A succinct title that well sums the story. Angry
Diana is sick and tired of her father being sick and
tired of her less than girlie demeanor. Stereotypical
pops pokes, "It wouldn't kill you to wear a skirt
once in a while." Consistent in this tradition of
macho, he dishes out the dough to send Diana's nerdy
brother to boxing lessons at the local gym.
Perhaps you can see this coming, but brother
"Tiny" doesn't exactly take to boxing while Diana
begs for it. Tiny offers up his lesson money to
Diana. Happy about the exchange, but concerned, Diana
asks, "What are you gonna do?" Tiny responds, "I'm a
geek, I'm sure I can find something constructive to
do." Add to this a bit of romance and you have the
premise.
A few more developments enrich this toned-down
lady "Rocky" tale. In tribute (I suppose) a major
player in the film is even named "Adrian" -- though
this time Adrian is a boy.
Diana takes to boxing with force, but not grace,
paralleling her acting early on. But just as she
determinedly sharpens her athletic skills, her acting
prowess begins to dominate the ring. By the middle of
the film she'll have you in the palm of her glove.
Worthy of special mention, Trainer Hector (Jaime
Tirelli), friend Elisa Bocanegra, and Adrian
(Santiago Douglas) all deliver powerful
performances.
The film progresses with the same resolve as Diana
though surging prematurely, with two mini-climaxes
replacing the end of film climax you might expect.
That "big fight" is a bit more confusing
(emotionally) than surging. Perhaps a bit more
dialogue between the opponents prior to the match,
may have cleared up the matter, allowing audiences to
cheer instead of narrow their eyes.
Aside from the slightly wobbly conclusion, this is
a smashing script with powerfully crisp dialogue that
strongly connects with the target. Confident
direction includes nice "first person" boxing
sequences especially in a bout with another female
boxer; "Girlfight" is a strong contender of a
film.
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