5.5 STARS - The Fire Inside tells the story of Claressa Shields, American Olympic gold medalist for women's boxing. It was the first feature film for director Rachel Morrison, and her lack of experience in that department might have been a factor for the negatives about this. It also didn't help that the writing wasn't as solid as it could have been. This movie was ... okay in that I didn't hate it, but there were things that really held it back from a higher rating for me. The first half of the movie sped through her life and lacked the underpinnings of building a strong connection with the character. There were some glimmers of promise here and there, but for the most part it felt like this didn't know what type of movie it wanted to be. Family drama? Rags to riches? Boxing/sports film? Coming of age? It also felt like an amateurish production that didn't start to get more engaging for me until about an hour in - *after* it showed her winning her first Olympic gold medal in 2012 (up until that point, it felt like everything with her story was on fast-forward), where we got to see the difficulties she had trying to turn her win into something that could be financially beneficial for her and her struggling, dysfunctional family. She was in for a rude awakening when she discovered that women's boxing just wasn't where a lot of spectator interest, media attention, and brand endorsements were to be found. She was also operating under the misguided notion that women athletes in a sport that isn't hugely popular as a whole (women's boxing) should be compensated in the same way as men in a sport that is much more popular (men's boxing). Basic economics just don't work that way. (Looks like she eventually figured how to make her talents work in a more lucrative profession - MMA, which is what she's doing now, so good for her on that.) She also came across as hugely ungrateful most of the time for the sacrifices her coach was making on her behalf. It didn't help in the likability department that she was portrayed as someone who enjoyed boxing only because she liked to beat people up (shades of a young Mike Tyson, anyone???). The acting in here was fine, so any complaints I have about The Fire Inside have nothing to do with that. Brian Tyree Henry was great (as he always is) in the role of Claressa's coach, and Ryan Destiny turned in an impressive performance (despite the muddled source material she had to work with). It was also impressive to see how convincingly she looked and acted the part of someone almost half her age. The writing and direction in this movie just didn't present us with a very likable character and seems to have distorted the reality of her life. In all honesty, Claressa Fields' Wikipedia page is more interesting (and awe-inspiring) than what we were given in this movie. It would have likely worked better as a documentary to help give us a more accurate, personable, and interesting version of the real person. The Fire Inside comes to theaters on December 25th. Video review may or may not be coming.

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