Miguel Wants To Fight

In a neighborhood where fighting is just a part of everyday life, Miguel has never found himself in one, but when a sudden new change turns his life upside down, the martial arts movie-obsessed teenager becomes determined to throw his first punch, taking him and his friends on a series of comic misadventures.

A kind of low-rent Scott Pilgrim, minus the weird and possibly kinda problematic romance, that celebrates the martial art movie genre, especially notable greats like Enter The Dragon, The Matrix, and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Miguel Wants To Fight is definitely fun and funny, but it’s ultimately a little too thin to make a mark.

The basic plot is a pretty easy one…

Miguel lives in a somewhat rougher neighborhood, the kind where sudden fisticuffs between the local youths are common. However, despite this, and the fact that his dad is a boxing coach, and that the lives of Miguel and his friends are seemingly centered, not just on his dad’s boxing gym, but on martial arts movies and fighting video games too, Miguel has never punched anyone, nor has he ever been punched, not even when one of his three best friends is in a fight, not even when all three of them are all in the same fight together, despite the fact that they are all basically as close as family, and that jumping in the fight is what you do if your friends get into it with some fools.

But, as one of his friends says as a understanding and supportive explanation for why this is: “You’re Miguel, it’s just not you.”

And it’s true, Miguel is a sensitive kid, an artist and a filmmaker, the classic “lover, not a fighter” type. He’s a good guy. But, he’s also aware of what this implies about him, especially in the world and neighborhood that he lives in. So, when his parents inform him that a new job opportunity means the family will be moving, and in only one week—a change that is framed as a good thing because they will be moving to a “better neighborhood” which Miguel takes as meaning “for softer kids like you”—his anger, fear, and shame all get funneled into a sudden and all-consuming obsession with popping his fight cherry.

But, the best laid plans, as they say…

Running at under 90 minutes, the film definitely feels light and quick, but this is also a big part of why it feels so slight too. There are definitely some laughs here, mostly because the four friends are all very talented, with an easy and natural rapport that fuels every scene, but the movie itself ultimately falls flat, never truly diving into the teen bravdo, the anger, and the insecurity, especially among young men, that is often the reason that physical fights happen in the first place.

Also, for lack of a better term, the “Scott Pilgrim-esque” editing, effects, and title cards are relied on a little too much, without a lot of real meaning as to why, and the same goes for the re-enactments of the classic martial arts films. Those are all fun and funny, and on their own, they’re great and really well-done, but they also take up space that would’ve been better served by digging more into some of the meatier character bits the film often alludes to, the emotional stuff, the motivations of not just Miguel, but his best friend David too.

As a result of this neglect, despite being fun and well-made in general, “Miguel Wants to Fight” lacks any real power to its punches, and much like the hero, seems to choose to just not get into it, watching from the sidelines instead, almost as if it were scared of leaving a bruise.

And that’s no way to win a fight.