Critics have heavily criticized Sydney Sweeney’s new boxing movie, Christy, calling it predictable and filled with tired tropes. The actress reportedly gained 30 pounds to convincingly portray the world champion boxer.
The 28-year-old actress from Euphoria is playing Christy Martin, a pioneering boxing champion who overcame challenges in her personal life as well as in her career.
To get ready for the role, Sweeney purposefully gained about 30 pounds and committed to a rigorous training schedule. For three months, she worked with boxing coaches, nutritionists, and weight trainers, hitting the gym three times a day.
Despite being predicted as a potential Oscar nominee, the BBC’s culture critic only gave the film two stars, explaining that the actress’s public image overshadowed the movie itself.
It’s hard to fully immerse yourself in the movie ‘Christy’ because it’s impossible to separate Sydney Sweeney from her public persona; we’re too focused on *her* to really connect with the character or story.
The central problem with Christy is that while actress Sweeney is driving interest in the project, her own fame actually makes it hard for audiences to see her *as* the character. It’s a challenge to separate the actress from the role – will she ever be able to overcome the public’s focus on her personal life?
Sydney faced backlash this year when she appeared in a popular American Eagle advertisement shortly after it became public that she’s a registered Republican voter in Florida. This led to concerns she might be ostracized by those in the entertainment industry who hold more progressive views.
This happened after she shared photos of people at her mother’s birthday party wearing hats similar to those popularized by Donald Trump’s campaign slogan, ‘Make America Great Again’.
Okay, so things are getting *really* interesting! Not only is she succeeding, but she’s now dating Scooter Braun – you guys, *the* Scooter Braun, Taylor Swift’s biggest rival! I’m honestly living for the drama, and I can’t wait to see what happens next. It’s just… everything!
The Telegraph awarded the film two stars, criticizing it by saying Sydney’s efforts to improve the story weren’t enough to make this boxing movie successful.
The lead actress in Euphoria delivers a fantastic performance, hitting all the right notes. However, the story itself is quite predictable, which unfortunately holds the show back.
The review also complimented the lead actress, noting she performed well with the script and felt believable in her role.
The Guardian followed the trend of disappointing two-star reviews also branding it ‘cliched’.
Critics harshly reviewed her performance, calling it uninspired and lacking the spark needed to establish her as a promising talent.
She’s a powerful and skilled fighter – her hard work is obvious in the ring, and she moves through each fight with confidence. However, she doesn’t quite come across as genuine outside of it, still appearing to try too hard to seem natural and effortless.
The Times gave the film a positive review, rating it four stars and describing it as a ‘real movie’.
Sydney Sweeney delivers her strongest performance yet, powerfully portraying boxer and abuse survivor Christy Martin, building on the momentum of her recent impactful roles.
The film features a fantastic supporting cast, particularly Merritt Wever as Christy’s judgmental mother, Joyce. Their performances really emphasize how stuck and isolated the main character feels. Ultimately, it’s a well-made and compelling movie.
Sydney fully embraced the challenge of portraying boxing icon Christy, and her preparation involved enjoying a lot of Chick-fil-A.
Sweeney was deeply touched when the audience at the Toronto Film Festival gave her a standing ovation after the film’s premiere. She later shared that the enthusiastic response made her think about how challenging it was to physically prepare for the role of what many consider the world’s greatest boxer.
To prepare, Sweeney said she gained roughly 30 pounds and underwent an intense training regimen.
Beside Martin, 57, on stage, Sweeney shared details about her typical diet, saying it consists of ‘a lot of Chick-fil-A, Smucker’s, milkshakes, and protein shakes.’
She shared that playing such a strong female character was an amazing experience. It actually made her feel more empowered and genuinely inspired.
Oh my gosh, I read this interview with Martin over the summer, and he just *raved* about her! He said she totally lost herself in the part, completely became the character, and it was incredible to watch. Seriously, he couldn’t stop praising her dedication!
Just months before they were scheduled to march together in the 2025 International Boxing Hall of Fame Parade in Canastota, New York, Martin characterized Sweeney as someone who always strives for perfection.
Christy excitedly shared that her friend was deeply committed to boxing. She also emphasized the importance of accurately portraying domestic violence, explaining her friend wanted to get every detail right.
Sweeney recently gained a lot of attention online after appearing in a popular American Eagle advertisement.
When the advertising campaign launched in July, it quickly drew criticism for resembling Nazi propaganda and promoting racist and eugenic ideas. The campaign centered around the phrase ‘good genes’ and featured a blonde, blue-eyed model, which many found problematic.
However, fans immediately rushed to support Sweeney, dismissing the criticism as excessive and arguing that people were overanalyzing the situation.
Before the film ‘Christy’ premiered in Toronto, the actress stated she wouldn’t be commenting on the advertisement.
She explained to Vanity Fair that she attends events to promote her film and the team who created it, and she prefers to focus on the movie’s subject, Christy, rather than unrelated topics like her clothing.
Recently, there’s been a lot of talk about Sweeney’s personal life, including rumors of a relationship with music manager Scooter Braun.
The pair reportedly spent Labor Day weekend together in Lake Tahoe amid their ‘casual’ romance.
People magazine reports that Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney and 44-year-old record executive Jonathan Davino are still dating and recently spent time together at a lakeside retreat. Sources say they’re enjoying getting to know each other.
According to a source, Braun, who is 17 years older than her, is enjoying getting to know her and seeing how their relationship develops.
He was described as ‘confident’ and ‘a charmer,’ while also being ‘sweet and very attentive.’
After ending her engagement with Jonathan Davino, 42, in March, Sweeney is currently focused on herself and isn’t interested in starting a new relationship right now.
According to a source, she’s concentrating all her energy on her career this year, and is described as highly ambitious and determined.
According to a source, the actress and Braun are not currently in an exclusive relationship and don’t plan to be in the near future.
With this news public, it won’t improve Scooter’s standing with her, as she sees herself as unattached and doesn’t consider Scooter her partner, according to the source.
Thomas Braun and Yael Cohen were married for seven years and have three children together: nine-year-old Jagger, seven-year-old Levi, and five-year-old Hart. Their divorce was finalized in September 2022.
Last year, he was also linked to actress Rachelle Goulding.
Sydney and Scooter were seen taking a walk in Venice during the June wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez.
Sweeney was seen with other available men, including Orlando Bloom and Tom Brady, who are both said to be currently single.
Sydney ended her relationship with fiancé Jonathan earlier this year, bringing a quiet end to a romance that began in 2018. They had become engaged in 2022, but generally preferred to keep their relationship private.
Public records show that Sydney registered as a Republican voter in Florida last June. The Daily Mail reviewed voter records and confirmed her registration in Monroe County.
Buzzfeed was the first to report the story, shortly after a post on X (formerly Twitter) began to circulate widely.
Someone mentioned they were planning a YouTube video analyzing Sydney Sweeney’s career and choices – not to support her, but to provide background – and discovered she’s a registered Republican as of 2024.
In 2022, Sydney avoided directly addressing a controversy sparked by photos she shared of her mother’s birthday party, which showed some guests wearing hats similar to those associated with the MAGA movement.
She admitted to GQ that she doesn’t think anything she could say would make a difference in the current discussion. She feels it’s spiraled out of control and can’t be steered back to a productive path.
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2025-10-20 12:19