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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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101 - 120 (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
 
 

It never quite takes off.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
05/12/05
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Kicking & Screaming may be the official end to the Will Ferrell Rolling Thunder of Funny Tour.

Full Review Source: CHUD | comment Comment
05/12/05
Devin Faraci
Devin Faraci
CHUD

The movie has some laughs while you are watching it, but it's not a film that wears very well. The more you think about it; the stupider it becomes.

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
05/12/05
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

Kicking & Screaming delivers what it promises, but it's time to promise something better.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
05/12/05
Philip Wuntch
Philip Wuntch
Dallas Morning News

If anyone tries to get you to go to Kicking & Screaming, do just that.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
05/12/05
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

Something happens halfway through the movie: star Will Ferrell cuts loose...Suddenly, we're in a cauldron of blood and coffee and Gatorade.

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
05/12/05
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

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

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

Ferrell's shtick is his imperishable innocence.

Full Review Source: Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies | comment Comment
05/12/05
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

Crushingly inept family comedy.

Full Review Source: Miami Herald | comment Comment
05/12/05
Connie Ogle
Connie Ogle
Miami Herald

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

A so-so family sports comedy that aims a weak satirical kick at the divided soul of the American middle-class dad, as personified by Will Ferrell.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/12/05
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Will Ferrell is always entertaining, even in lesser roles like this one. Painless to sit through once, but offers nothing of value to be worth ever seeing again.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
05/12/05
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com

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 is yet another low-budget, high-concept vehicle for Will Ferrell to say and do dumb stuff, throw hissy-fits, get punched in the face, and find redemption (as both a dad and a son).

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
05/12/05
Steven Rea
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer

Kicking and Screaming is hardly original, but it delivers what's to be expected — some typical Ferrell shtick, a bit of family-oriented common sense and an object lesson in how not to coach a kids' team.

Full Review Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | comment Comment
05/12/05
Jack Garner
Jack Garner
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

As the coffee-fueled Phil lurches further and further over the edge of soccer coach impropriety, you can sense Ferrell struggling to break through the lame script

Full Review Source: Lowell Sun | comment Comment
05/12/05
Austin O'Connor
Austin O'Connor
Lowell Sun

An immensely likable, funny comedy that finds a novel approach to that familiar combo of kids and sports.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
05/12/05
Scott Foundas
Scott Foundas
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A likable but labored situation comedy skewed heavily toward the situation.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
05/12/05
Ella Taylor
Ella Taylor
L.A. Weekly

Kicking & Screaming gives us Ferrell in top form. As the mentor to a squad of hapless 10-year-olds, he's the least mature person on the field.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
05/12/05
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
 
101 - 120 (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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