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, Jaime Tirelli

15 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michelle Rodriguez	...	Diana Guzman
Jaime 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.

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Plot Keywords:

f rated | feminist film | boxer | female boxer | title directed by female | 

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Taglines:

Prove them wrong

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Genres:

Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

6 October 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

A bunyós csaj

Filming Locations:

Jersey City, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$197,896, 1 October 2000, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,523,941, 19 November 2000

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

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.

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Goofs

When the girls are lined up to do chin-ups, the girl in the purple shirt changes from being in front of Diana to behind her.

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Quotes

Diana: Mr. Ex-100% man to your left.

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Connections

Referenced in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Episode #7.174 (2009)

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Soundtracks

Valse
Written by Billy Strayhorn
Performed by Jacky Terrason and Stefon Harris

User Reviews

all breakout performances should be this good

Watching Michelle Rodriguez deliver a confident performance in FF7 -- just one of many in her career -- it is easy to overlook this breakout role in this semi-indie boxing film.

Just because it is easy does not mean you should do it.

I re-watched Girlfight prior to this review and, just as I remembered, her reaction shots and dead-man stares were the standouts in a film which holds up surprisingly well.

I cannot over-emphasize how elegant this breakout role is. Stallone, the Jedi master of fight films, had his breakout role in a very forgettable film called the Lords of Flatbush. In it, he had a wrestling scene.

Recommended. And the rating should be higher than it is. It was intended as a character study and there are no bad performances, no dull moments.