Beautiful Boxer is a bland, badly acted and saccharine biopic that still gets a qualified recommendation, if only because its treatment of its curious subject matter is so absurd there's a you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it factor here.
This is the true story of Pariya Charoenphool, who was born Nong Toom – a little Thai boy who always wanted to be a girl, and grew up to become a cross-dressing, champion kickboxer who took fights to finance his eventual sex change operation. Beautiful Boxer features some nice cinematography and some energetic fight sequences (thanks in no small part to real-life boxer Asanee Suwan, who stars as Pariya), but the movie's clumsy flashback structure, unintentionally campy dialogue, cloying music and generally amateurish performances are all laughable. And if the incessant voice-over narration (broken English delivered in a thin, monotone whine) doesn't drive you over the edge, nothing will. Also stars Sorapong Chatree and Orn-Anong Panyawong.
Beautiful Boxer (NR) opens March 25 at Sunrise Cinemas in Tampa. 
This article appears in Mar 23-29, 2005.