Fist Fight (2017), R, ★

Charlie Day vs. Ice Cube.

Uh...well...this...there's a moment from another movie that is sort of like The Sandlot. Remember the scene in which two groups name-call each other and then they have a baseball game of their own? That great moment is basically what this piece of creative garbage is. I have no introduction for this review because there could have been potential for this project to be self-aware and maybe make fun of the school system that should be more strict and organized. Nope, it's basically bully vs. puny and respected guy to the end and I just kept waiting for the laughs to come by and a few chuckles were produced as a result in this tedious comedy.

At Roosevelt High School, it's the last day of school for both students and staff as the students cannot wait to get out for the summer and for the staff to simply relax before next term. However, chaos starts as English teacher Andy Campbell (Charlie Day) has his parking spot occupied by someone else's scooter. It is most likely a student but he is too sensitive to take on the problem. History teacher Ron Strickland (Ice Cube) is the most intimidating teacher on campus as for example, he tells two boys to put back the school's cage with a bat in and take away the computer.

All the teachers have their evaluations so Campbell does his best to have his reputation upheld but guidance counselor, Holly Grossman (Jillian Bell) tells him that most of the English teachers were let go and his job is potentially safe. After some commotion and an incident involving an ax and some children, Campbell and Strickland are sent into Principal Tyler's (Dean Norris) office. Tyler threatens to fire both of them if he does not get a clear answer. Campbell betrays Strickland and rats him out, resulting in Strickland getting fired. Afterwards, Strickland challenges Campbell to a fight later that day at school. It's on!

There's a horse galloping around the school?

This movie is unbelievably bad and there are very few jokes that maintain the threshold of being simply awful and not crossing the border of empty. I know that the comedy is trying to be simply comical and not be too self-serious. However, it becomes so sentimental towards the end that the movie adds a subplot involving a wife having a second baby and it damages the comical tone of the movie. It is too predictable. And, we sort of know because there is a lack of suspense that who may win the fist fight. Come on, Ice Cube is more intimidating also taller than Charlie Day. Think about it.

Ice Cube has been on a roll but it stops here as he plays his most predictable but entertaining persona of being mad and intimidating but I understood his character at times as to why he is that way towards the students. Charlie Day is still a bit whiny in this movie not producing laughs as he tries to put in so much comic spin onto this character to avoid Cube's character for the majority of the movie. Jillian Bell, a very talented actress, cannot save this movie nor can Tracy Morgan. Cube and Day shows up to set, to fight, but the humor does not show up to set and we, the audience, groans and fights to get their money back. This movie is horrible and almost goes down the bottom of the barrel.

*