It’s still really appalling that in 2017, there are still films that portray traditional gender expectations, such as hyper-masculinity for men and physical weakness or passivity for females. However, “Fist Fight” seems to believe that men who refuse to fight are weak, while those that punch and yell are strong.
Loosely based on the 1987 film, “Three O’Clock High,” “Fist Fight” is a comedy directed by Richie Keen. Charlie Day stars as Andy Campbell, a wimpy and mild-mannered English teacher who works at a low-performing and underfunded high school. After getting an intimidating colleague, Ron Strickland (Ice Cube), fired, Campbell finds himself being challenged to a fist fight after school. Terrified, Campbell tries throughout the day to find a way out of his impending confrontation, all the while being pressured by his students, coworkers and family to be more assertive and “man up.”
Day gives a rather varying performance as Campbell. While he is not terrible in this film, he unfortunately has a habit of screaming out his lines. At times, this yelling can be comedic, but it quickly gets old and grating. Campbell’s character can also be insufferable as the film progresses, as he claims to be a “nice guy” but goes to great lengths to get out of his impending fist fight.
Ice Cube succeeds in his portrayal of the school’s intimidating history teacher, Strickland. His stern face and large build do most of the acting for him, but when he has to be scary, he definitely can. Nevertheless, this does not mean that his character is completely devoid of humor, and some of his scenes were able to get a couple laughs out of the audience.
The highlight of the film was, without a doubt, Jillian Bell as the school’s wayward guidance counselor, Holly. Bell’s performance as Holly, a drug abusing guidance counselor who continually makes advances on students, was easily the funniest role in the film, as all of her jokes did not need to be delivered through over-the-top screaming. Instead, much of her character’s humor came from her blunt delivery and nonchalance toward her own wrongdoings.
Other cast members of the film included Tracy Morgan as Coach Crawford, Christina Hendricks as Ms. Monet and Kumail Nanjiani as Mehar the security guard. While these performances are not stellar, they are not downright cringe-worthy, either. With the exception of Morgan’s character, however, Hendricks’ and Nanjiani’s roles seemed almost tacked-on. They were presented in the film, and for the most part had almost nothing to do with the overall plot and in no way moved the story along. They easily could have been cut from the film, and almost nothing would have changed.
The most distressing element of “Fist Fight,” however, is the recurring theme of being a “man” and learning how to fight for oneself. This isn’t a wholly terrible message, as it is always important to stand up for yourself, but it is a problematic one when being assertive is associated with masculinity. As Campbell attempts to avoid his fight with Strickland, he is shamed by his students and co-workers using gendered insults. He is consistently told to “man up” and take his beating.
Strickland poses as Campbell’s foil, as he exudes strength and assertiveness. Therefore, he is not mocked, but instead praised and feared for his manliness. The consequences that he does face are either quickly undone, or used to progress Campbell’s character.
The message of “Fist Fight” is not overtly harmful, and it is obvious that the film is not intentionally promoting aggression and hyper-masculinity. However, the trope of the “wimpy” male character who must learn how to become “manly” is overdone. While some of the jokes surrounding Campbell’s weakness and Strickland’s unbridled strength do get a few laughs, it is clear that this trope is in serious need of a reboot.
“Fist Fight” is not a terrible film. None of the performances are awful; in fact, some of them were good. The cinematography doesn’t bring anything innovative to the table, but it’s not terrible either. The humor was surprisingly better than average. The jokes that do land are really funny and creative, but the few that don’t are either lazy, awkward or unnecessarily crass.
Overall, “Fist Fight” is just an okay movie that won’t win any awards, but it is definitely worth watching for those who just want to watch a perfectly average comedy.
