Fist Fight
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Fist Fight is a 2017 American comedy film directed by Richie Keen and written by Van Robichaux and Evan Susser. The film stars Ice Cube, Charlie Day, Tracy Morgan and Jillian Bell with Dean Norris, Christina Hendricks, Kumail Nanjiani and Dennis Haysbert in supporting roles.

When school teacher Andy Campbell causes another teacher s termination, he is challenged to an after-school fist fight.

The film premiered in Los Angeles on February 13, 2017, and was theatrically released in the United States on February 17, 2017. It grossed $41 million worldwide and received negative reviews from critics. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on May 30, 2017.

Plot

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On the last day before summer vacation, students devise an elaborate Senior Prank. Faculty members are trying to survive the chaotic day as best they can, but only the history teacher Ron Strickland is fierce enough to intimidate the students into behaving. Meanwhile, English teacher Andy Campbell is awaiting news of the birth of his second child with his wife Maggie. While teaching, Campbell is pulled aside by his school counselor friend Holly, to inform him of rumors of downsizing of all departments. Given his pregnant wife and child, this renders Campbell extremely anxious.

After preventing Campbell from walking into a paint trap, Strickland asks for his assistance in using an outdated AV system which keeps turning off after a couple of seconds. Campbell catches a student named Neil secretly using a remote control app on his smartphone to turn off the VCR. An infuriated Strickland grabs the phone and smashes it. Neil, using another classmate s phone, turns the TV off again and it enrages Strickland, who grabs a fire axe and destroys Neil s desk, sending the class screaming and panicking from the room.

Both Campbell and Strickland are brought to Principal Richard Tyler s office to discuss the matter. Strickland warns Campbell to keep his behavior a secret, but after Tyler threatens to fire them both if no one steps forward, Campbell tells the truth, resulting in the loss of Strickland s job. In retaliation, Strickland challenges Campbell to a fist fight after school.

Campbell is convinced that he physically does not stand a chance against Strickland, and tries to set matters straight by asking Neil to share a false testimony to Principal Tyler in order to clear Strickland s name and have him reinstated. Neil agrees on the condition that Campbell buy him a MacBook Pro. After doing so, Campbell runs into Maggie and his daughter Ally who remind him to arrive promptly that afternoon for Ally s father-daughter talent show. Neil s false account is enough to convince Principal Tyler to reinstate Strickland.

Campbell and Strickland receive an emergency call from Holly. The two meet up with her in a mock United Nations debate room and discover she tricked them into coming there so they could talk through their issues, with Holly acting as mediator. When Campbell tells Strickland that he was able to get him his job back, Strickland is further enraged, stating that Campbell should have told him about this plan before acting, and citing the mishandling of the school system. The fight is still on.

Campbell tries to call 9-1-1 for help, but after telling the operator that he s a teacher and that another teacher wants to fight him, she hangs up on him after laughing at the situation. After seeking the advice of Holly and Coach Crawford, Campbell resolves to have Strickland removed from the campus before the day s end. As a last resort, Campbell threatens Neil into giving him the drug MDMA. As Principal Tyler finds his Toyota Prius vandalized and parked in the school s lobby, Campbell plants the MDMA in Strickland s satchel. Campbell calls the police in the hopes of having Strickland arrested, but the attempt is botched and both teachers are incarcerated.

The two teachers share a cell with other inmates, and Campbell goes across the cell and tricks an enormous inmate into giving Strickland a beating, but only when signaled. Campbell then returns to Strickland in order to trick him into giving the signal, but Strickland instead tells Campbell that the fight is called off after everything that they have been through the day. When the inmate nonetheless attacks Strickland, Strickland easily knocks him out. Upon realizing Campbell s actions, Strickland declares the fight back on. The two are then released after the police discover the drug used to frame Strickland was only aspirin.

Campbell heads back to the school to meet up with the school board, Tyler, and Superintendent Johnson, but learns that his colleagues have all been fired. Impatient after being told to wait for nearly an hour, Campbell barges into the meeting and learns that he is one of the few to remain at his position. However, Campbell stands his ground and voices his complaints about the public school system not receiving the respect and materials it truly needs. Campbell heads over to Ally s talent show, where Ally s rendition of Big Sean s I Don t Fuck with You inspires him to finally stand up to Strickland.

