I’ve been watching and reviewing a few things recently based on people I had no idea existed. I’m really starting to question my pop culture knowledge, but is knowing a roster of female boxers really pop culture? Should I have known who Christy Martin was? If Stop The Insanity is a cautionary tale on contract law, Christy is a cautionary tale for homophobic parents who just keep hoping their lesbian daughters will marry a man. Bee careful what you wish for.

Christy is a biopic about one of the most successful female boxers, who also struggled with her sexuality, and pressure from parents and fight promoters. Yet I wouldn’t really qualify this as a predominantly queer film. While Christy is out and proud now, and the film starts with her identity being questioned by her mother (an excellent Merrit Weaver, for anyone whose ever met someone like this before), it veers into the traditional biopic route pretty quickly.

Then, we get Christie training, working her way up, and being assigned to her new trainer (Ben Foster). It is this dynamic, with a character who is basically introduced with red flag warnings, that causes the film to take a hard right and leave tradition behind, and abandon the boxing film structure. For the last third-ish of the movie, Christy struggles to get out from underneath her one-time trainer, and now extremely dangerous husband. He’s physically and emotionally abusive, controlling as all hell, and a walking nightmare.Foster dipped his toes into the world of irredeemable evil in Emancipation, and he’s back here in his most effective role to date. foster hasn’t been this good since Hell or High Water, for which he was robbed of his Oscar nomination, and I hope Christy gets enough of a platform for Foster to get recognition. It is one of the best supporting performances of the year, as Foster is so good at disappearing into a role.

But, the main show is Sydney Sweeney, who a friend asked if we were allowed to like. I’m going with Yes. I could get into the multitude of reasons why, but I’ll address the Ruby Rose of it all. I’d say, in comparing apples to apples, in a similar sports biopic from a few years back, I don’t remember an uproar over Emma Stone playing Billie Jean King in Battle Of The Sexes. Seems like the outrage meter isn’t always calibrated perfectly in Hollywood. Emma good, Sydney bad? watch the film and decide for yourself.

Sydney has been a rapidly rising talent, and relatively new. I still feel like I see her popping up everywhere, like Eden and Americana from earlier this year. She just loves to work. But, from everything I’ve seen? This is her best work to date. Granted, she’s young, and will likely top herself, but she worked to disappear into the role, and really gets thrown into the ringer here.

I thought the movie was good not great. I’m not even trying to make a suggestion that the film itself is expertly directed, written, or will be one of the ten best films this year. It just won’t be. It isn’t. it is powered by performances, which had to be well cast, and directed. But the pacing is odd, as the film can’t figure out how much of a biopic structure it wants to maintain. It also can’t figure out quite how her queerness factors into the story, which is technically always present, but often taking a backseat.

Considering how mixed critics are, i think I can understand why some didn’t care for the film, though it is hard to turn your nose up at the acting. I’m personally someone who can be more engaged in a film by the performances. Some people get engaged through other factors, like how pretty the film is, or a banger score. for me, I love being captivated by actors I love at their best, or seeing actors I’m indifferent toward making a reason for me to pay mor attention to them.

Sydney Sweeney is doing the best work of her career, and Ben Foster reminds audiences he still deserves to be qualified as an Oscar nominee.

Fresh: Final Grade: 7.8/10