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, Douglas Santiago, Jaime Tirelli

15 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michelle Rodriguez	...	Diana Guzman
Jaime Tirelli	...	Hector Soto
Paul Calderon	...	Sandro Guzman
Douglas Santiago	...	Adrian Sturges (as Santiago Douglas)
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 Diana asks Hector if he will train her, the number and arrangement of tiles on the table changes repeatedly between shots.

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Quotes

Hector: You should start roadwork. Run three miles, four times a week.
Diana Guzman: Three miles? You gotta be kidding me.
Hector: At least three. At this rate, you wouldn't last one round in the ring.
Diana Guzman: But I got power, you said so.
Hector: Big deal! You got the endurance of a corpse.

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Connections

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

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Soundtracks

Cordoba
Written by Isaac Albeniz
Performed by Richard Thompson

User Reviews

Surprise Powerhouse

I was not expecting the powerful filmmaking experience of "Girlfight". It's an Indie; low-budget, no big-name actors, freshman director. I had heard it was good, but not this good.

Placed in a contemporary, ethnic, working-class Brooklyn, Karyn Kusama has done an extraordinary job of capturing the day-do-day struggles of urban Latinos. Diana, the protagonist, is seething with anger and lashes out at her high school peers, getting in trouble with the school and her friends. She is being raised by her single father, who appears to love her and her brother, but applies a strict, sex-based double standard on his children. The father's double standard is illustrated by the fact that Tiny, the brother, is taking boxing lessons at the local gym, but Diana is denied similar pursuits. On an errand to the gym to meet Tiny, Diana is captivated by boxing. Tiny doesn't like boxing, so he and Diana trade places; he gets the money from Dad then gives it to Diana to take the lessons in his place.

This is actually a feel-good movie, as Diana grows and learns about herself through boxing, meets a guy, and addresses some very serious issues head-on. There's no giggly, 'everything that can go right does go right' resolution a la "Bend It Like Beckham". The reality and attendant personal issues are too big for pat resolutions, but in my opinion, "Girlfight" is a better and more satisfying film for it.