TIFF #3 Third film I've seen at TIFF, but easily the best so far. It's an extremely well made film with great performances. However I didn't feel the film did enough to rise above the conventions of its sub-genre. It has the expected training and fight montages, the pop songs of the era in the background (Young MC - Bust a Move), the rise and fall trajectory, etc. This is not an inherent criticism, just an observation that the beats felt familiar. Also because the story spans across many years, there were a number of subplots that are touched upon that I wanted to see more of. I especially wanted to see more of Chad L. Coleman playing Don King who absolutely shined in the role. One of the most impressive aspects of the film is that it's a true story. Although I wanted to the film to go deeper on certain storylines, it definitely whet the appetite to learn more. The real Christy Martin even came out on stage with much of the cast and crew for a post-film Q&A. Even though the premiere was the night before, it was awesome everyone came back out the next morning to talk about the film. Everyone's passion for the project was evident, and I think the film will find success post-festival.

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