Movie Review

Fist Fight aims for the throat and rewards with belly laughs

Finding the right balance between “not enough” and “too much” can be tough for modern comedies. If you hold back or tiptoe around sensitive material, your jokes can fall flat. But if you make the humor all about being as offensive as possible, it can wind up being one-note, making it equally unfunny.

Fist Fight is one of the few recent comedies to find such a balance. On the surface, there doesn’t seem to be much to the story: High school English teacher Andy Campbell (Charlie Day) runs afoul of history teacher Mr. Strickland (Ice Cube) on the last day of school, and Strickland challenges Campbell to a fight. It’s what happens between the challenge and the fight that elevates the movie.

Campbell, being much scrawnier than Strickland, does everything in his power to get out of the fight. He’s “helped” in this pursuit by randy counselor Holly (Jillian Bell), who has no filter, and the semi-clueless Coach Crawford (Tracy Morgan). The teachers and administrators also have to try to steer clear of the various pranks being perpetrated by the students, ones that range from relatively harmless to felonious.

Add in a pregnant wife and looming father-daughter dance performance for Campbell, and the threat for all of being fired by Principal Tyler (Dean Norris) due to district cutbacks, and there is a lot to divide the film’s focus. But director Richie Keen and writers Van Robichaux and Evan Susser keep the story tight by mostly aiming it at Campbell, with diversions added when appropriate.

They also understand the difference between being outrageously funny and just being outrageous. There is no shortage of profanity and other potentially offensive things on display in the film, but nothing ever feels out of place thanks to great timing and the filmmakers setting up the disparate elements well.

They also deliver on the goods. Strickland’s challenge is laid down early in the film, leaving open the possibility that, despite the title of the film, it could be a MacGuffin. But even with a ton of prologue, a fight does indeed occur, and it’s full of a ferocity normally reserved for an action film, laced with just enough comedy to keep it from being too serious.

The mayhem occurring at the school is definitely heightened for effect, but the film never seems to go over the top. It helps that the pranks involve things any creative thinking teenager could utilize to drive adults crazy. If this is somehow an accurate representation of high schools these days, though, then God help us all.

Day’s raspy voice gives him a natural comedic quality that’s only enhanced by his acting skills. He takes a role we’ve seen before and turns it into something special. Ice Cube doesn’t have a ton to do other than snarl and yell, but damned if he isn’t really effective at it.

There won’t be many, if any, awards coming Fist Fight’s way, but it deserves a lot of credit for knowing when and how to make its audience laugh. Truly successful comedies are an endangered species these days, but Fist Fight is one of them.

Charlie Day and Ice Cube in Fist Fight.

Photo by Bob Mahoney

Charlie Day and Ice Cube in Fist Fight.

movies

Festival Season

Bluebonnets & BBQ headline 17 top spring 2026 festivals around Dallas

Facebook/Ennis Bluebonnet Trails Festival

The 2026 Ennis Bluebonnet Trails Festival takes place April 17-19 in downtown Ennis.

Even though it may not always feel like it, we are smack-dab in the middle of spring in Dallas, and - among other things - that means it's time for festivals to start coming out of the woodwork.

Almost every weekend in April and May will bring some sort of festival, with options devoted to music, nature, movies, art, and more.

Below is a list of 17 must-hit festivals taking place over the next two months in and around Dallas.

Downtown Dallas Arts & Music Festival
The Downtown Dallas Arts & Music Festival celebrates the dynamic cultural diversity representing Dallas-Fort Worth and serves as a central platform for local artists and musicians to showcase their talents. Visitors can enjoy live music and experience live painting, murals, curated art exhibitions and installations, performances, pop-up activations, food trucks, and more. April 10-12 at Main Street Garden Park in Dallas.

Scarborough Renaissance Festival
The annual Scarborough Renaissance Festival re-creates a 16th-century English village filled with immersive entertainment, including full-combat jousting, birds of prey exhibitions, live music and comedy, interactive performances, games of skill, and human-powered rides. The event also features one of the nation’s largest outdoor juried artisan marketplaces with more than 200 handcrafted shops. Open every Friday-Sunday through May 25 in Waxahachie.

Scarborough Renaissance Festival takes place every Friday-Sunday through May 25 in Waxahachie. Photo courtesy of Scarborough Renaissance Festival

City of McKinney presents Arts in Bloom
At Arts In Bloom, visitors can peruse the work of over 120 handpicked artists filling the tree-lined streets surrounding the McKinney Performing Arts Center. The three-day celebration features an array of fine artistry, taste offerings from Texas wineries and culinary artisans, and musicians spanning multiple genres. April 10-12 in Historic Downtown McKinney.

Dallas Reggae Festival
The annual Dallas Reggae Festival features arts, crafts and jewelry vendors, Caribbean-inspired food and various artists, and local reggae bands. Performers will include The Wailers, Maxi Priest, Kabaka Pyramid, Duane Stephenson, Etana, Artikal Sound System, Anuhea, Arise Roots, and more. April 11 and 12 at Levy Event Plaza in Irving.

Breakaway Music Festival
The Breakaway Music Festival features performances by a variety of electronic music artists. There will be performances by over 20 different artists, including Angrybaby, Disclosure, Fisher, Mary Droppinz, Sofi Tukker, Trace, and more. April 10 and 11 at Fair Park in Dallas.

