Bar Fight!
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Bar Fight!
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Bar Fight! is a comedy about a couple (Melissa Fumero and Luka Jones) who've decided to break up but go through a series of comedic tests to see who gets to stay a regular at their favorite bar. Given the topic and setting, expect multiple scenes with drinking. There's also plenty of strong language ("f--k," "s--t," and more), sexual humor, a comedic sex scene (no sensitive nudity), and graphic but comedic descriptions of sex and sexual acts (e.g., "ruin some d--ks," "sucks my t-ts," "boning the s--t" out of someone, etc.).
What's the Story?
BAR FIGHT! follows couple Nina (Melissa Fumero) and Allen (Luka Jones) as they decide to break up. Things are fine at first -- until they realize that their favorite bar, where they've shared many memories together, will be something they can no longer share. So with the help of their bartender friends, they undergo a series of comedic challenges to figure out who can stay a regular and who must leave.
Is It Any Good?
This comedy is an hour and 24 minutes long, but it feels like two given how aggressively not funny it is. Bar Fight! feels more like a sitcom, with the types of characters you'd find in Brooklyn Nine-Nine or Grand Crew, two shows that do the ensemble comedy thing much better and more successfully than this film does.
While most of the characters are just fine -- if thinly developed -- Nina's best friend, Chelsea (Rachel Bloom), is very grating. She seems to hate being married and having children and aggressively wants her friend to have a rip-roaring sex life so that she can live vicariously through her. Between how the character was written and Bloom's acting choices, Chelsea comes off as a real problem area for the film. It makes no sense that someone like Nina -- who isn't sexually aggressive or rude -- would have her as a best friend. Also bizarre is how the film decides to call out the fact that Allen's best friend, Milan (Julian Gant), is, indeed fulfilling the tired "Black sidekick" cliché. With Milan breaking the fourth wall in a sense by accusing Allen of thinking of him in such a way, it begs the question as to why the character wasn't written differently in the first place. Bottom line? Bar Fight! isn't worth fighting for.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the way that Bar Fight! addresses communication. Why are communication skills important? How do you use communication skills in a relationship?
Why do Nina and Allen feel like they have to fight over their favorite bar? How is drinking portrayed here?
How are comedic clichés used in the movie? Do they help or hinder characterization?
What do Nina and Allen learn at the end of the film?
Movie Details
- In theaters: November 11, 2022
- On DVD or streaming: November 11, 2022
- Cast: Melissa Fumero, Luka Jones, Rachel Bloom, Julian Gant
- Director: Jim Mahoney
- Studio: Amazon Prime Video
- Genre: Comedy
- Run time: 84 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: January 12, 2023
Our Editors Recommend
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Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Lighthearted cop comedy serves up laughs and diversity.
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Grand Crew
Mature comedy expands Black characterizations on TV.
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Superstore
Big-box workplace comedy is diverse, pretty funny.
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Celeste and Jesse Forever
Talky hipster romcom explores the "perfect" divorce.
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Clerks
Low language, high philosophy, and low budget.
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