Fist Fight – Movie Review

BTwo teachers are going to fight each other after school. That’s the very basic plot of the new comedy Fist Fight, starring Charlie Day and Ice Cube as our combatants.

So, is it any good?
Continuing the trend of “comedies” with an extremely simple premise (think Office Christmas Party), Fist Fight sadly brings absolutely nothing new to the table. Instead we get 90 minutes of unfunny build up to a fight that lasts about five minutes towards the end.

I didn’t go into this movie expecting a comedy classic, but I did expect to at least laugh more than once.

Charlie Day and Ice Cube are funny guys – the Horrible Bosses and 21/22 Jump Street movies prove that. Supporting cast members Jillian Bell and Tracy Morgan have been hilarious in other roles. Unfortunately there is no spark of comedy anywhere here and I know that these people are capable of much better.

The mild-mannered Campbell (Day) and the borderline psychotic Strickland (Cube) – look how different they are! Look at how their personalities clash! Now laugh! This is Fist Fight summed up as crudely as possible.

The comedy is of the ‘violence and injuries are funny’ variety. It is incredibly lazy and shows how little thought and effort was put into this absolute bore.

When a scene calls for Day to accompany his daughter at her talent show, surely it is going to be a performance that no one would ever perform, right? Correct. Big Sean’s I Don’t Fuck With You sung by an eleven year old girl doesn’t bring any laughs because we’ve seen this gag done better in films like Little Miss Sunshine or Bad Grandpa. 

The jokes almost all fail to land. One scene has Tracy Morgan covered in yellow paint screaming that he looks like a minion. This is what passes for comedy now apparently. Another forgettable comedy, there just isn’t much to say about Fist Fight. A fight between teachers is just too simple of a premise to warrant a full length film.

With no likable characters, no story to tell and certainly no laughs, Fist Fight tries to pack a punch but doesn’t land a single blow.

Fist Fight is in Australian cinemas now.

 

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