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Many kids dream of being an elite athlete—of playing in championship games or stepping onto that Olympic podium—though few are able to make their sports dreams come true. The sports biopic The Fire Inside introduces one of those history-making athletes, following the challenges that she faced in her quest for stardom.
The Fire Inside tells the true story of Claressa Shields (Ryan Destiny), who found an escape from a difficult childhood in Flint, Michigan, through boxing. With the guidance and support of her coach, Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry), Claressa fights her way to the top of her sport, determined to be the first American boxer to win Olympic gold in 20 years. But even as she continues to win matches, the young champion learns that there’s more to sports fame and fortune than just being at the top of your game.
More than just another emotional and inspirational film about an athlete’s rise to sports greatness, The Fire Inside offers a more realistic perspective. There’s so much to Claressa’s story that you don’t often see in the typical inspirational sports movies—like the fact that her coach wasn’t authorized to attend the Olympic trials and competition with her, so she was forced to work with an unfamiliar coach. Or the fact that, after dedicating your life to training and traveling and competing, Olympic gold doesn’t necessarily lead to fame and fortune—especially if you’re a woman in a sport that’s not considered appropriately feminine. And while most films would end with an Olympic gold medal, this one goes on to show what happens after the excitement of the Games fades.
Of course, that’s not to say that this sports drama isn’t still inspiring. Claressa wasn’t the typical rich, privileged kid whose family could afford the best trainers at the best gym. She was a poor kid from Flint who was still able to achieve greatness with help from a volunteer coach who took her in when she had nowhere else to go. The relationship between the two is moving—and it gives the young fighter the support that she needs to keep going. It all makes for an uplifting but also eye-opening story—one that follows its own path to tell the story of this determined young athlete.
The Fire Inside isn’t the same old against-all-odds sports drama—and Claressa isn’t the same old athlete. For that reason, the film isn’t just a non-stop adrenaline rush about an athlete’s rise to greatness. It’s a sometimes painfully honest portrayal of the realities of Olympic success.
You can join Claressa in the ring when The Fire Inside fights its way into theaters on December 25, 2024.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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