17-year-old Miguel had always been a spectator when his friends got into fights. When the realization dawned on him, Miguel became resolute about getting into a fight. Miguel Wants To Fight is quite literally about a teenager’s dream to get into a fight. Miguel was obsessed with action films, and his failure to live up to his heroes bothered him. Miguel and his friends enjoyed creating TikTok videos dressed as their favorite superheroes or anime characters. Inside Miguel’s mind, he was an action hero ready to take on any challenge thrown in his path, but unfortunately, in reality, he was just the good old Miguel. Once Miguel expressed his desire to get into a fight, his childhood friends, David, Cass, and Srini, tried to come up with the perfect strategy to help him win.
Spoiler Alert
What Is The Film About?
Srini got into an argument at the basketball court, and David and Cass jumped in when the argument escalated into a scuffle. Miguel simply stood by and watched his friends get punched. He wanted to help them, but the logical side of him always told him that fights were unnecessary. Later, when Miguel confessed to his friends that he had never participated in a fight, they were shocked. But the moment they started to carefully dissect the many brawls, they realized that Miguel had always gone missing. Miguel struggled to find a reason to jump in, and he ended up not participating. Cass and Srini were disappointed, and they stated that getting into a fight was part of the friendship checklist. David never expected Miguel to get into a scuffle, and he was not really surprised by his confession. He was Miguel’s only friend who did not glorify the idea of getting into a fight. All David cared about was fulfilling his father’s dream of him going to college, and he sought Miguel’s help to prepare for exams. Miguel had no intentions of clashing with anyone, but it all changed when he returned home.
As soon as Miguel returned home, his mother, Lydia, revealed that she had gotten a promising job, but the only catch was that the job was in Albany. The family had to move in eight days, and Miguel was devastated. His father, Alberto, was supportive of Lydia’s decision and tried to reason with Miguel about the sudden move. While Alberto believed that the neighborhood would be better suited for his son, Miguel did not care. The thought of leaving his best friends behind broke his heart, and instead of expressing his emotions, he decided to hide behind a challenge. He did not discuss the big news with his friends; instead, he declared that he was ready to get into his first fight. Miguel believed that the only way to show his affection for his friends was by getting into a scuffle.
Why Was David Disappointed With Miguel?
Miguel’s father, Alberto, owned a boxing gym in the neighborhood. He had trained some of the region’s most prominent boxers, and David’s father, Felipe, was one of them. David used to practice boxing with his father, but after his death, he gave up on it. Boxing helped him bond with his father, but after his death, David did not wish to pursue it. Meanwhile, Miguel worked at the gym, but he never took a serious interest in the sport. Deep down, Miguel believed that he was a disappointment to his father. As a kid who did not believe fighting could solve problems, Miguel felt he and his father were starkly different, and the only way he could connect with Alberto was by taking an interest in boxing.
Fighting for Miguel was not just about proving his friendship before he left town; it was also a way to prove his masculinity, which would eventually make Alberto proud of him. Miguel, Cass, Srini, and David came up with one plan after another for the fight. Miguel initially planned on fighting with Adrian, who had nicknamed him “Bona Lisa” after a rather embarrassing incident in art class. Miguel wanted him to pay the price for insulting him in front of a class full of students. But the moment Miguel approached him at school, he noticed that Adrian’s hand was in a cast. Miguel believed it was unfair to beat up someone who was already injured. The next plan was for him to fight Kevin Troy, also known as the “Air Morgans guy.” He made fun of Miguel for wearing fake Jordans, and Miguel was convinced that he was the one he wanted to punish. The next day at school, when Miguel approached Kevin Troy, they ended up laughing about the incident, and strangely enough, they became friends within minutes.
While Miguel was all caught up in thinking about his next target, David wanted his best friend to focus on his studies so that they could be together in the same class next semester. It did not matter to David if his friend had ever fought or not; Miguel had been his constant support in life, and that was all he cared about. His father was celebrated for being a tough guy, but in the end, he was run over by a car while returning from the gym. As tough as his father was, he was not indestructible. This is why David could not relate to Miguel’s obsession to prove himself. But Miguel was not ready to give up on his dream. He decided to challenge Blake White, an infamous bully at school. Unfortunately, it ended up becoming a verbal conflict, and Miguel left after embarrassing himself by trying to crack a joke on his sister, who had recently suffered an accident. Miguel’s next target was Claudia, but she ended up missing school that day. Miguel was gradually losing hope, and as frustrated as he was, he was ready to pick a fight with anyone. But none of Miguel’s friends expected him to challenge Damien Delgado, the most feared student in school who was known for beating people into pulp. Thankfully, their teacher interfered, and Miguel did not have to face any consequences for it.
David lost his cool when he found out that Miguel sought help from Armando, the local criminal who had been in prison for nine months. He was also a boxer, and David hated him for insulting his father. David did not expect Miguel to try and befriend someone like Armando. He had been tolerating Miguel’s unreasonable decisions, but the Armando revelation was too much for him to handle. He was all the more frustrated when Miguel mentioned how he had not been of any help. The accusations started to slip out of control, and David finally stated that Miguel was moving out of town. He had seen movers outside Miguel’s house, and he figured out the truth. Cass and Srini were shocked; they could not believe that Miguel had wasted the last week he had with them planning a fight. David was no longer interested in fixing their friendship, and Miguel walked away.
Did Miguel Ultimately Get Into A Fight?
During Miguel Wants To Fight’s ending, Miguel finally admitted to his father that he often felt like a disappointment. He had spent an entire week trying to prove himself to his father. He was hurt when Alberto stated that the new neighborhood would be better suited for him. Miguel assumed that his father did not think he was strong enough. Alberto was quite surprised that Miguel had misread his statement. He explained that he truly believed that the neighborhood they were moving into was better than the one they were in. As parents, he and Lydia wanted Miguel to have a better life, and they were happy that they were finally able to provide him with it. Alberto comforted his son and added that he was proud that Miguel was his own person.
Miguel also realized that he had been a terrible friend to David and owed him an apology. The next morning, Miguel met his friends, and David was not too happy to see him. At the end of Miguel Wants To Fight, when they tried to sort out their differences, Srini’s rival, Saul, was back with racist slurs directed at him. This time, Miguel did not stop himself from landing a punch on one of the opponent’s faces. Miguel finally had his first fight, and it was for all the right reasons. After the fight, Miguel and David laughed off all their misunderstandings and promised to remain friends. The night before Miguel left, the four friends planned on watching a film together. Even though they would spend less time together, it seems the friendship will remain.
