I rented this Chinese flick because it sounded like an inspiration story of self-improvement… and as I sat there on my Velcro seat, that was something I wanted to see. I also figured odds of it being a cringe-fest were a little high… but I came away emotionally invested.

The film is about a lonely, overweight Chinese woman who doesn’t get along with her family and realizes she needs to do something to get her out of her funk. At first its getting close to a boxing trainer and then it becomes losing the weight and proving herself in the ring.

A movie about an underdog boxer who just wants to go the distance? Just go ahead and toss in the Rocky theme song dur… wait? What? They threw in the Rocky theme during the training montage? They sure knew what movie they were making.

At first I thought the lead actress was wearing a fat suit because I saw a still of her at her fighting weight. But then I realized, no, she’s actually overweight… so I Googled it and the story of the making of the film is even more interesting than the movie itself. It’s both directed by and stars comedian Jia Ling who put on the weight in order to take it off again. She said she did it because she couldn’t ask another actress to do it for her.

The end credits include her actual weight loss routine and boxing practice with a professional opponent. It’s worth watching to see the real inspiration in the movie. It’s honestly better than the film itself. If only I could have that much ambition…. but I’d have to stop watching so many movies and writing so many bloated reviews. Sigh.

As for the movie itself, I was invested in her life and her attempts to get out of her rut. It’s a kind of quiet and gently amusing film… while also bittersweet. And while the training montage is over too quickly, we get some flashbacks and alternate looks at events we saw along the way that bring a new understanding of what she was putting up with.

And the boxing match is – in my limited experience – pretty good. Clearly the lead actress is in the ring, in top form, and I didn’t know if she’d win, go the distance, or just hit the canvas.

I think this is an impressive film and an impressive, motivational production. I like an inspiration story and making it a unique take on a familiar Rocky-like boxing trope was worth the watch.

Score: 85