Sydney Sweeney in “Christy.”
Black Bear Pictures/Anonymous Content
Christy, starring Sydney Sweeney as real-life female boxing great Christy Martin, is new in theaters. How much punch does the film pack with Rotten Tomatoes critics?
Directed by David Michôd and produced by Sweeney, Christy opened in theaters nationwide on Nov. 7. The official summary for the film reads, “Christy Martin (Sweeney) never imagined life beyond her small-town roots in West Virginia — until she discovered a knack for punching people. Fueled by grit, raw determination, and an unshakable desire to win, she charges into the world of boxing under the guidance of her trainer and manager-turned-husband, Jim (Ben Foster).
“But while Christy flaunts a fiery persona in the ring, her toughest battles unfold outside it — confronting family, identity, and a relationship that just might become life-or-death. Based on remarkable true events, Christy Martin’s story is one of resilience, courage, and the fight to reclaim one’s life.”
Rated R, Christy also stars Merritt Wever, Katy O’Brian, Jess Gabor, Coleman Pedigo, Tony Cavelero, Brian Hibbard and Ethan Embry.
Christy to date has earned a 67% “fresh” critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 141 reviews. The RT Critics Consensus for the film reads, “While Christy falters in tonal cohesion and emotional impact, it remains a compelling showcase for Sydney Sweeney’s transformative performance, grounding a mythic genre in raw, personal storytelling.”
Christy knocked RT audiences for a loop, as the film earned a 98% “fresh” Popcornmeter score based on 100-plus verified user ratings. The RT audience summary is still pending.
What Are Individual Critics Saying About ‘Christy’?
Jason Gorber of RogerEbert.com is among the top critics on RT, who gives Christy a “fresh” score, writing, “Sweeney is a force to be reckoned with. Balancing both believable vulnerability and steel-strong nerves, the actress delivers a performance a world away from anything that she has ever done before.”
Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle also gives Christy a “fresh” score, writing in his RT review summary, “What truly propels the film is the growing realization, through both the script and Sweeney’s performance, that Christy isn’t an ordinary person blessed with an extraordinary gift … she’s an extraordinary person whose very life force is awe-inspiring.”
Also praising Sweeney is Barry Hertz of the Globe and Mail, who writes in his RT summary, “Sweeney is a force to be reckoned with. Balancing both believable vulnerability and steel-strong nerves, the actress delivers a performance a world away from anything that she has ever done before.”
On the flip side, Marya E. Gates of RogerEbert.com gives the film a “rotten” rating on RT, noting that the film “relies a bit too much on the tropes of the genre, but packs an explosive emotional wallop in its final twenty minutes.”
David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter also gives Christy a “rotten” review on RT, but still finds positive things to say about it, calling it “a film that remains stubbornly unaffecting. While Sweeney deserves credit for her physical transformation, I wish I had found Christy a little more interesting, with more spark of her own.”
While Chase Hutchinson of The Wrap gives Christy a “rotten” review on RT, he evenly scored the film like a boxing judge, writing, “It succeeds about half the time, making for a split decision where Sweeney and Christy both emerge as champions while the film itself can’t quite go the distance.”’
Christy, starring Sydney Sweeney and Ben Foster, is new in theaters nationwide.