"Christy" Proves Even Formulaic Biopics Can Pack a Punch

Ahh, the biopic, there’s no genre quite like it. Tried and true story beats, predictable formulas, usually one really great Oscar-baity performance, and almost nothing else interesting about them. There’s two at TIFF this year, alone! Thankfully, both of them bring enough to the table to warrant their existence. David Michôd's Christy, showcases a shockingly great performance by Sydney Sweeney, with a final act that is about as harrowing and inspirational of a story that you can hope to find in one of these formulaic schlock-fests. 

In the film, Sydney Sweeney plays boxer Christy Martin, who over the course of her career is groomed by her coach and eventual husband, James, who later tries to murder her in a jealous rage. And up until the point in the film where that rage occurs, the film is scene-for-scene almost exactly what you would expect from a biopic of its type. 

Christy takes place over the span of roughly 25 years, and hilariously the characters never age a day in the film except for James Martin. His character is utterly irremediable, and it’s likely Ben Foster's best performance. Sydney Sweeney totally disappears into her role as the titular heroine. Her performance is expertly understated against the film's chaotic background.

There has been a growing trend in recent years that I noticed a lot of people reiterating about this film, as well as The Smashing Machine. People seem to think performances are only Oscar-worthy if they’re loud. Doubters of both Sweeney and Dwayne Johnson’s performances in their respective films have cited the lack of an “Oscar scene” in each film, because both actors give disarmingly restrained performances. I don’t think that could be further from the truth. While not much is initially asked of Sweeney in the first half of the film, once her character begins to progress in agency and fame, her work really shines. 

Visually, the film is shot with your typical semi handheld controlled chaos you would come to expect, and there are definitely areas in the coloring suite that could have been adjusted. You know that you’ve watched something almost entirely inconsequential when you start bringing up the color correction as a point of minor contention, but its attempts at a 90s grunge aesthetic do feel largely artificial and over-reliant on post-production work. In other words, I don’t buy that Christy’s hair just stayed like that for over a decade without an ounce of evolution. 

My most passionate points that I have are mostly positive ones, but have to do with the final act of the film. Since we’re still multiple months away from a theatrical release I will hold my tongue, but I will say the last third of the film is worth the price of admission alone. The story is awe-inspiring, and the film departs from its overly safe tendencies and makes some pretty bold choices in how it chooses to present it. 

There are certainly elements of the pacing in the second act that could be addressed. I remember checking my watch casually at one point, assuming we were around 90 minutes in, only to realize we had barely crossed 60. The film enters a repetitive rhythm that most biopics fall victim to. They are often desperate to hit the two hour mark, so there tends to be one or two too many montages of the main character doing they’re thing until… oh no - their life takes a dark turn! That’s no different here, and a lot of it could be re-arranged or cut entirely. 

We are likely about to see the most legendary PR 180 in recent years. I’m sure that Sweeney’s team is thanking their lucky stars that all of her bad press happened in the weeks leading up to the film’s premiere. While I don’t think she has any shot at winning any of the major awards next year, a big nomination or two is likely headed her way.

The film is slated for a theatrical release on November 7th, so give it a shot then, and judge it for yourself. Your mom is probably going to love it. Likely so will your morally ambiguous aunt who is probably going to talk about it at nauseam this Thanksgiving to try to convince you she’s woke. Plan your seating arrangements accordingly.