In the school parking lot, Campbell and Strickland confront each other and engage in a frenzied fight that is dragged throughout the school and sees both men gaining the upper hand at different moments. Campbell briefly knocks Strickland out with a fire extinguisher and celebrates only to be sucker-punched by Strickland after he gets up. Strickland then answers Campbell s phone and learns that Maggie is about to give birth, at which point he shows mercy on Campbell and drives him to the hospital – thus ending the fight on friendly terms.

That summer, Tyler arrives at the Campbell household to tell Campbell that the publicity and public outcry the fight generated has put the Department of Education in a position where they need to put more effort and money into their schools, and must rehire Campbell and Strickland. Campbell accepts on the condition that the rest of his colleagues be reinstated as well. As the new school year begins, the faculty return to their respective positions. Campbell and Strickland, now best friends, are ready to enforce learning with Campbell being much more assertive towards the students.

In a post-credits scene, Crawford is seen flirting with the 911 operator in person. After rapping for her, Crawford realizes that he doesn t know her name.

Cast

  • Ice Cube as Ron Strickland, a tough and hot-headed history teacher and Campbell s colleague.
  • Charlie Day as Andrew Andy / Light Roast Campbell, the main protagonist, a mild-mannered English teacher.
  • Tracy Morgan as Coach Crawford, a comical gym teacher.
  • Jillian Bell as Miss Holly, a lecherous guidance counselor under the influence of various vices.
  • Christina Hendricks as Ms. Monet, an intense drama teacher who wants Strickland to beat Campbell.
  • Kumail Nanjiani as Officer Mehar, the school security guard who dislikes profanity.
  • Dean Norris as Richard Tyler, the disgruntled and pompous principal of the Roosevelt High School.
  • Austin Zajur as Neil, a mischievous student at Roosevelt High School.
  • Dennis Haysbert as Superintendent Johnson, the superintendent of the school district that Roosevelt High School is in.
  • JoAnna Garcia Swisher as Maggie Campbell, the devoted, loving and pregnant wife of Andy.
  • Alexa Nisenson as Ally Campbell, Andy and Maggie s daughter
  • Kym Whitley as 911 Operator
  • Max Carver as Daniel
  • Charlie Carver as Nathaniel
  • Stephnie Weir as Suzie

Production

In December 2013, it was announced that New Line Cinema was developing Fist Fight, a comedy from writers Van Robichaux and Evan Susser. On June 9, 2015, Ice Cube and Charlie Day were cast in the film, which 21 Laps Entertainment produced, along with its Shawn Levy, as well as Billy Rosenberg and Max Greenfield. On July 10, Richie Keen was confirmed to direct the film, while Dan Cohen was set to also produce. On September 15, 2015, Jillian Bell and Dean Norris were also cast in the film, and on September 21, 2015, Tracy Morgan, JoAnna Garcia, and Dennis Haysbert joined the cast. On September 25, 2015, Christina Hendricks was added to the cast, and Kym Whitley was later confirmed to appear.

Principal photography on the film began on September 28, 2015, in Atlanta, Georgia, and ended on November 23, 2015.

Reception

Box office

Fist Fight grossed $32.2 million in the United States and Canada and $8.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $41.1 million.

In North America, the film opened on February 17, 2017, alongside A Cure for Wellness and The Great Wall, and was initially projected to gross $15–20 million from 3,184 theaters in its opening weekend. After grossing $600,000 from Thursday night previews and $3.8 million on its first day, projections were lowered to $10–12 million. The film went on to open to $12.2 million, finishing 5th at the box office.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 25% based on 134 reviews and an average rating of 4.10/10. The site s critical consensus reads, Fist Fight boasts a surplus of comedic muscle but flails lazily, and far too few of its jokes land with enough force to register. On Metacritic, the film has a score of 37 out of 100 based on 28 critics, indicating generally unfavorable reviews . Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of B on an A+ to F scale.

Writing for RogerEbert.com, Glenn Kenny gave the film of 3 out of 4 stars, saying: Fist Fight stands up, at least a little bit, for storytelling . In contrast, Richard Roeper gave the film zero out of four stars and wrote that he disliked the film enough to wish for a technical malfunction to disrupt the showing. British film critic Mark Kermode called it Shoddily written, screechingly performed, crude, crass, endurance-testing… It s utter, utter, utter rubbish.

