Randy Quaid, and Sean William Scott what a pairing they need to be in more movies together,, they just play so well off of each other.. there are so many laughs in this movie, i'm lucky I wasn't at the theater because I would have snorted my soda and choked on my popcorn. the story is pretty straight forward, the Tennis Coach, Randy Quaid, needs an assistant and Stiffler is chosen to help, in part because he used to play tennis,, he helps out the coach, and eventually inherits the team when the coach has a heart attack,, next up is the state finals for the tennis championship, he has to teach a bunch of losers how to play good tennis,, and learn how to compete as a team... very funny movie with a lot of serious adult humor, no child under 16 should see this,, for crude sexual innuendo.

I first found this movie on one of the pay channels and didn't know it existed. It had gone straight to video. That's probably due to the limited appeal the title would have to most people, but to anyone who's ever played the game, this film is hysterical. The tennis parts are dead-on accurate, the jokes are off the wall, and the actors soon grow on you. I've watched this film at least 10 times, and it gets funnier with every viewing. I've never viewed a film that many times. This film was written by two tennis players. At least somebody put it on the line to make a niche film that at least insiders would find hysterical. This would be a great film for a HS coach to show his team before the season started, at the possible risk of his job. It'd be worth it.

I was simply just not entertained by this 'comedy.' That is most likely due to the fact that the director hasn't been able to maintain his directorial status with any series for more than 2 episodes. The only original and funny comedy he's directed is 'Dude, Where's my Car?.' The movie itself is long and drawn-out. Sean William Scott seems to try too hard. I think that he does much better with supporting roles. I'll give the movie a little credit in saying that a few parts were actually kind of funny. But with all the other great comedies produced this year, 'Balls Out' falls very short of living up to any standard.5/10

Balls Out: The Gary Houseman Story (2009) ** From Dodgeball to ping pong to basketball and even ice skating, sports have been the basis for wacky oddball comedies as of late, some better and funnier than others. This one doesn't star Will Ferrel or Vince Vaughan. Instead, it's Sean William Scott. He's been been funny before, so O.K., not a bad start. The film's script apparently also won an award, I'm told. I'm not really sure how. There's nothing new or unexpected. It's the usual routine: a group of misfits gets an unruly new coach who turns them around and leads them to glory.Sean William Scott plays tennis hasbeen/never-was Gary. He went on the Mexican semi-pro tour after a few incidents in college, before settling down in Nebraska, because it's as good as anywhere really. Plus the real estate is cheap (referring to a banged up motor home). He became an engineer - the custodial branch. One day he gets the itch an runs out on the tennis court while the high school team is practicing. The coach (Randy Quaid) recruits him as his assistant. Gary, for some reason, is enamored with the coach, but then he dies. Because he's not a teacher, the school can't make him the head coach, at least officially. The new head coach (or co-assistant coach) has no experience with tennis, or any other sport he says. In order to honor the late coach, Gary is determined to coach the tennis team to a state championship.The cast includes lots of the usual oddballs: the gifted tennis player who reminds Gary of himself; wimpy kids afraid of getting hit with the ball; the sexy foreign language teacher as the subject of the protagonist's desires. There's also the late coach's teenage daughter, who interestingly, but oddly, has the hots for Gary before becoming the love interest of the teams star player. Gary even recruits the weird foreign kid - a pro ping pong player from the Philippines. He's never played tennis before, but his hand/eye coordination must be amazing, as Gary points out.Balls Out actually does manage to be occasionally endearing with its goofy characters. And Sean William Scott really can play a dirty greaser very well - thanks most probably to his ability to grow a mean fumanchu. He seems so greasy it's almost offputting at times, but funny at others. When the late coach's daughter plants one on him, for a minute it seems plausible that he'll actually go through with it. That scene does lead to the film's mandatory act of turmoil and challenge. Of course, it's overcome though.I had a fair share of laughs, but only a few roarers. The exchange student is comical in how quickly he himself becomes almost Gary's partner in crime after moving into the motor home with him. In the end, Balls Out just isn't consistently funny enough, and too many of the big jokes fall flat. The film will likely be released amid the January slew of films that studios would rather forget they made. I can't see the movie making a big box office splash, but it might do alright depending on what weekend it lands.