Kicking and Screaming

Universal Pictures presents

Starring: Will Ferrell, Robert Duvall, Mike Ditka

Directed by: Jesse Dylan

Rating: ***1/2

Plot: Will Ferrell plays Phil Weston a simple man who was never really that good at sports, he has a great wife and runs a vitamin store. His only problem is dealing with his over the top father who constantly promotes sports and winning. So when Phil's son is kicked off of his own fathers soccer team. He decides to coach his son's new soccer team named the Tigers. The players lets just say are not in the best of shape and are also in last place in the division. Enlisting in the help of his neighbor Mike Ditka he learns what is to be a coach, and a father. Will Ferrell and Mike Ditka ensue...

Acting: Sooner or later Will Ferrell is going to get on my nerves, I know he is. Besides the fact he is being casted in almost every comedic role possible his style of comedy is always on the edge. A single joke can either be a grand slam, or a strike. I saw this in Anchorman which had it's moments but in the end wasn't as funny as it was suppose to be. We get the same thing here, some of his jokes are hilarious but some die hard, not the Bruce Willis movie I mean you'll find yourself not laughing at some of the jokes. Now what makes this movie different from Anchorman is this film actually has a heart and a story to tell. Which is mainly about a father in son getting along. Also this film has Mike Ditka in it, one of the most bad ass mother fuckers of all time. So you can't go wrong there. Robert Duvall plays Phil Weston's up tight father. Duvall mails this performance in but it was still great to see him here. I have to say this is probably my favorite Will Ferrell movie after Old School and that is saying a lot. His next project is Bewitched which he looks horrible in so will so how well this movie does to cement Ferrell as the recent king of comedy.

Directing/Writing: I have to hand it to the filmmakers to try and put some meaning behind this film. Still some things end up being random and sloppy. Comedy is hard and I understand that so just like in acting they have some home runs and some strikes as well. The kids on soccer team were amazing and very funny but the actors chosen for playing their parents did not seem real at all. Another major choice that will stick out in the film is it's very blatant anti coffee stance. Through half of this movie we see Ferrell's character almost over docing of coffee and then at the end having him kick an espresso machine over symbolizing his over coming frustration with his father. Wow has the coffee craze come to this where we now have anti coffee messages in movies? That seemed odd to me as well as there are way too many slow motion scenes and pointless close ups, I suppose they were meant to be funny but I wasn't laughing. Now the final game at the end where Ferrell's team and his father's meet up in the championship is actually very well filmed and fun to watch, you'll find yourself cheering on these goofball characters, and in the end that is all the matters really that you care for the characters.

Overall: Ferrell's attempt to save this cheesy movie almost works, I just didn't find myself laughing all the way through it. I also think it could have been better if they took the topic of soccer dads becoming coach's and took it more seriously with isolated jokes the movie would have worked a lot better, because Ferrell's comments go off the wall many times, "his fists were like small trucks". Funny sometimes but it made the movie a little too over the top, but hey see it for Ditka if nothing else.