If you want to see some Jello wrestling or anything like that, then look elsewhere. Because here we’re talking about girl on girl fights, but not the kind you may be used to. Other people have attempted to make lists of the like, but still managed to include some questionable entries (i.e., Neve Campbell vs Denise Richards in Wild Things, or any women in prison movie)
You’ll find no bimbos locked in a phony struggle whose only goal is to give you an erection. We mean women who must fight to survive, do their duty, defend their honour, or save a loved one. Sadly, finding examples of honest non-exploitative displays of feminine brutality is a tough task when surveying the cultural landscape. People tend to only pay attention to girl fights when their done in mud with bikinis. This isn’t right, nor is it fair. Sure we all enjoy a beautiful woman, but I feel that we are doing our daughters, sisters, and mothers a disservice if we don’t occasionally pause and pay homage to the women who kick butt hardcore, and with their clothes on (well, at least partially clothed).
With this in mind I have compiled a list of some of the finest girl vs girl fights ever captured on film.
10. Queen Latifih vs Missi Pyle, Bringing Down the House
We’ll start on a light note. At best, Bringing Down the House is a mildly enjoyable Sunday morning TBS family comedy. Since the director is abysmal (Adam “Rock of Ages” Shankman), the movie is saved from total mediocrity by the fine-tuned comedic instincts of one Mr. Steve Martin and the spunk of his female costar Queen Latifah. They’re so good, in fact, that you almost forget how borderline racist most of the comedy in the film is (it’s basically an big screen version of Gimme A Break). A sassy, yet sophisticated chocolate goddess (Latifah), invades the life and family of a white, divorced tight-butt tool (Martin), and infuses the household with some much needed spunk and flavor.
While the film passes as light comedy, it is remembered mostly for the excellent chick vs chick battle that occurs between Queen Latifiah and Missi Pyle (a very underrated comedienne) portraying Charlene and Ashley respectively. Charlene has begun to make a place for herself in the life of Martin and his family, but his sister-in-law (Pyle) takes it upon her self to undermine her at every turn. After one too many off-color jokes, Charlene decides she’s had enough and confronts the “skinny white hoe” in a ladies room at a country club. Latafah’s Charlene, and the audience, thinks that it will be an easy beat down, but Pyle’s Ashley showcases a surprising amount of grit, which makes a very nice foil for Charlene. If anything, Pyle’s physical prowess should come as validation for anyone who ever was ridiculed because of their fondness for Tae Bo.
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9 Comments
Non-sexist? Really???
You do realise that every single one of them is a woman, not a girl. The infantilization of adult women is hardly PC is it?
I don’t follow…..can you elaborate?
I would add…
Fight scene between Yeon So-Ha (Yoon So-yi) and Mae Young-Ok (Lee Ki-Yong) in 2005′s “Shadowless Sword”
Fight scene between Judge Hershey (Diane Lane) and Dr. Ilsa Hayden (Joan Chen) in 1995’s Judge Dredd
Fight scene between Alice (Milla Jovovich) and Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory) in 2012’s “Resident Evil: Retribution”
Fight scene between Lori (Kate Beckinsale) and Melina (Jessica Biel) in 2012’s “Total Recall”
I wonder Patrick….how do you think the fight scene in the new total recall compares to the one from 1990.
I thought the 2012 version was much more vicious and more realistic but entirely too short and frankly unnecessary. The original version was much more choreographed …but that stated I also thought it was more effective…meaning that since the scene lead to the demise of Sharon Stone’s character…there was consequence and the scene was therefore consequential. In the 2012 version, it seems that it was just an extra action scene that did not add anything to the story.
I think Neve Campbell vs. The Female Killer in Scream 2 should be in this list.
How can you say Cynthia Rothrock took Steven Segal’s left overs????
We all know old fat boy has never turned a film down in his life
Lol…Good Point.
The fight in Bringing Down the House is one of the most misogynistic scenes I’ve ever seen in an otherwise semi-pleasant film. The characters getting their heads smashed against walls? Not imagery I’m okay with for comedy’s sake–nor is the reason behind it. Are we to find this scene funny simply because the people fighting are women? If that’s the case, color me unamused. It pits woman against woman and uses each as a stand-in: a historically female eating disorder is used as a punchline, as is race. It feels as though the male writer wanted to get some good barbs in about women and so hired two female actresses to accomplish their mission. Yuck.