RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / Upcoming / Kicking and Screaming
Kicking and Screaming

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Kicking and Screaming (2005)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
41 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:135

Fresh:56

Rotten:79

Average Rating:5.1/10

Consensus: The script is mediocre and fails to give Ferrell a proper comedic showcase.

Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins

Genre: Childrens

US Box Office: $52,580,895

Synopsis: Funny man Will Farrell's humorous man-child antics meet actual kids on this soccer comedy. As vitamin salesman Phil Weston, Farrell's a sensitive man easily capable of both crying and sewing.... Funny man Will Farrell's humorous man-child antics meet actual kids on this soccer comedy. As vitamin salesman Phil Weston, Farrell's a sensitive man easily capable of both crying and sewing. Unfortunately for Phil, these qualities have never quite endeared him to his tough-as-nails father, Buck (Robert Duvall), who will stop at nothing to one-up Phil. He goes so far as benching Phil's 10-year-old son--his own grandson--on the youth soccer team he coaches. When Phil begs for more playing time for the boy, Buck trades his grandson to the last-place team, the Tigers. Not just any normal cellar-dwelling outfit, the Tigers feature a cast of lovable losers who prefer eating worms and telling jokes to playing soccer. When the Tigers' coach leaves, putting the season on the line, an inexperienced Phil steps in to helm his son's new team. With help from Buck's neighbor and rival, real-life football coach Mike Ditka--hilariously playing himself--the Tigers turn their season around. Fueled by a raging caffeine habit, Phil starts to be overly obsessed with beating Buck, losing sight of why he took the job in the first place--to be a better dad to his own son. Director Jesse Dylan (AMERICAN WEDDING) is a natural for the storyline, being famed musician Bob Dylan's son. Farrell, for once, is content to play straight man to the crazy tykes in the first half of the film, before he unleashes his trademark zaniness. Those attributes alone, along with fun-loving family themes, make KICKING & SCREAMING a treat for fans both young and old. [More]

Starring: Will Ferrell, Robert Duvall, Mike Ditka, Kate Walsh

Starring: Will Ferrell, Robert Duvall, Mike Ditka, Kate Walsh, Musetta Vander, Josh Hutcherson, Dylan McLaughlin

Director: Jesse Dylan

Director: Jesse Dylan
Screenwriter: Leo Benvenuti, Steve Rudnick
Producer: Jimmy Miller
Composer: Mark Isham
Studio: Universal Pictures

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Reviews for Kicking and Screaming

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

There are a few broad laughs and Ferrell is everything you would expect him to be – irritating, occasionally amusing and sometimes inspired

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
08/30/05
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Kicking & Screaming seems to be exactly what you’d expect - a Bad News Bears with soccer moms.

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
05/13/05
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

This is no Bend It Like Burgundy.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
05/12/05
Fred Topel
Fred Topel
About.com

As always, Will Ferrell earns laughs through his total commitment to the material.

Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment Comment
05/18/05
Mike McGranaghan
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat

What could have been a third-rate knockoff of The Bad News Bears instead emerges as just about its equal.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
05/11/05
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

There's few revelations, but it's pleasantly handled and swiftly executed. Kids will love it, and there's enough laughs to sustain their parents.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
05/12/05
Randy Cordova
Randy Cordova
Arizona Republic

Just watching Ferrell pull faces (for lack of a better term) is hilarious.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
05/12/05
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

... as entertaining as watching your neighbor's kid's soccer game, not because you want to, but because you have to.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
05/21/05
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

This isn't the worst setup for a kiddie comedy, but it proves that Ferrell alone can't carry a film.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
09/26/05
Keith Phipps
Keith Phipps
AV Club

Gets the job done for its core audience of tots%u2014and for no one else.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
10/13/05
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

... a rather schizophrenic movie; groaningly familiar around the edges but with a pair of frighteningly unpredictable monsters at the centre.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
07/12/05
Paul Arendt
Paul Arendt
BBC

Rather shakily directed by Jesse (son of Bob) Dylan, who possibly knows something about larger-than-life fathers.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
05/13/05
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Boston Globe

It’s only the 20 priceless minutes near the end -- when Ferrell breaks out of the wimpy-dad routine and outruns director and writers to gloriously over-the-top heights -- that elevate this film from dreadful to mediocre.

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
05/21/05
Mattias Frey
Mattias Frey
Boston Phoenix

If Farrell's caffeine-crazed commands to his team net a few laughs, the PG rating guarantees a sugar-coated ending at the whistle.

Full Review Source: Boulder Weekly | comment Comment
05/19/05
Thomas Delapa
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly

[Ferrell's] humor is cut off at the knees by sloppy editing, a tedious pace and an underwhelming payoff.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
05/13/05
Christine James
Christine James
Boxoffice Magazine

Ferrell's ideally suited to man-boy characters, and that's what Phil Weston is.

