The first American to win back-to-back gold medals in boxing (in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics), amateur fighter Claressa Shields is the subject of this touching documentary that covers her early years of training up through her 2012 victory (the year the Olympics first included the sport for women athletes). Filmmakers Drea Cooper and Zackary Canepari's T-Rex follows Shields's personal trials and her determination during adolescence to overcome a hard life in Flint, MI. In addition to economic distress, there are strong suggestions of problems at home (at one point, Shields's miserable sister loudly calls their mother's live-in boyfriend a “pervert” to his face). But troubles are shoved to the side whenever Shields, a fast and aggressive middleweight, is working in a gym with her coach, Jason Crutchfield. Crutchfield insists that his fighters take on a “business” mentality, letting go of disappointment and defeat and putting personal matters on indefinite hold. When Shields becomes involved with a boy who happens to be her sparring partner, Crutchfield sternly forbids it. Shields goes to China for a pre-Olympics qualifying tournament, and then on to London for the Olympics, but it's the aftermath of the gold medal win that proves most compelling. Shields discovers that being an African-American female boxer with some swagger does not draw endorsements. And tensions flare between her and an increasingly authoritarian Crutchfield. T-Rex—Shields's nickname—is ultimately about a remarkable and likeable young woman who finds herself amidst pressure from all sides. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)
T-Rex
(2016) 90 min. DVD: $59.95 ($299 w/PPR from edu.passionriver.com). Passion River (avail. from most distributors). Volume 32, Issue 1
T-Rex
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: