Chick Fight
As reported by dolly for me
I really enjoyed this movie, I found it funny and a great little rental from Redbox. The only thing surprising about Chick Fight is that it took this long for a distaff variation on David Fincher's 1999 classic Fight Club to happen. Not that this Malin Akerman starrer is similar in tone to that film, relying heavily on broad comedy rather than brutal nihilism. That will probably be enough for undiscerning viewers, as well as those who can never get enough of watching attractive women (pretend to) beat each other senseless. There are some undeniably amusing moments, thanks largely to a cast unafraid to throw themselves into the raunchiness and violence with full abandon, but it's hard to avoid the feeling that the film represents a missed opportunity.
Akerman, who also produced, clearly relishes the chance to fully display her impressive comedic chops in the lead role of Anna, whose life seems to be going wrong in every direction at once. She's financially on the ropes, and she has a non-existent love life (perhaps the film's most fanciful plot element). She's still grieving the loss of her mother, and is surprised to learn that her father (an amusing Kevin Nash) has become "sexually fluid" and is in a relationship with a much more diminutive man (the basis for an unfunny running gag). When the coffee shop Anna owns burns to the ground after an unfortunate accident involving a lit joint and some spilled liquor, it looks like she's hit bottom.
Coming to her rescue is her best friend Charleen (Dulcé Sloan of The Daily Show, not just stealing the movie but making sure that no one else even comes close), a lesbian cop who invites her to join a secret women's fight club presided over by the aptly named Bear (Fortune Feimster). There, Anna discovers that she can channel her despair into physical aggression, the only problem being that she keeps getting beaten up. She also develops a romantic and pugilistic rivalry with the club's resident badass Olivia (Bella Thorne), who competes with her for the affections of the club's doctor (Kevin Connolly).
Desperate to improve her skills, Anne turns to Murphy (Alec Baldwin, in enjoyably dissipated mode), a local lush who once "trained Sugar Ray." Viewers won't be surprised by the inevitable Mr. Miyagi jokes and offbeat Karate Kid-style training montages as Anne prepares for her ultimate bout with the villainous Olivia while finding self-empowerment along the way.
Director Paul Leyden (Come Back to Me) and screenwriter Joseph Downey — that both creatives are men tends to reduce some of the film's feminist bona fides, as does the demeaning title — aim strictly at lowest common denominator humor, such as a lengthy segment devoted to Anne having to make an emergency room visit after getting a coconut kicked into her crotch. (The film seems strangely obsessed with fruit, with another major segment devoted to her training by attempting to punch a watermelon open with her bare fists.) While countless films have defied the woefully outdated conventional wisdom that women can't be just as comedically down and dirty as men, the relentless procession of vulgar gags and profane dialogue here feels slightly depressing.
Still, only the most churlish viewers will find Chick Fight dislikable, especially thanks to the presence of the hugely appealing Akerman, who admirably goes for broke, and Baldwin and Sloan, who handle the material with just the right comic insouciance. Credit must also go to fight/stunt coordinator Shauna Gallagher, who stages the violent mayhem expertly. (It's too bad, though, that director Leyden relies on so many bloody slow-motion shots in an attempt to gross out the audience.) Much like its frequently battered protagonist, you're likely to have a good time during Chick Fight, but you won't feel great about it the next day.
The likeable Akerman maintains Anna's reluctance to cage fighting, even as she knows she has nothing else going on. It's a relaxed performance with just a hint of underlying exasperation about it, which makes her easy to identify with. Baldwin takes an enjoyably ramshackle approach to the usual grizzled coach role, which isn't terribly demanding. Feimster has even less to do, but has some fun with it. Thorne is little more than the aggressive mean girl in this scenario, with almost no other textures. Thankfully, Sloan relishes the scene-chewing comical role, and is a lot of fun whenever she's on screen.
There's nothing remotely challenging going on in this movie, but the loose storytelling style gives it a scruffy charm. While the build up to the big battle provides some generic momentum, the side relationships are much more amusing, including Anna's budding flirtation with a doctor (Connolly) and some easy-pickings jokes involving her dad's new gay life. ANd the ultimate message that the power to fix your life comes from within is always welcome.
A great little movie, well worth my time to rent and watch. Highly recommended.
