After the whole American Eagle debacle and facing criticism for her marketing choices, actor Sydney Sweeney is all set to be back on the big screen. The trailer for the biographical film Christy, where Sydney plays real-life boxer Christy Martin, was just released. The trailer showcases certain important chapters from the athlete’s life, including her in-ring career, her tumultuous personal relationships, and the efforts it took for her to take control of her life once again.
Helmed by David Michod, who has been credited as the writer for projects like The King, The Rover, Animal Kingdom, and War Machine, the trailer opens up with a shot of Christy training for a fight. The commentators yell, “Ladies and gentlemen, have I got a treat for you?” Fans applaud and cheer for their fighter, as a montage shows Christy beating several opponents from the lower leagues all the way to the WBC’s top flight. The story already opens at a point of peace and jubilation, as Christy is the world champion, but she soon understands that all of that can go away pretty fast.
Sydney Sweeney has talked about the kind of transformation it took for her to prepare for this role, but actor Ben Foster also seems to have gone through an incredibly testing process in order to play the role of Christy’s husband/manager, James Martin. The blonde hairdo, the weight gain, and the way he moves in the trailer all give the viewers enough information about him as a character even before he starts showing his true colours. What seems like a run-of-the-mill comeback story quickly turns south when one realises that Christy had to deal with a violent domestic life too. As she gets knocked down from the top spot, she starts feeling used and alone in her home, and her entire family seems at fault.
The trailer promises a gripping narrative; it just remains to be seen whether Sydney has what it takes to play a character with so many layers. The show Euphoria proved that the actor can be more than just eye candy, yet the story and her character’s priorities still revolve around her looks. This time around Sydney will have to completely let go of the image she has created for herself and mould herself into the trailblazing boxer. During the screening of the film at the Toronto International Film Festival, reviews for it were mostly positive.
Kate Erbland of IndieWire wrote that Sydney Sweeney “disappears into the role, not just changing her hair colour, eye colour, accent, and way of moving, but her general air, her overall mien, and the space she takes up in a room.” While John Oleksinski of the New York Post called her performance a “knockout” and a “major step to showing there’s much more to her than rom-com.”
The cast of the film also includes Ethan Embry, Chad L. Coleman, Katy O’Brian, Merritt Wever, and Valyn Hall. It will come to theatres in November.
