Probably one of the most classic and funny Will Farrell, you know they always say never work with animals or children but in this movie it is a delightful change.There are probably allot of people who disagree with me but this movie is one of my favorites. Seeing Will fighting for his dad's respect by coaching his sons soccer team that eventually goes on to verse his dad's soccer team just gave me a whole 95 minutes of warm hearted laughs and a nice nostalgic feeling.Although the plot wasn't two good the kids did some pretty decent child acting (I hate child actors) and comparing Josh Hutcherson then to Josh Hutcherson now this movie showed the potential of Josh Hutcherson as a child which at the end of the day ultimately made his career.I would recommend this movie to everyone looking for a comedy to add to there list it is just a really enjoyable movie with a star studded cast which back then weren't too famous. I gave this movie a 5.8 for the listed reasons above.

This is a goofy Will Ferrell film. Not surprisingly, it's a rather conventional movie compared to many of his later films. Clearly this is NOT another "Talladega Nights" or "Stepbrothers". This isn't necessarily a complaint--just an observation that it's a relatively normal plot. At least, normal for a Will Ferrell film.Ferrell plays a guy who is ALWAYS being put down by his hyper-competitive father (Robert Duvall--who is very reminiscent of the Great Santini in this role). It nags at Ferrell but he seems to have accepted this. However, when the job of coaching a kids soccer team is thrust upon him, his competitiveness comes out--since the best team in the league is coached by his awful father. Oddly, Ferrell is able to get some help from a guy who hates Duvall even more....coach Mike Ditka--who is pretty funny in this very off-beat role.The first 75% of the film is pretty conventional. It's pure sports formula. However, due to the miracle of coffee (something Ferrell's character never drank before), much of the last 25% is amazingly weird--much weirder than films like "Lady Bugs" (a soccer film with Rodney Dangerfield) or "The Bad News Bears". In fact, this portion is the best part of the movie because it stops being so formulaic...for a while. However, at no point do you forget exactly how this film MUST end! So is it a great film...absolutely not. But it is quite enjoyable and worth seeing due to its goofiness. Not great but a decent little film.

Being a huge fan of Will Ferrell, I eagerly anticipated to see this incredible sports comedy. To be honest I never had the opportunity to have seen it in theaters when it was released seven years ago. But I was fortunate enough to purchase it near my local video store and when I saw saw it, I was as giddy as kid in a candy store as I couldn't wait to slip this bad boy in my DVD. The great thing about "Kicking and Screaming" is that although Ferrell goes through his usual schtick of uptight hollers which has been a trademark to his comedic talents over the years, and sure he may have to water down his antics so that the content will be customized for family viewings. Still his dedication towards his work is flawless and his over the top zaniness will likely to tickle your funny bones, even the most hard-edged stoics might have a chuckle manifested within their stone-cold personalities. But that's the best asset about the film, it can have a strong impact on the younger audiences and at the same time the adults and the hard-edged cynics are entertained at the same time.The central story is about a young man named Phil Weston (Ferrell) as he tries to liven up towards his dismissive and harsh father Buck(Robert Duvall). Buck has never expressed any type of compassion towards his son partially because Phil has never had the same interests as Buck like sports or anything of the masculine flavor. Phil grew up to operate a store that endorses vitamins for kids which has for years made ol' Bucko cringe. In everything that Phil set out to achieve Buck had to always usurp him, even if if meant knocking him down a notch just to remain the alpha male in the Weston household. Phil however, has to learn the art of inflicting tough love of his own as he graciously volunteers to coach his son Sammy's soccer team who's at the moment on an embarrassing losing streak that his grandfather traded him to. Buck shows no remorse for his actions, but the battle of tough love that finally brings the father and son of Buck and Phil closer than they've ever been before.Will Ferrell truly makes his mark here in all his yelling and outlandish tactics will truly have you in stitches with laughter. Switching from high energy proteins to strong brewed coffee he transforms into a uncontrollable almost maniacal maybe going beyond abusive in tough love than his father inflicted on him. Duvall shows he can do comedy as the tyrannical, obnoxious Buck. At first glance, it appears like Buck's character is someone you would truly love to despise. NFL legend Mike Ditka also shows his acting chops are splendid just by being himself. All the kids in this movie provide much needed comic relief much like the kids in Arnold Schwarzenegger's 1990 vehicle "Kindergarten Cop"."Kicking and Screaming" has a neat little message about the value of raising your kids and let them follow their own dreams and try to avoid less pressure on them by forcing them into something they're not interested in. We get a good overview the assets and liabilities of competitiveness and the sacrifices parents must consider when applying pressurizing tactics on your kids. But when the movie's over, it's all in fun and parents can sit on the couch with their kids and be just a family for the next minute and thirty five minutes. I loved this movie so much. Sure it's not one of the greatest sports story ever (nothing beats "The Best of the Best") but I guarantee, you it will likely put a smile to your face.

Among businessmen who design films as moneymaking ventures, there is growing interest in generational demographics. That is, the idea of tuning the product so that it appeals to children and their parents at the same time. If this trick is pulled off, ticket sales will theoretically double. See any Dreamworks Animation feature as a perfect example. You'll see a careful mix of childhood entertainment with just the right amount of nostalgia for the parents mixed in (usually in the vapid form of 70s and 80s pop culture).The specific formula in this case is the middle-aged man who resolves relationship problems with his crotchety father by reverting to his own childhood immaturity. The old grouch is redeemed and simultaneously the main character learns how not to become the same grouchy father himself. This ostensibly appeals to two demographics at once: Middle-aged fathers and kids alike who can revel in the fantasy of having a harmonious relationship with their fathers.This provides very thin scaffolding on which something interesting must be overlain for the film to carry any merit whatsoever. Not the case here, unfortunately.Incidentally, Will Ferrell has honed this character of bratty childish adult, becoming a sought-after performer fit for just this formula. See 'Elf,' for a good example. It's basically the same film as 'Kicking,' the difference being that it was decorated like a tree for the holiday season. Oh, and it's actually slightly funny.