Stars: Michelle Rodriguez, Jaime Tirelli, Paul Calderon, John Sayles

Director: Karyn Kusama

Summary: In GIRLFIGHT, Diana Guzman (Michelle Rodriguez) is a tough high school girl with a violent streak. Between problems at school, a father who belittles her, and a lonely social life, she searches for some way to find respect, love, and challenge. Diana finds all those things in the boxing ring at a gritty Brooklyn gym, where she begins training against her father's will and eventually earns the gym's championship for female boxers.<BR>Rodriguez's performance is what carries the film, as she makes the character of Diana Guzman real in every sense. Guzman is an awkward teenage girl whose only advantage is that she's angry. As she channels this anger into determination, she doesn't become a flawless heroine--when she gets punched in the face, it hurts--but the way she grows internally is visible, and that is the truly beautiful thing about this film. Director Karyn Kusama should also be commended for the film's subtle communication of difficult family issues and its objectivity in telling this slightly feminist tale. The inspiring soundtrack features a terrific title song by Theodore Shapiro as well as hits by artists such as Queen Latifah. A story of willpower, strength, and endurance, GIRLFIGHT wins on all fronts.

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Girlfight--from first-time director Karyn Kusama--tells a simple but compelling story of a young woman in Brooklyn whose violent impulses in school, and her tendency to physicalise her anger, lead her to train as a boxer. Her trainer at first puts her off, but the combination of her desire and her physical prowess changes his mind. As played by Michelle Rodriguez, Diane is a scowling lightning rod for sudden violence who discovers that she can find a sense of personal grace in boxing--in the training and in the honing of skills--that seems to spill over into her daily life, despite the disapproval of an abusive father. Kusama isn't telling a new story here, but she tells a familiar one with a sense of passion and pride in the uncharted territory this represents for women. Though a romantic subplot seems almost tacked on as an afterthought--Diane must box the boy she loves--Girlfightis engaging and even touching. --Marshall Fine, Amazon.com

Aspect Ratio:	16:9 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Featurette, Audio Commentary, Trailer - 1. Original Theatrical, Filmographies - 1. Cast & Crew
Year:	2000
Release Date:	October 15, 2001
Runtime:	106 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	C D R 31459
Keywords:	General, Wide, Screen, Drama, Girlfight
Genre:	Drama