''Fist Fight'' is a 2017 American

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by Richie Keen and written by Van Robichaux and

Evan Susser Evan Daniel Susser (born December 1, 1985) is an American comedy writer and television producer. He was the co-writer of the film '' Fist Fight''. He also was a writer and producer for the NBC primetime series ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine''. Persona ...

. The film stars

Ice Cube O'Shea Jackson Sr. (born June 15, 1969), known professionally as Ice Cube, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and film producer. His lyrics on N.W.A's 1989 album '' Straight Outta Compton'' contributed to gangsta rap's widespread popu ...

Charlie Day Charles Peckham Day (born February 9, 1976) is an American actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for playing Charlie Kelly (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Charlie Kelly on the FX Networks, FX dark comedy ''It's Always Sunny in Phila ...

Tracy Morgan Tracy Jamal Morgan (born November 10, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy television series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1996 to 2003, and played Tracy Jordan in the NBC sitcom ''30 Ro ...

, and Jillian Bell with

Dean Norris Dean Joseph Norris (born April 8, 1963) is an American actor. He is known for playing Hank Schrader on the AMC series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013), James "Big Jim" Rennie on the CBS series '' Under the Dome'' (2013–2015), Clay "Uncle D ...

, Christina Hendricks,

Kumail Nanjiani Kumail Ali Nanjiani (; ; Urdu: کمیل علی نانجیانی; born May 2, 1978) is a Pakistani-American stand-up comedian and actor. He is known for his role as Dinesh in the HBO comedy series ''Silicon Valley'' (2014–2019) and for co-writi ...

, and

Dennis Haysbert Dennis Dexter Haysbert (born June 2, 1954) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as President David Palmer on the first five seasons of '' 24,'' baseball player Pedro Cerrano in the '' Major League'' film trilogy, Secret Service agent ...

in supporting roles. The film centers on a school teacher who is challenged to an after-school fistfight after causing another teacher's termination. The film premiered in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of 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 The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

and

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

on May 30, 2017.

Plot

On the last day before summer vacation, students devise an elaborate

senior prank A senior prank, also known as muck-up day in Australia and the United Kingdom, is a type of organized Practical joke, prank by the Senior (education), senior class of a school, college, or university. They are often carried out at or near the end ...

day, and faculty members try to survive the chaos as best they can. Meanwhile, English teacher Andy Campbell hears rumors of the downsizing of all departments. As he has a pregnant wife and a child, he becomes extremely anxious. When history teacher Ron Strickland later asks Campbell for help with operating a VCR in a class, a student named Neil secretly uses his

smartphone A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as multi ...

to prank Strickland. Enraged, he grabs a fire axe and destroys Neil's desk, sending the class fleeing the room in panic. Both Campbell and Strickland are brought to Principal Tyler's office to discuss the incident. Despite initially agreeing to keep what happened a secret, Campbell tells the truth after Tyler threatens to fire them both if neither steps forward. Strickland loses his job, leading him to challenge Campbell to a fist fight after school. Convinced that he does not stand a chance against Strickland, Campbell tries to set matters straight. He bribes Neil into giving false testimony to Principal Tyler to clear Strickland's name. The plan works, and Strickland gets reinstated. Campbell and Strickland receive an emergency call from school counselor Holly. They meet with her, not realizing she tricked them into coming there to talk through their issues. When Campbell tells Strickland that he got him his job back, he is further enraged. Stating that Campbell should have told him about this plan before acting, he insists the fight is still on. Campbell calls

9-1-1 911, sometimes written , is an emergency telephone number for Argentina, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Fiji, Jordan, Mexico, Pakistan, Maldives, Palau, Panama, Iraq, the Philippines, Sint Maarten, the United States, and Uruguay, as well as ...

for help, but after learning the reason for his call, the operator laughs and hangs up on him. Then, after seeking advice from both Holly and Coach Crawford, he resolves to have Strickland removed from the campus before the day's end. As a last resort, Campbell threatens Neil into giving him

MDMA 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), commonly known as ecstasy (tablet form), and molly (crystal form), is an empathogen–entactogenic drug with stimulant and minor Psychedelic drug, psychedelic properties. In studies, it has been used ...

, which he plants in Strickland's satchel. He calls the police, hoping to have Strickland arrested, but the attempt is botched and both teachers are incarcerated. They share a cell with other inmates, and Campbell secretly tricks an enormous one into giving Strickland a beating, but only when signaled. He then returns to Strickland, who decides to call the fight off after the hellish day they have had. The inmate nonetheless attacks Strickland, who easily knocks him out. Upon realizing Campbell was behind it, Strickland declares the fight back on. They are then released after the police discover the drug used to frame Strickland was only

aspirin Aspirin () is the genericized trademark for acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to reduce pain, fever, and inflammation, and as an antithrombotic. Specific inflammatory conditions that aspirin is ...