Year 2017
ReleaseDate 2017-02-17
RuntimeMins 91
RuntimeStr 1h 31min
Plot When one school teacher unwittingly causes another teacher’s dismissal, he is challenged to an after-school fight.
Awards Awards, 1 win & 1 nomination
Directors Richie Keen
Writers Van Robichaux, Evan Susser, Max Greenfield
Stars Ice Cube, Charlie Day, Tracy Morgan
Produced by Bruce Berman,Richard Brener,Samuel J. Brown,Dan Cohen,Charlie Day,Toby Emmerich,Marty P. Ewing,Max Greenfield,Ice Cube,Shawn Levy,Steven Mnuchin,Dave Neustadter,John Rickard,Billy Rosenberg
Music by Dominic Lewis
Cinematography by Eric Alan Edwards
Film Editing by Matthew Freund
Casting By Rich Delia
Production Design by Chris Cornwell
Set Decoration by Amy McGary
Costume Design by Denise Wingate
Makeup Department Debra Denson,Andrea Edge,Bill Johnson,Bret Mayo,Ebony Star Parson,Carol Rasheed,Elizabeth Robinson,Dawn Turner,Mi Young,Julie Hill-Parker,Teresa Morgan,Quintessence Patterson,Al Watson,Todd Watson
Production Management Day Permuy,Sara Romilly
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director Amir R. Khan,Vincent Lascoumes,Megan Schmidt,Jessie Sasser White
Art Department Vincent Bates,Carrie Cantwell,Michelle Caruso,Rachel Chambers,Deborah Croswell,Forest Fagan,Ryan Falkner,Kate Forry Guanci,Paul Fox,Carol Francoso,Tyler Free,Cary Goen,William Gouinlock,Vanessa Grayson,Charlie Guanci III,Charles Guanci Jr.,Barry Hart,John Hemphill,Nikki Hillhouse,Aimee Holmberg,Tracey Illingworth-Cramer,Ariel R. Kaplan,Zach Kilpatrick,Jen Knight,Rich Koll,Tracysean Lahey,Adam Lahr,Sean Macomber,Clarissa Mobley,David H. Nash,Trish Navarro,Steven Ondrejech,Alexander K. Riba,Shaquana Simmons,Ann Stacy,Brian C.A. Thomas,Shawn Upthegrove,Tyler D. Walters,Lara Wootton
Sound Department Orville Allen,Davi Aquino,Ian Bender,Mark Coffey,Greg Crawford,Thomas J. Doolittle,Mary H. Ellis,Sandra Fox,Jack Heeren,Goro Koyama,Tim LeBlanc,Will Loftin,Alexander Lowe,David Lucarelli,Andy Malcolm,Mark A. Mangini,Stephen Muir,Dan O Connell,Jason Oliver,James Peterson,Kevin Schultz,Mark Spagnolo,Nik Waddell,Don White,Scott Wolf
Special Effects by Rick Cramblett,J.J. Madaris,Corey Pritchett,Chad Pruett
Visual Effects by Tanner Bartlett,Steve DiNozzi,Chad Fetzer,Blake Goedde,Robin Scott Graham,Lev Grayson,Bryan Haines,Nicholas Johnson,Chris LeDoux,Mark LeDoux,Tim LeDoux,Sean Pollack,Jason Sanford,Butch Seibert,Joshua D. Stevens,Sara Emily Tremblay,Jack Van Nuis,Greg Wadsworth
Stunts Raven-Danielle Baker,Sala Baker,Donny Carrington,Sarah Reagin Clemmensen,David Conk,Scott Dale,Holland Diaz,Noah Bain Garret,Daniel Graham,Thayr Harris,Daniel Hernandez,Jason Charles Hill,Reggie Jackson,Kirk A. Jenkins,Abraham Justice,Ruben Maldonado,Aby Martin,Jessica Merideth,T. Ryan Mooney,Jessica Nam,Marvin Ross,Jon Walker Schmidt,Brandon M. Shaw,John J. Shim,Kimani Ray Smith,Remington Steele,Tommie Turvey,Ruben Vidal
