor, The Machine), Christy’s only true friend. Weaver effortlessly makes you hate this woman. Coleman adds some comic relief as King. He perfectly captures the promoter’s king-sized ego.
What I like best about Christy is that it’s compelling throughout. It tells an interesting story with fully realized characters like Lisa Holewyne (O’Brian, Love Lies Bleeding), an in-the-ring rival who later becomes her trainer, refining her skills and trying to impart a lesson in humility. It’s a fascinating relationship. In addition, Christy has genuine emotional content. You come to feel for Christy, flaws and all. You’re not only rooting for her in the ring. There’s a courtroom scene that will have you silently cheering for her as she finally faces off against her greatest opponent.
I can honestly say Christy is one of the best films I’ve seen all year. I can’t think of a single thing it does wrong. It entertains while hitting all the right dramatic beats. Plus, you get to see Sweeney at her best (so far). This is the one that’s going make her a legit actress. I can even see her walking away with a few Best Actress honors. She deserves it!
