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Movies / Upcoming / Kicking and Screaming
Kicking and Screaming

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Kicking and Screaming (2005)

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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]

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Reviews for Kicking and Screaming

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21 - 40 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

The most amazing thing about Will Ferrell is that he can make absolutely nothing funny.

Full Review Source: IGN Movies | comment Comment
06/14/05
Jeff Otto
Jeff Otto
IGN Movies

There's nothing remotely original in this goofy kids' sports movie, but at least the script adds a refreshingly funny zing.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
06/04/05
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Come for the Ferrell psychoanalysis, stay for the Ditka.

Full Review Source: Film Snobs | comment Comment
05/28/05
Jimmy O
Jimmy O
Film Snobs

Plenty of chuckles and charm to keep the ball rolling.

Full Review Source: CineScene.com | comment Comment
05/25/05
Mark Sells
Mark Sells
CineScene.com

Ferrell’s a gamer who does what he can, but he has little support.

Full Review Source: Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema | comment Comment
05/24/05
Mark Pfeiffer
Mark Pfeiffer
Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema

... Works to the extent that it does only because of Ferrell.

Full Review Source: Star-Democrat (Easton, MD) | comment Comment
05/24/05
Greg Maki
Greg Maki
Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)

There's nothing very new here as far as plot and characters, but the charm is in the way they're presented.

Full Review Source: Goatdog's Movies | comment Comment
05/22/05
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Goatdog's Movies

Dylan has to rely on Ferrell's manic energy to keep Kicking & Screaming a step ahead of Ladybugs in the youth soccer movie pantheon.

Full Review Source: Zap2it.com | comment Comment
05/21/05
Dan Fienberg
Dan Fienberg
Zap2it.com

...utterly and almost painfully routine.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
05/21/05
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

It’s a good way to waste a couple of hours.

Full Review Source: Greenwich Village Gazette | comment Comment
05/21/05
Eric Lurio
Eric Lurio
Greenwich Village Gazette

... barely watchable.

Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
05/21/05
John Monaghan
John Monaghan
Detroit Free Press

... 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

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

A zero, but the title describes how the audience is likely to react, perfectly.

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
05/19/05
Rex Reed
Rex Reed
New York Observer

Enjoyment depends entirely on your level of admiration for Ferrell’s comic persona, the manic zeal that drove 'Anchorman' and 'Elf' to occasionally inspired heights of lunacy

Full Review Source: Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas) | comment Comment
05/19/05
Jonathan R. Perry
Jonathan R. Perry
Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)

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

...the movie feels like a poor man’s updated Bad News Bears...an uneventful state of mind soaked in absolute mediocrity.

Full Review Source: Movie Eye | comment Comment
05/19/05
Frank Ochieng
Frank Ochieng
Movie Eye

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

There’s too little connection to care if these caricatures transcend underdog status.

Full Review Source: Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) | comment Comment
05/18/05
Mark Palermo
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Unfortunately, the film delivers exactly what it promises.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
05/18/05
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
 
 
21 - 40 (sorted by date; 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...

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