Nice effects though.

Did you people see the same film I saw?

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

.Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

I'm pretty sure they just pointed the camera on Will Ferrell and said 'go'. Although someone wrote a script, but you wouldn't know, because Ferrell's character changes from scene to scene, lurching from one thing to another. There's a bit about coffee, which doesn't make any sense. Mike Ditka at all doesn't make sense. This whole movie seems to have been all shot in single takes, so lopsided and random it is. The pacing is way off: either a skit is too long, or too short. I think there's a father-son lesson, but daddy and his team are barely on screen, so that didn't work, which is typical.Was it funny? Like watching an episode of SNL, you watch jokes happen, and maybe laugh once every fifteen minutes or so. You recognise that what is happening is in fact, a succession of jokes and, out of desperation, you laugh at one or two of them.Jokes frequently fall flat, because even they don't make sense. (e.g. Ferrell attempts to taunt one of the opposition players. Why? To get him sent off? To put him off? The pay off is that the kid attacks Ferrell, to which Ferrell seems surprised, which was surely why he did it in the first place).

This is a goofy Will Ferrell film. Not surprisingly, it's a rather conventional movie compared to many of his later films. Clearly this is NOT another "Talladega Nights" or "Stepbrothers". This isn't necessarily a complaint--just an observation that it's a relatively normal plot. At least, normal for a Will Ferrell film.Ferrell plays a guy who is ALWAYS being put down by his hyper-competitive father (Robert Duvall--who is very reminiscent of the Great Santini in this role). It nags at Ferrell but he seems to have accepted this. However, when the job of coaching a kids soccer team is thrust upon him, his competitiveness comes out--since the best team in the league is coached by his awful father. Oddly, Ferrell is able to get some help from a guy who hates Duvall even more....coach Mike Ditka--who is pretty funny in this very off-beat role.The first 75% of the film is pretty conventional. It's pure sports formula. However, due to the miracle of coffee (something Ferrell's character never drank before), much of the last 25% is amazingly weird--much weirder than films like "Lady Bugs" (a soccer film with Rodney Dangerfield) or "The Bad News Bears". In fact, this portion is the best part of the movie because it stops being so formulaic...for a while. However, at no point do you forget exactly how this film MUST end! So is it a great film...absolutely not. But it is quite enjoyable and worth seeing due to its goofiness. Not great but a decent little film.

'Kicking & Screaming' is pretty much a typical football comedy about an underdog team that wins in the end. Nothing new here but the reason why I watched it and enjoyed it was because of the cast. Will Ferrell is fun to watch and a laidback Robert Duvall gives a funny relaxed performance as the jerk dad with a comic touch. The beautiful Kate Walsh plays the typical wife and mom and is pretty much there for star value and eye candy. I also enjoyed the scenes with the kids. The Byong Sun character was particularly funny. The film does occasionally derail as Ferrell's Phil gets hooked on coffee and turns into a maniac coach but then again, it made me laugh. Overall this isn't exactly a great film and it has nothing new to offer but it's good time pass as it draws some laughter. Perhaps that was director Jesse Dylan's intention.

My dog barfed when he watched this. Also, my gerbil died. ...But that's because the dog barfed on him and he suffocated. Honestly, it's a consideration to put a label for a good movie on this one, then send it to someone I hate. Poor Will and Robert. At least Ditka didn't have an acting career before. Why would they agree to this abomination? Community service? Award willing actors and bad dialog. I kept searching, but found no meaning. The most light-hearted 10-year-olds I know would have a hard time sitting through this rubbish. All things considered, I think the time I took a laxative and a sleeping pill in the same night, things turned out better. No continuity + inferior writing = movie in a garbage bin. I was forced to watch this movie Kicking and Screaming.