Girlfight (2000)

Diana, without her father knowing it, trains as a boxer and achieves impressive success, blazing new trails for female boxers.

Director:

Karyn Kusama

Writer:

Karyn Kusama

Stars:

Michelle Rodriguez, Santiago Douglas, Jamie Tirelli

15 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michelle Rodriguez	...	Diana Guzman
Jamie Tirelli	...	Hector Soto
Paul Calderon	...	Sandro Guzman
Santiago Douglas	...	Adrian Sturges
Ray Santiago	...	Tiny Guzman
Víctor Sierra	...	Ray Cortez
Elisa Bocanegra	...	Marisol
Shannon Walker Williams	...	Veronica
Louis Guss	...	Don
Herb Lovelle	...	Cal
Thomas Barbour	...	Ira
Graciella Ortiz	...	Female Student
J.P. Linton	...	Mr. Price
Iris Little Thomas	...	Ms. Martinez
Dadi Pinero	...	Edward

Storyline

At 18, Diana has a chip on her shoulder; she's close to expulsion from high school for fighting, her mother is dead, her dad is surly, the popular girls at school set her teeth on edge, she knows men can cause pain. When she picks up her younger brother at a Brooklyn gym where he boxes to please his father, she decides she wants to train. Hector, a coach, reluctantly agrees to teach her. It's soon clear to him that Diana has talent; he pushes her. She spends time with another young fighter, Adrian, who has a girlfriend, but Diana intrigues him and stirs real feelings he tries to articulate. She, too, must accommodate her toughness and ironic detachment to her feelings for him.

---

Plot Keywords:

boxing match | female protagonist | female boxer | f rated | directorial debut | 

---

Taglines:

Prove them wrong

---

Genres:

Drama | Sport

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Did You Know?

Trivia

After financing fell through shortly before the movie was set to begin shooting, filmmaker John Sayles, whom director Karyn Kusama had worked for as an assistant, stepped forward and provided the funding for the entire film.

---

Goofs

When Diana asks Hector if he will train her, the number and arrangement of tiles on the table changes repeatedly between shots.

---

Quotes

Veronica: I didn't do nothing.
Diana Guzman: Except be your stinky skanky self.

---

Connections

Featured in Hollywood's Top Ten: Best Fights (2010)

---

Soundtracks

Ghetto Mambo
Written by Ness Bautista (as Ernesto Bautista)
Performed by Ness Bautista

User Reviews

An Emotional and great performance by a very undderated actress

I first saw Michelle Rodriguez in The Fast and The Furious, and was sad that her character wasnt given more to work with because it was a role that could have been a great addition to the film.

Just recently I saw her Girlfight which was the role that started and has so far highlighted her career. And to be honest I found it to be one of the best movies I have seen in the last couple years.

The movie is about a girl named Diana played by rodriguez who has alot of pent up anger about herself and her mother's death. So her life at school is spent mostly by getting into fights, but that all changes when she visits her brother at a local boxing facility.

Soon its her and not her brother being the one trained, and through boxing she finds a way to release her anger, and find something to concentrate on. One of the things I found that I loved about the movie was that at the end not all of her problems were taken care of, just some of them. And her dreams are not realized but just taken a step further which is all she really wants.

But most of all it was Michelle's performance that made this movie the experience it is. Her character is REAL, and people aspiring to be actresses should watch her movie for pointers. She imbues her with the rage, and the full range of emotions that she shows through every scene. So watch it and love it 10/10

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

6 October 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Girlfight

Filming Locations:

New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$197,896, 1 October 2000

Gross USA:

$1,565,852

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,666,028

Company Credits

Production Co:

Green/Renzi, Independent Film Channel (IFC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1