Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
Charlie Day saves the day.
Fist Fight follows an overly-polite high school English teacher named Andy Campbell (Charlie Day) dealing with out-of-control senior class pranks, a dysfunctional administration, job cuts, a pregnant wife at home, and his daughter’s talent show all on the last day of the school year. But when Campbell tries to save his job he ends up getting the toughest and scariest colleague, Ron Strickland (Ice Cube), fired. This results in Strickland challenging Campbell to a fist fight after school. And from there chaos ensues.
If it wasn’t for Charlie Day this Movie would be lost. He takes a script that isn’t the funniest but delivers every line as if it was. Sometimes it isn’t just how he delivers the lines but the way he walks, stares, or even shakes his head is done in a way that would be impossible to not laugh at. The one scene that will stick with everyone for long after this Film is one with Day and his on-screen daughter Ally (Alexa Nisenson). It’s a scene at Ally’s talents show that has her singing a Big Sean song and dancing with her father. The scene isn’t just funny but raises the awareness of the effects of bullying and how to deal with it. He isn’t the only one with killer delivery. Jillian Bell is magnificent as high school teacher Holly. The running joke about drugs and her wanting sleeping with students is inappropriate to say the least. But somehow with the casting of Bell and her comedic talent it doesn’t seem as out-of-this-world as it is.
The issue with Fist Fight is that it could’ve been a Film that was hilarious and at the same time point out a broken school system and the importance of education. That is the whole purpose of Ice Cube’s character Strickland. He cares for the students and wants the education system to care enough about educating the students. But all that gets masked behind the outrageous senior class pranks and the over-the-top situations that Day’s character gets himself into.
Overall, what the audiences will remember from this Film isn’t the fist fight at all, but the performances of Day and Bell as well as the show-stealer talent show scene.
Warner Bros. Pictures Canada release FIST FIGHT Friday, February 17, 2017.
Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
Charlie Day saves the day.
Fist Fight follows an overly-polite high school English teacher named Andy Campbell (Charlie Day) dealing with out-of-control senior class pranks, a dysfunctional administration, job cuts, a pregnant wife at home, and his daughter’s talent show all on the last day of the school year. But when Campbell tries to save his job he ends up getting the toughest and scariest colleague, Ron Strickland (Ice Cube), fired. This results in Strickland challenging Campbell to a fist fight after school. And from there chaos ensues.
If it wasn’t for Charlie Day this Movie would be lost. He takes a script that isn’t the funniest but delivers every line as if it was. Sometimes it isn’t just how he delivers the lines but the way he walks, stares, or even shakes his head is done in a way that would be impossible to not laugh at. The one scene that will stick with everyone for long after this Film is one with Day and his on-screen daughter Ally (Alexa Nisenson). It’s a scene at Ally’s talents show that has her singing a Big Sean song and dancing with her father. The scene isn’t just funny but raises the awareness of the effects of bullying and how to deal with it. He isn’t the only one with killer delivery. Jillian Bell is magnificent as high school teacher Holly. The running joke about drugs and her wanting sleeping with students is inappropriate to say the least. But somehow with the casting of Bell and her comedic talent it doesn’t seem as out-of-this-world as it is.
The issue with Fist Fight is that it could’ve been a Film that was hilarious and at the same time point out a broken school system and the importance of education. That is the whole purpose of Ice Cube’s character Strickland. He cares for the students and wants the education system to care enough about educating the students. But all that gets masked behind the outrageous senior class pranks and the over-the-top situations that Day’s character gets himself into.
Overall, what the audiences will remember from this Film isn’t the fist fight at all, but the performances of Day and Bell as well as the show-stealer talent show scene.
Warner Bros. Pictures Canada release FIST FIGHT Friday, February 17, 2017.
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