Fist Fight
Even the title lacks inspiration. This new comedy (as it’s been deemed) by Richie Keen re-visits the hackneyed high school-gone-to-hell scenario, replete with a motley group of teachers, a principal with all the charm of an army-sergeant, a chronically disappointed young daughter (“But Daddy, you promised!”) and a cameo from a horse on meth.
Ice Cube plays Strickland, a stone-faced, humourless teacher with anger management issues who challenges tattle-tale Andy (Charlie Day) to an after school fist fight. The plot then revolves around Andy’s desperate attempts to avoid the fight.
Not a brilliant plot but it could have worked if the writing wasn’t so lazy. Day zooms into high gear early and stays there. Ice Cube has as much nuance as a maths equation. Christina Hendricks is a vampy French teacher with absurd and unexplained motives. Jillian Bell is a distastefully sex-obsessed guidance counsellor, too depraved even for dark humour.
The film reaches its nadir when Andy’s daughter sings an atrociously inappropriate rap song during a school talent competition, in which she puts down her arch rival.
There actually are some good laughs, but they feel like lucky one-liners.
Mostly, it’s just wrong. (RB)
★★
BY RITA BRATOVICH