. Campbell heads back to meet up with the school board, Tyler, and Superintendent Johnson but learns that his colleagues have all been fired. He is one of the few to remain in his position. However, Campbell stands his ground and voices his complaints about the public school system not receiving the support it truly needs. He heads over to his daughter Ally's talent show, where her rendition of

Big Sean Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. He met Kanye West as a teenager, and signed with his record label GOOD Music, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings in 2007. He gained popul ...

's " I Don't Fuck with You" inspires him to finally stand up to Strickland. In the school parking lot, Campbell and Strickland engage in a frenzied fight that is dragged throughout the school. Strickland dominates the fight early on, however Campbell gains the upper hand and seemingly knocks him out with a fire extinguisher. As he celebrates his victory prematurely, Strickland reappears and knocks him out with a single punch, ending the fight. During this time, Strickland answers Campbell's phone and learns that his wife Maggie is in labor. Showing mercy on Campbell, Strickland drives him to the hospital, thus ending their feud. That summer, Tyler arrives at the Campbells' to tell Campbell that the publicity and public outcry the fight generated has forced the Department of Education to put more effort and money into their schools, so he 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, he realizes he does not know her name.

Cast

as Ron Strickland, a tough and hot-headed history teacher and Campbell's colleague. *

as Andrew "Andy"/"Light Roast" Campbell, the main protagonist, a mild-mannered English teacher. *

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. *

as Officer Mehar, the school security guard who dislikes profanity. *

as Richard Tyler, the disgruntled and pompous principal of the Roosevelt High School. * Austin Zajur as Neil, a mischievous student at Roosevelt High School. *

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 Charles Carver Martensen (born July 31, 1988) is an American actor. His better known roles include Porter Scavo on the ABC television series ''Desperate Housewives'' (2008–2012), Ethan on the MTV television series ''Teen Wolf'' (2013–2014, ...

as Nathaniel * Stephnie Weir as Suzie * Madison Bailey as High Schooler (uncredited)

Production

In December 2013, it was announced that

New Line Cinema New Line Productions, Inc., Trade name, doing business as New Line Cinema, is an American film production, film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, a division of the Major film studios, ...

was developing ''Fist Fight'', a comedy from writers Van Robichaux and

. On June 9, 2015,

and

were cast in the film, which

21 Laps Entertainment 21 Laps, Inc., doing business as 21 Laps Entertainment, is an American film and television production company founded and run by filmmaker Shawn Levy. The company is best known as the producers of ''Stranger Things'', and exclusively distributes ...

produced, along with its

Shawn Levy Shawn Adam Levy (; born July 23, 1968) is a Canadian and American filmmaker and actor. He is the founder of 21 Laps Entertainment. His work has spanned numerous genres, and his films as a director have grossed a collective $3.5 billion worldwid ...

, as well as Billy Rosenberg and

Max Greenfield Max Greenfield (born September 4, 1979) is an American actor and author. He appeared in recurring roles in ''Veronica Mars'' and ''Ugly Betty''. He co-starred as Schmidt in the Fox sitcom ''New Girl'', for which he received nominations at the Pri ...

. 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

were also cast in the film, and on September 21, 2015,

, JoAnna Garcia, and

joined the cast. On September 25, 2015, Christina Hendricks was added to the cast, and Kym Whitley was later confirmed to appear.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

on the film began on September 28, 2015, in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, 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

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, 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 Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the film has a score of 37 out of 100 based on 28 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews. Audiences polled by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data. Background Ed Mintz, who ...

gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale. Writing for RogerEbert.com, Glenn Kenny gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, saying: "''Fist Fight'' stands up, at least a little bit, for storytelling". In contrast,

Richard Roeper Richard E. Roeper (born October 17, 1959) is an American writer. He is a former columnist and film critic for the '' Chicago Sun-Times'', where he wrote for 39 years dating back to 1986 until his departure in 2025. He co-hosted the television s ...

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 Mark Kermode (, ; ; born 2 July 1963) is an English film critic, musician, radio presenter, television presenter, author and podcaster. He is the co-presenter (with Ellen E. Jones) of the BBC Radio 4 programme ''Screenshot'', and co-presenter ...

called it "Shoddily written, screechingly performed, crude, crass, endurance-testing... It's utter, utter, utter rubbish."

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, 3401882 2017 films 2017 directorial debut films 2017 comedy films 2010s American films 2010s English-language films 2010s buddy comedy films 2010s pregnancy films 21 Laps Entertainment films Remakes of American films American buddy comedy films American high school films Dune Entertainment films American pregnancy films Films produced by Shawn Levy Films scored by Dominic Lewis Films about educators Films set in Georgia (U.S. state) Films shot in Atlanta Village Roadshow Pictures films New Line Cinema films Warner Bros. films English-language buddy comedy films