FanUnity B(uzz)log

Will Ferrell is on a two game losing streak, as far as I am concerned. Like 2004’s “Anchorman”, “Kicking And Screaming” is a lackluster comedy that offers little other than the hammy hijinks of its hilarious lead actor.Fans of Will Ferrell will enjoy seeing him at work, doing his classic schtik: there’s the overreacting anger, the emotional breakdowns, the inappropriate lashings out and the sadistically funny physical comedy. Yet surrounding all of this is a whole lot of nothing. Outside of Ferrell the film brings nothing to the table.

The story follows Ferrell as a repressed nice guy whose suffered a lifetime of abuse at the hands of his victory-obsessed father, played by Robert Duvall. Duvall’s character is constantly trying to one-up his son. When Farrell’s character announces he is getting married and reveals his pretty bride-to-be, Duvall’s character announces his own engagement to an even-prettier woman. When Ferrell’s character has a new baby son, Duvall’s has one at the same time with his young wife, and the son is born exactly one ounce heavier than Ferrell’s. When the boys grow up together and eventually play on the soccer team run by Duvall, Duvall’s kid is the team star while Ferrell’s kid warms the bench. When Duvall dumps Ferrell’s kid off the team, Ferrell steps in to become a coach in his own right and challenge his dad’s lifetime of supremacy over him by enlisting the aide of Duvall’s bitter enemy, former NFL coach Mike Ditka, played by Mike Ditka.

While the premise itself is not a bad idea for a film, the execution of it is lackluster. The excessively long Ditka appearance in the film is an example. At first, it was a humorous cameo, but then Ditka hangs around. For basically the whole film. In fact, he has third billing and is essentially a supporting character. He’s funny at first, but he isn’t really an actor and the routine wears thin after a while.

The hijinks of the kids aren’t anything new. The movie in general isn’t anything new. Like “Anchorman”, the film is basically a poorly executed attempt at a cleverly premised story featuring an extremely funny actor in the lead. Only the most die-hard Ferrell fans will consider this a good movie.

1.5/5 Stars.