Simply Perfect

A Disappointing Continuation

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

When "Girlfight" came out, the reviews praised it, but I didn't get around to seeing it. I finally saw it when it got released on video, and understand the glowing reviews.The movie opens in a high school in the middle of a ghetto. We quickly get introduced to student Diana Guzman (Michelle Rodriguez). She has a bad-ass expression on her face, and any idea about Diana that we might derive from this expression soon gets corroborated when she gets in a fight. As Diana gets in trouble for this, we then meet her father, an aggressive type in his own right; clearly we can't totally blame Diana for her attitude.But then the movie really picks up, as a new thought germinates in Diana's mind: boxing as a way to escape this grim existence. Her older brother has already gotten into boxing, but her father most likely won't approve. Only Diana herself can decide what to do.Just the first few minutes alone identified that I was in for a very gritty, non-Hollywood movie, but the brief appearance of John Sayles in a supporting role truly affirmed that. Even before they get to any boxing scenes, you feel like you're getting pounded in the face at seeing the ugly life that Diana lives. And when they finally arrive at the film's main story, there's no turning back.All in all, I definitely recommend this movie. I will admit that using boxing as a means to show someone trying to make something of himself/herself has been sort of a cliché in cinema for many years ("Rocky", "Million Dollar Baby"), but I still think that they did a great job with it here. In fact, this may have brought the genre to its apex. Really good. Too bad that Michelle Rodriguez wasted herself in Hollywood movies after this one.

So I flipped on the digital subscriber channels one night a couple of years ago and thought I'd pass a half hour watching "Girlfight" while waiting for "Hart's War" to start. With a title like that I figured it was some exploitation 'B' flic about inner city girl gangs.Much to my surprise it wasn't about that at all. Instead it is a well acted, well scripted story about a young woman who almost accidentally gets into female boxing. She is responsible for taking her younger brother to his practice sessions and get interested while observing his bouts. As he doesn't really want to be a boxer (only following through on their father's wishes) she convinces his coach to take her on in his stead. The story unfolds in an intelligent and believable way as she goes through various trials on her quest. For starters, her brother's coach doesn't want to take on a female boxer. After grudgingly doing so there is the problem of lining up matches for her. Then the confrontation with her father when he finds out what is going on. Yes, a love interest develops but it serves to enhance the plot, coming across more of an interesting inter-human reaction with its own fight related consequences.All in all this is a great little sleeper movie that few seem to have heard of. Some time later when I saw the much advertised and acclaimed "Million Dollar Baby" I thought "wait a minute, this seems kind of familiar". Needless to say, I didn't watch "Hart's War" that night.

Girlfight is a story about a troubled teen named Diana Guzman (Michelle Rodriguez). Diana is burdened by her mothers suicide and a sexist father living in a sexist community. A short temper and plenty of things to spark a fire, shes about to get kicked out of school for fighting. Her brother, Tiny (Ray Santiago), is training with Hector (Jaime Tirelli) in boxing. Diana is told by her dad, Sandro (Paul Calderon), to deliver that weeks payment for Tiny's training. While Diana is walking through the gym, she realizes thats what she wants to do. She wants to box. Diana asks her dad for money to train but he refuses because shes a girl and should do more 'girly' things. All Diana wants is to be treated like any other guy. Not looked down upon because she is a woman. She steals money from her father to begin training.Great movie. Genius, pure 'effing' genius. Recommend to anybody who needs to see a good clean movie with no 'monkey business'.

I remember seeing the title several years back and dismissed it as feminist nonsense, but am glad to confess that my initial assessment was mistaken. Rodriguez puts in a solid performance as a tom-boy with anger problems. The movie uses numerous clichés that mark boxing movies - dysfunctional family, dingy gym, grizzled boxing coach and old-timers, kids trying to pull themselves out of the gutter through a potential career in boxing. But they are used well to provide a good thematic structure.I can't state with any conviction whether the Rodriguez character would've won the final ring-fight with her boyfriend as she did, simply because of the weight and level of training differences, but even so every fight scene (especially the one with her fighting another female contender) was solid and believable, not full of the the melodrama witnessed in the Rocky series.Being a kickboxer myself, I found this movie inspiring and an honest glimpse into a little of the boxing world. It is peopled with gritty, yet honest characters and shows snatches of insight into the reality of boxing - namely, power and dexterity are nothing without the endurance and stamina to match. The shadow-boxing was genuine and heartfelt. Anybody with a contact-sport background identifies with the scenes where she spars with opponents struggling with their own inner demons.The romantic subplot is slightly unrealistic. Even so, the final fight, where they both grapple each other shows a curious mixture of toughness and tenderness. Perhaps a little far-fetched, but it was an interesting juxtaposition.A likable movie, probably marred at the time by all the hyped feminist-trappings rather than allowing the movie to stand on its own merits.