Cert 15
91 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language, sex references, drug references
An hour had gone by with barely a chuckle from Mrs W, myself or the sparse audience in Nottingham Cineworld's screen seven.
And then came Fist Fight's saviour in the unlikely shape of ten-year-old Alexa Nisenson. From her key scene onwards, Richie Keen's comedy graduated from the predictable to the funny.
Its premise isn't promising. A hard-nut teacher (Ice Cube) lays down an after-school challenge to a weakling colleague (Charlie Day) because he inadvertently cost him his job.
The film compromises of the countdown to what is expected to be a beating with Day's character trying every way to get out of it.
At the same time, staff are being called into the cost-cutting principal's office to be told whether they will still have a job in the following academic year.
Meanwhile, the weakling has promised his 10-year-old daughter (Nisenson) that he will join her for a double act at her school's end of year talent show.
The backdrop is that this is the last day of the school year and the expected pranks have been ratcheted up to the extent that there is a horse running through the school, high on meths.
The trouble is that for long periods Fist Fight it is more car crash than funny and the audience is lured into pitying those who clearly should never have been teachers in the first place.
This is made worse by Day's high-pitched whine and Ice Cube's overly macho dude routine, tempered only by Jillian Bell's inappropriate but amusing hots for a handsome 18-year-old.
But after Nisenson's cameo, the film comes to life, with its concluding scenes prompting three guffaws and even an involuntary 'oh, no!".
And if you have survived the first hour then stay for the credits because they prompt more giggles than the opening 60 minutes.
Fist Fight is certainly not a classic comedy. It has many flaws but, by its end, it had made us laugh out loud five times and that is not a bad overall hit rate.
Reasons to avoid: a first hour where we could barely raise a titter
Reasons to watch: the last half hour and closing sequences
Laughs: five
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 3/10 for the first hour - 7.5/10 for the last 30 mins so 5/10 in total
Star tweet
What amazes me about films like #FistFight - someone pitches the idea to film execs and they say "Sounds good, here's 25 million, make it!"