Full Review Source: Charlotte Observer | comment Comment
05/12/05
Lawrence Toppman
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer

An entertaining family movie, and may serve a useful purpose if it inspires kids to overthrow their coaches and take over their own sports.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
05/12/05
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Ferrell sticks with it, kicking and screaming indeed, distracting us with his good-natured mugging until enough 'it's-not-about-winning' lessons to fill a sequel are pounded home.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
05/12/05
Robert K. Elder
Robert K. Elder
Chicago Tribune

Some scenes are just silly, others are dead-on uproarious.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
05/12/05
David Sterritt
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor

Kicking & Screaming succeeds because it understands its target audience, refraining from playing it too cute or crude. Though predictable, it's well executed.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
09/25/06
Russ Breimeier
Russ Breimeier
Christianity Today
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
all

Latest News for Kicking and Screaming

March 29, 2007: Box Office Guru Preview: Will Ferrell Goes for the Gold
Two promising new comedies target different age groups and look to close off a red hot March box office with strong opening weekend sales. More...

August 07, 2006: Box Office Wrapup: Will Ferrell Scores His First #1 Opening with Talladega Nights
Comedy superstar Will Ferrell scored his first-ever number one opening in a lead role with the stronger-than-expected debut of his latest hit Talladega Nights: The Ballad of... More...

May 25, 2006: Box Office Preview: X-Men 3 Ready to Rock Memorial Day Weekend
Wolverine, Professor X, and the rest of their soul patrol will launch a full-scale attack on the North American box office this weekend as the gargantuan comic book film X-Men:... More...

February 13, 2006: Trailer Bulletin: Talladega Nights
For those of us who loved "Anchorman" and semi-suffered through "Kicking & Screaming," "Bewitched," and "The Producers" while waiting... More...

See All

More Movies

Coming Soon in Australia
Tomatometer Percentage Movie Date

56% 56% 9 09/12
66% 66% Away We Go 10/12
16% 16% Planet 51 03/12
70% 70% Religulous 03/12

What’s Hot On RT

Ban Them All!

Ban Them All!

10 Most Controversial Movies

Looking Nine

Looking Nine

Hot new images from the upcoming musical

New Avatar action

New Avatar action

Watch an exclusive chase clip from the film

Wild Things!

Wild Things!

Win tickets to the wild rumpus of 2009

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Summit Ponders Twilight Finale Source: Variety
81
  • First Look at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Source: USA Today
32
  • Jeremy Renner Talks Hawkeye Possibilities Source: Superhero Hype
12
  • Todd Phillips Talks The Hangover 2 Source: Entertainment Weekly
16
  • Tron Legacy Duo Heading into The Black Hole Source: Hollywood Reporter
8
  • First Iron Man 2 Poster Released Source: Yahoo! Movies
76
  • Ryan Reynolds Talks Green Lantern Source: MTV
16
  • Paul Greengrass Quits Fourth Bourne Source: The Playlist
36
  • Tobey Maguire Talks Brothers, Spider-Man 4 Source: Boston Globe
30
  • Nimrod Antal Talks Predators Source: ComingSoon.net
18
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Friday Harvest: The Road, Avatar, and more!
96
  • Ban Them All! 10 Infamously Controversial Movies
92
  • 5 Facts About The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
91
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Vampires and Football Break Thanksgiving Records
34
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
28
  • Five Favorite Films With Zombieland Director Ruben Fleischer
24
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Terminator Salvation and a Smithsonian Battle
17
  • Total Recall: Natalie Portman's Best Movies
16
  • Duncan Jones Reteams With Kevin Spacey
5
  • Five Favorite Films with Jesse Ventura
5
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
11
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
21
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • RT on DVD: Wassup, Bruno
3
  • Scott Hicks Talks The Boys Are Back
0
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Richard Kelly chats about The Box
2
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
22
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Kicking and Screaming at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Kicking and Screaming at IGN
  • Kicking and Screaming at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
Animated Oscar?
Animated Oscar? External Link

Hollywood.com ponders whether or not an animated film could win Best Picture.

Wes Anderson on Fox
Wes Anderson on Fox External Link

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

Dressing Wonderland
Dressing Wonderland External Link

Tim Burton's costume designer talks to Movieline about her long collaboration with the filmmaker and Johnny Depp.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Twitter External Link

Get all the latest movie updates, reviews, interviews and features here.

Competitions
Win 9 tickets
Win 9 tickets External Link

20 double passes to win to the new animated film, produced by Tim Burton.

Win Wild Things Tickets
Win Wild Things Tickets External Link

Free double passes to join Spike Jonze's wild rumpus.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.