Looking to put a pacifistic spin on the otherwise hectic and chaotic action genre, an upcoming movie that is going to be exclusively released on Hulu looks to spotlight a young main character who, ironically enough, has no desire to throw a punch or land a kick against another person. While his three friends have no problem getting into physical brawls when the occasion calls for it, 17-year-old Miguel (played by Tyler Dean Flores) — in the aptly titled Miguel Wants To Fight — just fantasizes about replicating his favorite big screen heroes instead.
The film has a comedic undertone that flows through weighty themes like coming-of-age, stepping into your own identity, and maneuvering through rocky friendships. Director (and SNL alumni) Oz Rodriguez sat down with MovieWeb to discuss the two tones of the movie as well as the many inspirational films of the past that helped shape it.
Conducting a brief retrospective into his own past before settling into a discussion about his latest offering, Rodriguez compared his time on Miguel Wants so Fight with his Saturday Night Live days. While he credits the humongous comedy institution with teaching him a lot about comedy, a surprising lesson came in the form of time management.
"SNL was a very tough job because we would shoot [on] either a Friday morning or Friday night, and then it had to be [ready] for TV on Saturday night," said Rodriguez. "That really helped in this movie because we had only 24 days to shoot it and only three [for] the action." If you have prior training (which in this case, SNL provided), a hasty production plan is just another day at the office.
Read on to find out more about Perkins' debut feature film, Miguel Wants to Fight.
Rising Up to the Challenge
One aspect of this rambunctious teenage film that many people will notice right away is its cultural inclusiveness. According to Rodriguez, this was a part of the screenplay that he absolutely looked forward to when getting ready to direct Miguel Wants to Fight. "I wanted to present new kinds of heroes," said Rodriguez, "diverse heroes. We have seen one type throughout the history of cinema." He vibrantly continued by outlining Miguel's specific aspiration while also tethering it to the character's culture:
It’s really exciting to do projects like this where a half-Mexican and a half-Puerto Rican kid gets to be an anime hero, be Bruce Lee and almost have a sword fight. It was really fun to have [him] try and rise up to the status of those heroes that he looked up to.
Aside from looking at this topic through a specific cultural lens, Rodriguez also enjoys stories where people can not only freely express themselves, but when they also face day to day challenges that might relate to the audience that is watching.
On the surface, Miguel Wants To Fight looks to be a simple coming of age movie about a boy haphazardly trying to find himself in a world that's quickly evolving. But as the film progresses, dual tensions start to rise from within both Miguel's friend group and his family. Rodriguez went on to speak about the difficulty transitioning from humorous sequences into the more impactful and poignant scenes:
"You’re always wondering how and if you can balance out the big swings that we take with laughs — like in the supermarket when [Miguel] encounters the old man — [with] those moments of real, heavy emotions, like when he's with his best friend David towards the end of the movie."
"We always wanted a movie that was also grounded in realism." While Rodriguez does say that this balance between tones was a challenge at first, he now looks at it as an earned accomplishment.
Combining Fantastical Comedy with Action Flicks
While not exactly an action movie at its core, Miguel Wants To Fight does serve as an homage to many past iconic entries of the genre by recreating some of the most well known scenes as a set-up for Miguel's daydreams, where he squares off against his would-be opponents.
While jokingly stating that research on these references gave him "a great excuse to watch a ton of action movies” as well as “all the Bruce Lee movies," Rodriguez also explained how this was the main reason why he wanted to do this movie.
[Miguel] felt like a refreshing, new character to see in a screenplay [...] He’s holding on to a little Bruce Lee, you know? I think that was one of the most exciting things about Miguel — his outlook towards violence, fighting, and his friends.
The director also noted that alongside himself, there was also an equal amount of excitement for the character from the actor who played him. "At some point, I texted [Tyler Dean Flores] and I was like, 'Stretch your legs, because you’re going to be doing a lot of kicking,' and he jumped right into it. He trained for months."
Communication Is Key
As Rodriguez discussed how Flores devoted himself to the part, he couldn't help but talk about the other main characters as well, who were played by Imani Lewis, Christian Vunipola, and Suraj Partha. "These young actors really brought it every day. We expected a lot. There was a minimum of five, six pages to do every day too," said Rodriguez, describing their willingness to dive into the roles.
Sometimes they had to do their own stunts — every character gets to be involved in the action. They were amazing, and I can’t wait to work with them again in some fashion.
The chemistry seen between the four friends will not only help a younger audience connect to them, but perhaps lead more mature viewers to remember the same kind of amazing friendships that they themselves had during those times.
When asked about the overall messages that he wants the viewer to take away from such a wide-ranging film, Rodriguez ended the interview with a sweet and quietly powerful hope. "I think what I would love for audiences to take from this movie is to be entertained, to have fun, and truly, communication — talking with your friends and talking about your feelings. There might have been no movie if Miguel had just talked about his feelings."
Miguel Wants to Fight will be available to stream on Hulu starting August 16th.