Barnes & Noble

A "love match" isn’t normally something that plays out in a boxing ring, but that’s exactly what happens in Girlfight, a gritty little romantic drama set in an ethnic urban milieu. Making her screen debut, Michelle Rodriguez projects strength and determination as a hot-tempered Brooklyn high school senior who begins training at a local gym to work off her aggression. Ex-boxer Jaime Tirelli teaches her to channel her rage, and by accepting discipline and exerting willpower she becomes a contender for the local amateur championship. Enter promising fighter Santiago Douglas, whose strong feelings for Michelle are destined to be tested in a dramatic contest. First-time director Karyn Kusama adopts a workmanlike approach, eschewing flashy cinematographic effects and narrative gimmickry to let Rodriguez dominate the screen with her dynamic presence. Raw, unpolished, but surprisingly compelling, Girlfight upends squared-circle drama clich&ecute;s, and it should prove inspirational to young women seeking to invade arenas traditionally dominated by men. For the DVD edition, Kusama supplies a full-length commentary and appears in a making-of featurette. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

Karyn Kusama makes her debut with this sensitive, subtly told coming-of-age story about boxing and love. Diana (Michelle Rodriguez) is a tough though painfully honest girl living in Brooklyn. Surly, frustrated, and directionless, Diana seems to have a ticket on the express train to expulsion; she repeatedly finds herself in detention and schoolyard fights. At home, her weak though abusive single father Sandro (Paul Calderon) clearly favorites her bookish brother Tiny (Ray Santiago) over her. While running an errand for her father, Diana finds herself in one of New York's more renowned boxing gyms, and she instantly connects to the same. Though traditionally a thoroughly male pastime in Latino culture, Diana perseveres and gains self-worth thanks to the help of gruff Panamanian trainer Hector (Jaime Tirelli). Soon Hector assumes the role of Diana's father from her deadbeat biological progenitor. As Diana gains physical strength and agility in the ring, she finds herself drawn to the dashing boxer Adrian (Santiago Douglas), who is supposedly involved with someone else. Slowly though, the two give into their mutual attraction and fall completely in love. Fate intervenes when the two lovers are scheduled to fight one another in the ring, forcing each to choose boxing or love. Executive-produced by none other than John Sayles, this film received rave reviews at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. Jonathan Crow

Entertainment Weekly

[Karyn} Kusama developed an indie aesthetic through her work with John Sayles (he's an executive producer here), shows a clear, personal filmmaking style -- naturalistic, sparsely decorated -- and a respect for her characters' weaknesses as well as their moments of athletic beauty. While [Michelle] Rodruiguez punches through the indie clutterto announce herself a superb new movie talent, so Kusama scores points in her first main event. Lisa Schwarzbaum

Product Details

• UPC: 043396056688
• Source: SONY PICTURES
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Pre-1954 Standard (1.33.1), Theatre Wide-Screen (1.85.1)
• Presentation: Pan & Scan, Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English, Français
• Subtitles: English, Français, Español
• Time: 1:51:00
• Sales Rank: 10,749

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Ali / Girlfight
• Ali / Girlfight

Features:

DVD MENU