Fist Fight (2017)

[Plain Old Tele]

Discuss.

[DAJK]

Definitely a Netflix watch (or cheap Tuesday if you're really feeling like it), but Fist Fight was honestly quite a bit better than I was anticipating. I thought Charlie Day was great, as was Ice Cube, and a lot of the high school stereotypes were hilarious. I loved how the whole thing took place in one day for some reason, because it makes the film feel so much more fast paced and quick. No real laugh out loud moments, but a fair amount of chuckles.

 

Oh and the fight itself is pretty brutal I gotta say. A lot more violent than I was expecting, but entertaining nonetheless

 

6/10

[Water Bottle]

I thought it was a fun enough movie. The jokes landed most of the time (although the movie clearly thought drawing penises is funnier than it is) and it had a decent, if predictable, arc. The titular fist fight was pretty good as well.

 

B-

[Yandereprime101189]

This was basically an R-rated live action cartoon. No one acted like a real person and the film was absolutely bonkers. Laughed so much

 

That said, the whole "no one acted like a real person" was a tad distracting

 

B

Edited February 20, 2017 by Yandereprime101189

[filmlover]

I thought this was pretty lame, which is a shame since I actually thought it looked amusing. Ice Cube and Charlie Day give it their best shot (Cube is one of the few actors who can get limitless comedic mileage from just his facial expressions alone), and the fist fight itself is fun, but the lame script (co-written by the hilarious Max Greenfield, who should probably keep his day job as an actor) up until that point stinks and a great supporting cast is wasted. C-

[kitik]

Thumbs up, we laughed quite a bit. The talent show just about floored us and the few other folks in the theater. That was by far the best part of the movie.

 

Worth the matinee price.

[Blankments]

Fist Fight is pretty generic, but it features a decent amount of chuckles. Day and Cube have excellent chemistry, and both deliver some of their best comedic performances yet in the film. As for the side characters, Norris and Morgan are fun, but sadly, the women in this movie are given the worst material. Christina Hendricks and Jillian Bell are decent with what they're given, but when all they have is the most unfunny jokes and characters, they can't elevate it much. The direction is disappointingly average, and this comedy falls into the all-too-common "lacks a real story structure" problem. Although it is worth mentioning that what the film is saying about underfunded schools is actually pretty neat. It's not saying anything surprising, but the fact that the film acknowledges it in such a major way is way more than expected. Fist Fight is a typical forgettable comedy that's worth seeing once if you like the stars in it, although perhaps not in theaters. C

[nick64]

My review of Fist Fight:

https://grabyourseat.wordpress.com/2017/05/27/fist-fight-film-review/

 

The oddball pairing is one of the oldest hooks in comedy history. The concept of two comedians with very little in common thrown together to riff off of each other has led to some of the greatest comic moments in history, from classics like The Odd Couple to modern hits like the Jump Street series. The formula gets replicated again for Fist Fight, pitting legendary rapper-turned-actor Ice Cube (who had a supporting role in the Jump Street films) against It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Charlie Day. Unfortunately, if this film is anything to go by, Cube and Day will not be joining the great oddball ranks anytime soon.

 

It’s the last day of school and English teacher Andy Campbell (Day) is just trying to make it through the day. The seniors are going all out with pranking teachers and, to make matters worse, the school board is making heavy job cuts, which Campbell can not afford with a very pregnant wife (JoAnna Garcia). But when another teacher, Ron Strickland (Cube), loses his temper after a prank, he brings an ax to a student’s desk. In an effort to save his own job, Campbell sells out Strickland, which causes the latter to challenge the former to a fist fight after school. As news spreads, Campbell must try to make it out of the fight, keep his job, and make it in time to his daughter’s (Alexa Nisenson) talent show all at once.

 

As you can see, this is a ridiculous set-up. Fortunately, Fist Fight knows it’s ridiculous. Unfortunately, however, it doesn’t really do too much with it. The comedic potential of an over-the-top Senior Prank Day is huge, but the jokes are mostly pretty dry, ranging from using phones to turn off a TV in class to drawing penises on white boards to super-gluing supplies to the principal’s (Dean Norris) desk. There are a few inspired gags in here, like a mariachi band following the previously mentioned principal around all day, but most fall flat or simply rely on basic phallic humor. The rest of the jokes mostly involve different ways of saying Campbell is going to be destroyed by Strickland.

 

Cube and Day don’t really shine as brightly as they should either. For the most part, the funniest moments of both come down to reactions. Day utilizes his manic panic mode, while Cube does his typical angry shtick. It can be funny at times, but both men have shown to be so much better in the past. Where they do really succeed, though, is in the titular teacher fight. It’s both violent and funny, and both actors commit themselves to the bit beautifully.

 

While the main actors may not work as well as they should, some of the supporting players really kill it. Jillian Bell steals every scene she’s in as a horny drug addict who also happens to be a guidance counselor, and Kumail Nanjiani does likewise as the school’s security guard. On the other hand, Tracy Morgan really doesn’t do much as a hyperactive gym teacher, and Christina Hendricks is unneeded as a borderline-psychopathic drama teacher. A lot of Day’s and Cube’s best moments are responses to the crazy actions of the support characters, even if only about half of them can stand on their own.

 

Like any comedy like this, main character Campbell is subjected to a life lesson. As corny as it may be, the film actually becomes better because of it. Once Campbell’s outlook on things change, a lot more jokes stick and the overall experience becomes much more enjoyable. And as ridiculously unrealistic as this school is, it actually does have something to say about how administrators distribute resources. Despite this, Fist Fight remains an only moderately funny film that can’t help but feel like a long sitcom episode. Director Richie Keen is a sitcom director after all, and if his film debut is any example, he’s better off sticking with them.

 

Grade: 4/10