The Foot Fist Way

Surprise hit comedies are generally the ones that feature a relatively under-exposed actor with great comedic talent in a central role. That is what Danny McBride as Fred Simmons is supposed to be. It's not a bad movie, but it scratches the surface of what it could be. It feels like "The Foot Fist Way" is the very long pilot of a TV series that didn't get picked up: like there was something more that needed to happen and characters that needed to be developed.

The film is a small character-driven comedy created by a trio of friends who have been nurtured by the Will Ferrell and Adam McKay screwball character movie teat. Danny McBride, the star, Jody Hill, director and supporting actor and Ben Best, supporting actor, all wrote the story of Simmons, a tae kwan do instructor in Alabama who's full of himself yet humbly insecure.

There's really no plot until halfway through the movie, giving it that episodic "this should be broken up into smaller, fleshed out parts" feel. Supporting characters jump in and out rather than contribute to a flowing narrative. The only thing that stays solid is the rocky relationship subplot between Simmons and his tall-built bimbo wife (a rather untalented Mary Jane Bostic).

Admirably, these three amigos try and create a character for McBride that is both a verbal machine gun of ridiculous phrases and someone who uses that same egotistical technique to work out his emotional problems. In other words, someone who is supposed to be hilarious but self-revealing at the same time -- a complex goofball. Their first trial run is hit or miss on the comedic end and just short on creating a meaningful character. McBride is capable, but they don't really push the concept hard enough.

A glorified TV episode might be all it is, but there's talent in this group of aspiring comedy filmmakers.

"The Foot Fist Way" is the second Jody Hill movie I've watched. The first was "Observe and Report" with Seth Rogen which was released in 2009. I'm noticing that the Jody Hill formula is to make comedies dressed as dramas, so there will be no audio or visual cues to laugh. The actors' faces, voices, and movements won't cue you that this is a joke, simply the dialog and perhaps the absurdity of the situation. It's a unique style that isn't going to have you rolling on the floor laughing.

In TFFW Danny McBride played Fred Simmons, a Taekwondo instructor in North Carolina. He is a joke of an instructor with a super hot wife and a super hot car. Danny McBride consumes about 80% of the screen time, so the movie truly hinges upon him. His wife Suzie (Mary Jane Bostic) and his idol Chuck "The Truck" Wallace (Ben Best) have the next greatest share of screen time and it's not that much.

This movie had two very funny scenes which carried it. The rest of the movie kept a steady pace although it didn't register highly on the funny scale.

I am always amazed at how hard it is to make a decent low budget comedy. One would think that comedies and dramas would be the easiest genres to film on a limited budget, yet time and time again, they fail to deliver.

After hearing such amazing buzz for The Foot Fist Way, I was very excited to see if this "little comedy that could" would actually deliver. The result, however, was a very mixed bag.

The acting is very good for a film of this caliber, except for the woman who plays the adulterous wife. During several scenes at the beginning of the film, she is shocking bad, and it takes away from the believability of the scenes.

The comedy, when it hits, is very funny... but it is quite obvious why Will Ferell has put so much praise on this film. It is essentially a very vulgar no-budget version of one of his films. The Tae Kwon Do instructor is essentially playing Will Ferell, playing this character. At times, he's very funny - but its nothing groundbreaking.

The film really disappoints in its pacing. Every outcome is extremely obvious, and many scenes go on for way too long. One scene in particular, in which the instructor tries to come on to a female student, really outlasts its welcome and goes from mildly amusing to aggravating by its end. The final scene, meant to feel somewhat victorious, comes off flat and humorless.

The Foot Fist Way does deliver some very good belly laughs from time to time, but sadly comes out like most low-budget comedies. Its sad to say, but had this project been given a Hollywood budget, a script polish, and some stars, it would have been much more fun.

Skip it in theaters. Give it a rental if you're intrigued.

Cute silliness about a local strip-mall Tae Kwon Do dojang owner who never grew up. From his abuse of his children pupils to his choice in wives he is stunted. It shouldn't be funny to see his pain but it's hilarious. Well done.

This is the type of movie that gets funnier each time you watch it, just like The Big Lebowski. It takes a while to get a feel for the level of realism (a bit more serious than Napoleon Dynamite), but when you're finally tuned in to the wavelength of the makers, you can almost instantly re-watch it (which will not take up too much time because it's refreshingly short). Once you know the characters are a bit silly, but not trying to generate cheap laughs or thrills (it must have been tempting to let Mr. Simmons totally snap, or have an all out brawl at the hotel room party, or let Mrs. Simmons show some more skin), the story becomes remarkably solid.