A mother struggles to find the hot new toy that her son wants for the holiday, which leads her to a small toy store. Unfortunately, there is another mom who wants the toy just as bad, willing to ‘throw down' to take home the coveted ‘Captain Dynamite'.
“Mom Fight“ is screening at CAAMFest Forward
Consumerism comes to blows in “Mom Fight”, the most recent short film from Director Mickey Finnegan. The desire for the hottest new toy leads too two mothers coming to blows. Ultimately, this sequence acts as the major focal point of the production and its greatest draw.
The ‘main event' of mom vs mom is backed by fight choreography that flows nicely, giving the sequence a lot of flair. Adding to the chaos is the location of the toy store, which allows for some amusing props to be thrown in the mix as the two duke it out. Perhaps the greatest highlight comes via dialogue and non-verbal reactions in the fight, which injects needed moments of comedy between the punches, throws and kicks.
The choreography is further complemented by the cinematography which gives a greater sense of motion to the fight. DOP Jon Peter proves his ability to best capture the scene, and even sets up a few humorous shots that would have become lost in less confident hands.
While the action is definitely the key focus, Jennifer Khoe adds needed charm to the production in her performance. Although the overall sentiment from her character is still driven by consumerism, the choice to have her motives driven out of motherly love rather than worrying about potential fallout, makes her goal appear admirable. Additionally, the opening dialogue framing the fight is both charming and humorous, starting the production on a gleeful note. As a result, the minimal character building becomes essential in drawing the audience deeper into the spectacle, giving them no reason to cheer for one combatant over the other.
While “Mom Fight” lacks a deeper commentary and offers a simplistic scenario played out in both film and TV, the end result is undeniably fun. Ultimately, a well choregraphed fight sequence and witty comedic dialogue makes the film a fun trip worth taking.