Camera and Electrical Department Tom Barrett,Matthew Berning,Joseph Blankinship,Warren Brace,Jonathan Carbonaro,Marc Casey,Carlos Castrillon,Jason Clairy,Cristen Clark,Shawn Coffman,Marcis Cole,Kelly A. Croke,Stephen Crowley,Michael J. Davis,Derek Delay,Eddie Evans,Tim Fabrizio,Patrick D. Fields,Mike Fisher,Kevin Gentry,Matthew Gorbachov,Peter Hawkins,Esteban Hernandez,Chris Houck,Darryl Humber,David Iverson,Destin Jacobus,Adam Kogelman,John Lally,Eric Leftridge,Daniel John Lerch,Gabriel Lewis,David Walter Lindsay,Jon Lindsay,Bob Mahoney,Bill McClelland,Adam Meadows,John Metcalfe,Robert Bryce Milburn,Phil Pastuhov,Ryan Perdew,Deaglan Quinn,Eddie A. Reid IV,Caitlin Rodiek,Christian Satrazemis,Michelle Shiraziefard,Jason Staten,Lamar Still,Jeff C. Sutton,Kevin Terrell,Henry Tirl,Jon Titus,Ryan Weisen,Jayden York,Steve Zigler
Animation Department Ryan Wasson
Casting Department Janella Bersabal,Tara Feldstein,Jeremy Gordon,Andrew Hoekstra,Coco Kleppinger,Caitlin McKenna,Chase Paris,Lara Lee Slaughter
Costume and Wardrobe Department Marcella Elisa Caudill,LaShana Clayton,Dustin Fletcher,Stephanie Herrera,Keith Hudson,Gina Nalli,Rachel Pagillo,Day Ramphal,Susan Russell,Derek Sullivan,Johnna Thomas
Editorial Department Sara Beth Bennett,Max Berger,Edo Brizio,Greg Curry,Bob Fredrickson,David B. Hall,Jeff Halsey,John Elliott Houston,Madelaine Jereczek,Danya Joseph,Brian LeCoz,Kristine McPherson,Katie Mims,Kira Prince,Pamela Scott-Farr,Heather Taylor,Kostas Theodosiou
Location Management Kevin Dowling,Ethan D. Firestone,Wes Hagan,Miles J. Henley,Ralph B. Meyer,Caroline Nightbird
Music Department Shane Eli Abrahams,Christopher Anderson-Bazzoli,Antonio Andrade,Kim Baum,Luiz Augusto Buff,Michael Chandler,Forest Christenson,Al Clay,Nick Glennie-Smith,Sean Hurley,Kfp Ken,Tommy Laurence,Kier Lehman,Alexander Lowe,Martin McClellan,David Metzner,Aaron Meyer,Alan Meyerson,Felipe Pacheco,Carl Restivo,Peter Rotter,Tom Skyrme,Micki Stern,Andrew Synowiec,Alvin Wee,Dana Wilentz,Brad Wilk
Script and Continuity Department Melissa Randle
Transportation Department Arthur C. Chesser,Mark Corley,Jeannie Cummings,Billy Joe Evans,Derell Harris,Lewis Jones Jr.,Daniel La Fave,Hannah Lang,Brandon Mullen,Paula Pierce,Stephen Roland,George A. Sack,Darrell Scott,Rob Verdery,David Carlton White
Additional Crew Gena Berry,Dorothy Blyskal,Tomar Boyd,Kevin Breen,Sharna L. Brown,Bridgett Buss,Mukari Butler,Ariane Chatman,Chip Clanton,Chantal Corminboeuf,Jamaica Craft,Dax A. Cuesta,Moses Das,Sadie DeRosa,Cindy Doan,Bryon Dormandy,Elizabeth Driscoll,Courtney Dyson,Cory Fleming,Devan Gerlach,Larry Gilbert,Joe Goode,Walter Hendrix III,Blake H. Hughes,April A. Janow,Aqila KiKi Jones,Jonathan Kankolenski,Jasi Cotton Lanier,Michael Layman,Stacy Levendusky,Sanders Lewis,Lizet Lopez,Christopher Macken,Johnny Moniz,David Moore,Nick Moyer,Donald K. Overstreet,Samuel Bridger Parker,Chris Parr,Colby Picanso,Kristen Portanova,Matthew Prokopek,Tina Marie Sauls,Sierra Sawaya,Kiel Servideo,Douglas Settles,Deborah Simmrin,Brandon Smith,Michael Bennett Smith,Michael C. Smith,LeeMark Swain,Jenna Sykes Barber,Bobby Thompson,Greg Tresan,Tommie Turvey,W.L. Walker,Annie Wilmer,Sarah Roberts
Genres Comedy
Companies New Line Cinema, Village Roadshow Pictures, 21 Laps Entertainment
Countries USA
Languages English
ContentRating R
ImDbRating 5.6
ImDbRatingVotes 42757
MetacriticRating 37
Keywords high school teacher,last day of school,fight between teachers,school fight,high school