296. The Fight; movie review

THE FIGHT
Cert 12A
91 mins
BBFC advice: Contains infrequent strong language, moderate violence

Bullying is horrible, isn't it?
And seldom has it been so effectively portrayed as in Jessica Hynes' directorial debut The Fight.
Hynes also stars in the movie in which she plays an under-pressure mum-of-three with a difficult past.
As a care worker, Tina, she seeks training at a boxing club to help her battle with her demons and prepare her for a life which has many slings and arrows.
Meanwhile, Shaun Parkes plays her husband who is desperately trying to hold together an increasingly fractured family.
Liv Hill who was outstanding in one of my favourite films of the year Jellyfish, again excels as the bully of Tina's daughter (Sennia Nanua).
And then there is Anita Dobson as we have never seen her before as Tina's erratic mother and Christopher Fairbank as her beleaguered dad.
Hynes, who many will know as the overweight Cheryl in The Royle family, should be congratulated for the realism in her writing.
The relationship with her partner, children and parents are all potent and poignant.
And then there are the references to bullying which evoked painful memories of school for me but are important.
Interestingly, the least memorable aspect was the boxing which has been the central plank of the movie's marketing along with the name of Russell Brand who appears for literally three seconds. Both seemed a bit unnecessary but, overall, I was really taken with The Fight and look forward to more movies from Jessica Hynes.

Reasons to watch: A really effective reflection on bullying
Reasons to avoid: Will probably conjure difficult memories

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know?  According to a 2016 survey, 1.5 million young people (50%) were bullied during the previous year and 145,800 (19%) of these were bullied every day.

The final word. Jessica Hynes: "I wanted to champion families that struggle and families that go through difficulties because everybody does. To have a mum at the centre of it, who triumphs, was definitely an inspiration.’ The Film.blog

Share this post