Sydney Sweeney may have Oscar glory in her future. Christy, David Michôd’s upcoming sports biopic about professional boxer Christy Martin, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, and the first reactions have been positively glowing. Many have even said Sweeney delivers an Oscar-worthy performance. Our own Chris Bumbray is attending TIFF, and we’ll have his review of Christy up this weekend. What will he think of the film? Check back and find out.
Scott Mantz said, “SYDNEY SWEENEY absolutely crushes it with an OSCAR-WORTHY KNOCKOUT PERFORMANCE as boxing legend CHRISTY MARTIN in ‘CHRISTY,’ a gripping film that starts off as an uplifting underdog boxing drama & slowly turns into an empowering survival story of domestic violence! AMAZING!“
Scott Menzel agreed, also giving praise to Ben Foster, who plays Christy’s husband. “Sydney Sweeney delivers the performance of a lifetime in Christy. She fully transforms into Christy Winters, offering a deeply nuanced portrayal that will leave audiences speechless,” he wrote. “Ben Foster is hauntingly good. This is a life-affirming story about self-discovery and perseverance. One of the best films of the year!“
Fandango’s Erik Davis said, “Sydney Sweeney and an unrecognizable Ben Foster deliver ferocious performances in #Christy, a raw portrait of struggle and resilience, punctuated by electrifying boxing moments. It’s unflinching in its portrayal of pain, but ultimately hopeful in the way it depicts a story that fights its way back into the light.“
Matt Neglia added, “CHRISTY is a brutal, sobering, and hard-hitting sports biopic that places its emphasis on the painful abuse boxer Christy Martin suffered at the hands of her toxic husband-trainer. It’s an inspirational story that speaks to Christy’s courage and unbreakable determination, both inside the ring and in her fight for survival outside of it. Ben Foster, so effective at playing these despicable characters, rightfully earns the audience’s scorn with a disturbing turn. But the real talking point will be Sydney Sweeney, who delivers the most committed performance of her career thus far in a demanding showcase role, elevating what might have been an otherwise by-the-numbers boxing drama into something far more stirring and impactful.“
Variety’s Clayton Davis said, “Sydney Sweeney is a revelation in #Christy, with the goods to punch her way into the Oscar race for her first best actress nom. Her best performance yet.“
Sounds like this might be one to watch. Sweeney definitely put in the work on this one, as she gained 30 pounds of muscle to play the athlete. “I loved it,” she said. “I came onboard to play Christy, and I had about three and a half months of training. I started eating. I weight-trained in the morning for an hour, kickboxed midday for about two hours and then weight-trained again at night for an hour.“
Christy will hit theaters on November 7.