Dallas Art Fair
The Dallas Art Fair offers collectors, arts professionals, and the public the opportunity to engage with a selection of modern and contemporary artworks. Featuring galleries from more than a dozen countries and with several returning galleries expanding their presence with larger booths for more robust presentations, the 2026 roster underscores the Dallas Art Fair’s continued international scope. April 16-19 at Fashion Industry Gallery.

Ennis Bluebonnet Trails Festival
The annual Ennis Bluebonnet Trails Festival features an abundance of activities and live music throughout the weekend, as well as a spectacular array of Texas bluebonnets across 40 miles of trails. Festival activities include arts and crafts exhibitions, shopping, children’s activities, the railroad and cultural heritage museum, and food options. Visitors also can enjoy the beer garden or sample Texas wines at the Ennis Education Foundation Wine Wander. Bluebonnet Trails open April 1-30. Festival: April 17-19 in downtown Ennis.

Festival of Joy
The annual Festival of Joy is inspired by a global Indian tradition celebrated in cities around the world. The family-friendly event kicks off with a parade and chariot pull, followed by a day of crafts, yoga, wellness activities, performances, face painting, and more. April 18 at Klyde Warren Park in Dallas.

Festival of Joy returns to Klyde Warren Park. Photo courtesy of Festival of Joy

USA Film Festival
A big film festival weekend gets started with the annual USA Film Festival, featuring 23 separate programs of narrative feature films, documentaries, and short films. Highlights include a salute to filmmaker Renny Harlin alongside a screening of his latest film, Deep Water, starring Aaron Eckhart and Ben Kingsley; a 75th Anniversary screening of Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train; and more. April 22-26 at Angelika Film Center in Dallas.

Dallas International Film Festival
The 20th edition of the annual Dallas International Film Festival will include more than 120 screenings, filmmaker Q&As, panels, nightly red carpets, and special events. Highlights include Cookie Queens, a documentary about Girl Scout Cookie season executive produced by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry; the horror film Obsession; Poetic License, the directorial debut of Maude Apatow; Power Ballad, the latest film from writer/director John Carney starring Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas; the documentary Gaslit, featuring actor and activist Jane Fonda; a retrospective screening of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; and more. The festival takes place April 23-30 at Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas Victory Park and other locations.

Lone Star Smokeout
Country music stars Riley Green, Koe Wetzel, and Shaboozey will headline the second annual Lone Star Smokeout. A roster of more than a dozen world-class BBQ pitmaster teams from Texas and across America will serve up great barbecue, and there will also be a new Sunday BBQ brunch. April 24-26 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Lone Star Smokeout Bbq & Country Music Festival will be at AT&T Stadium. Photo courtesy of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants

Frisco Uncorked
The annual Frisco Uncorked features hundreds of award-winning wines, local restaurants, a VIP experience, a craft beer garden, shopping with a large variety of boutiques and artisans, grape stomping competitions, activations, and more. April 25 at Frisco Square.

Dallas International Guitar Festival
The Dallas International Guitar Festival is the largest and oldest guitar show in the world, blending musicians, fans, collectors and celebrities together into one huge musical extravaganza. Visitors can buy, sell, trade, or just browse among the thousands upon thousands of new and vintage guitars, basses, amps, banjos, mandolins, straps and strings, effects pedals, keyboards, music memorabilia and more. There will also be performances by more than 50 local, regional, and national bands on the festival’s four music stages. May 1-3 at Dallas Market Hall.

Cottonwood Art Festival
Cottonwood Art Festival is a semi-annual event that features works from over 240 artists competing in 14 categories, like 2D Mixed Media, 3D Mixed Media, Ceramics, Digital, Drawings/Pastels, Fiber, Glass, Jewelry, Leather, Metalwork, Painting, Photography, Sculpture, and Wood. The festival also features local bands who perform the best in rock, country, jazz, blues, swing and folk. May 2 and 3 at Cottonwood Park in Richardson.

The Other Art Fair
The Other Art Fair will presents its largest and most ambitious edition to date, showcasing 135 independent artists. The fair brings together a curated blend of Dallas and Texas-based artists with national and international talent, creating a vibrant marketplace that connects collectors to emerging voices from near and far. May 7-10 at Dallas Market Hall.

The Other Art Fair: Dallas Two guests at The Other Art Fair review a collection of curated works $500 and under. The Other Art Fair

City of Grapevine presents 42nd Annual Main Street Fest
Main Street Fest is a family-friendly festival in the heart of Historic Grapevine. Visitors can enjoy food, shopping, a KidZone, live music, a carnival and midway, Grapevine Art Project Market, and more. May 15-17 in Historic Downtown Grapevine.

Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival
The annual Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival includes live performances by a variety of bands, a Singer Songwriter contest, a Battle of the Bands contest, and more over the course of three days. Headlining the list of nearly 50 bands for the 2026 event will be George Thorogood and the Destroyers, Kaleo, Tonic, Justin Moore, Blues Traveler, and OK Go. May 15-17 in Galatyn Park Urban Center outside of Eisemann Center for Performing Arts in Richardson.

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