Top 10 Movie Fights Where It's Hard to Choose a Side

Everyone has a good point! Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 10 arguments in movies where it’s hard to choose a side.

For this list, we’ll be going over the disputes in films in which both sides have valid contentions, or else make it difficult to side with one or the other because we care about all parties. Since some of these disagreements deal with plot points, there may be spoilers ahead.

“Pulp Fiction” (1994)
Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield are two hitmen and friends who enjoy a good-natured argument about almost anything. Although the duo have plenty of heated discussions throughout the film, on topics ranging from how intimate a foot massage is, to whether their survival of a hail of bullets constitutes divine intervention, our pick goes to their final one…about pigs. While eating at a diner, Jules reveals that he doesn’t eat pork, because he sees pigs as filthy animals, given that they roll in feces. And while we see his point, as Vincent so eloquently puts it: “Yeah but bacon tastes good! Pork chops taste good!”

“Shazam!” (2019)
In this DC movie, foster kid Billy Batson gains magical powers that allow him to become an adult superhero. With help from his foster brother Freddy, Billy explores his newfound abilities, while also turning a profit. As the story goes on though, Freddy, who admires superheroes, becomes increasingly critical of Billy for ignoring the responsibilities he’s been given to use his powers to help people. However, Billy is annoyed at Freddy’s attitude as well. After all, Freddy constantly attempts to use their connection to gain popularity at school, which is also not very responsible - especially since it inadvertently leads to the villain Dr. Sivana threatening their family.

“Monty Python and the Holy Grail” (1975)
Arthur, King of the Britons, begins this very silly film searching for knights to join him at the Round Table. While…uh…“riding” to a castle, he happens upon a peasant, named Dennis. Although things don’t begin well between them, with the king mistaking Dennis for an old woman, they only sour from there. Although Arthur just wants to know if there’s a knight or lord in the castle he can recruit, Dennis goes on surprisingly modern rants regarding class warfare and the plight of the working man, while also ridiculing King Arthur’s supposed divine right to rule. Although Dennis makes some very real points, we can also sympathize with Arthur’s frustration at the man’s apparent refusal to answer simple questions concisely.

“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” (2013)
While on their journey to the Lonely Mountain, Thorin Oakenshield and his Dwarven companions are captured by the elves of Mirkwood. After Thorin is brought before the Elven King, Thranduil, the monarch offers to let Thorin go and continue his quest, provided Thorin returns certain gems in the treasure hoard beneath the mountain. However, Thorin is distrustful of the offer, since Thranduil turned his people away when they sought shelter after the dragon’s attack years ago. Although Thorin has a point, Thranduil replies that Thorin’s greed has blinded him, something that proves prophetic in the sequel, when Thorin again rejects Thranduil’s aid, to his cost. Besides, if Thorin had played nice, they would have gotten out of prison sooner!

“Deadpool 2” (2018)
The title wisecracking, regenerating hero attempts to join the X-Men after a crushing loss, under the watchful metal eye of Colossus. During Wade Wilson’s first outing with the superhero team, he meets a young mutant with fire powers who has experienced abuse from his caretakers. Deadpool, seeing that the system likely won’t punish the men, immediately kills one of them, disappointing Colossus after he gave Wade a chance. However, after escaping prison, Deadpool argues to Colossus that doing what’s right and heroic isn’t always clean, easy, or within the bounds of the law. If Wade is a realist, then Colossus is an idealist, and in a perfect world, heroes would operate somewhere in the middle, which the latter decides to do by the movie’s end.

“Steve Jobs” (2015)
The title co-founder of Apple is a complicated and divisive figure. Steve Jobs may have been a genius, but he was also undeniably a perfectionist, which often led to disagreements. In the film, one scene intercuts two arguments between Jobs and former Apple CEO John Sculley, and both feature the same subject – Jobs’ firing. While one section takes place before and during the event, the other takes place years afterward. Although it’s easy to sympathize with Jobs’ frustration at the company’s emphasis on the Apple II, instead of the more advanced, yet in his eyes overpriced, Macintosh, Sculley also has good points about Jobs being difficult to work with, and how it was Jobs calling the board’s bluff that led to his firing, not Sculley.

“X-Men” (2000)
The rights of mutants with superhuman abilities is an ongoing debate throughout the “X-Men” franchise, but we elected to discuss one of the opening arguments in that broad discussion. While presenting her case to the United States Congress, Dr. Jean Grey argues that forcing mutants to disclose their identities would be traumatic and only increase their separation from society. Still, Senator Robert Kelly has an equally understandable position, arguing that many mutants have abilities that make them a potential danger to others and disclosing their identities could make for a safer country. Ideally, there’d be some kind of happy medium.

“Reservoir Dogs” (1992)
The opening scene of this crime movie sees a group of color-coded criminals finishing breakfast at a diner before a heist. When their boss leaves to pay the check, he asks that the rest chip in for the tip. However, Mr. Pink balks, claiming he doesn’t believe in tipping. He derides the American custom of automatically tipping as stupid, and he doesn’t feel their waitress’ performance was tip-worthy. Many of the others bust his chops for it, citing waitress’ standing wages as poor and that tips are necessary for them to survive. On the one hand, we can agree with Mr. Pink that tipping just because employers won’t pay their employees enough is dumb, but he’s also not going to change anything by holding out.

“Marriage Story” (2019)
Contrary to this film’s title, it’s actually more about divorce than it is marriage. Charlie and Nicole are initially willing to be amicable in their split, but what begins as a companionable discussion soon escalates into a bitter argument between the two of them. Each gets extremely personal, with comparisons to their parents and ugly insults that neither clearly means coming up as it escalates. Both of them have clearly failed to communicate their needs to the other and gone too far in one way or another, although Charlie’s final outburst is a step too far and he clearly regrets it even while he’s saying it. Divorce certainly brings out the worst in both of them.

Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
Shrek & Fiona
“Shrek 2” (2004)
Sebastian & Mia
“La La Land” (2016)
Frank & April Wheeler
“Revolutionary Road” (2008)
Shifu & Tai Lung
“Kung Fu Panda” (2008)
Randal, Elias & Hobbit Fan
“Clerks 2” (2006)

“Captain America: Civil War” (2016)
The conflict between Iron Man and Captain America had us all choosing sides, but it wasn’t exactly easy, since we love both of them and each has valid concerns. Tony Stark supports the Sokovia Accords, which would put a check on heroes behaving recklessly due to his regret over the damage his own recklessness has caused. Meanwhile, Cap is reluctant to accept oversight when it could interfere with how well they can protect people, and his recent experience with Hydra. Also, their final fight is similarly charged – Cap wants to protect his friend, who was brainwashed into being a killer, yet if we were in Tony’s shoes, we probably couldn’t forgive our parents’ murderer either. Everybody lost this fight.