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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

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Reviews for Kicking and Screaming

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121 - 136 (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
 
 

Kicking & Screaming is barely worth the effort it takes to think of synonyms for 'bad.'

Full Review Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel | comment Comment
05/12/05
Phoebe Flowers
Phoebe Flowers
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Kicking and Screaming manages the difficult job of being a family comedy that will appeal equally to children and their elders.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
05/12/05
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

Ferrell fiddles with different kinds of jokes as if he were trying on shoes.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
05/12/05
Jan Stuart
Jan Stuart
Newsday

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

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

...you may not get more than you thought, but it delivers exactly what you think it will.

Full Review Source: New Times | comment Comment
05/12/05
Luke Y. Thompson
Luke Y. Thompson
New Times

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

Most agonizing is the sting of watching Ferrell, after (his) witty performances in Elf and Melinda & Melinda, revert to the same old one-note, dim-bulb clowning.

Full Review Source: SPLICEDWire | comment Comment
05/11/05
Rob Blackwelder
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire

Thank God for coffee, which provides the only caffeinated jolt to the otherwise deflated Kicking and Screaming.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
05/11/05
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Slant Magazine

Laughs-wise, it lacks the raucous edge of an Old School or Anchorman or the retro charm of an Elf, but there's still plenty of Will-power to fuel this likable underdog trifle.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
05/11/05
Michael Rechtshaffen
Michael Rechtshaffen
Hollywood Reporter

Ferrell doesn't just save this junk -- he rules it.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
05/11/05
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly

Ferrell's unique delivery keeps sagging jokes afloat.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
05/11/05
Sean O'Connell
Sean O'Connell
Filmcritic.com

Comedy is not stupid, and stupid is not funny. This is not a funny movie; it's a stupid movie.

Full Review Source: tonymedley.com | comment Comment
05/11/05
Tony Medley
Tony Medley
tonymedley.com

Even the intermittent laughs undermine Kicking and its winning-isn't-everything message. According to the plot, competition makes Phil insufferable. According to Ferrell's performance, it makes him hilarious.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
05/10/05
Matt Singer
Matt Singer
Village Voice

Will Ferrell is one funny guy.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
05/09/05
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Pure Hollywood formula, but Ferrell is as funny as ever.

Full Review Source: Three Movie Buffs | comment Comment
05/08/05
Scott Nash
Scott Nash
Three Movie Buffs
 
 
121 - 136 (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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