Kicking & Screaming (2005) Synopsis:
"Kicking & Screaming" stars Ferrell as Phil Weston, an average Joe who's had to put up all his life with his overly competitive father, Buck (Robert Duvall). When Phil decides to coach his 10-year-old son's soccer team, he goes head-to-head for the league championship against Buck, who coaches his own young son on the preeminent team of the league. Old scores come into play as Phil and Buck find themselves going to extreme measures to win the championship trophy.
Kicking & Screaming (2005) Movie Review:
Phil Weston (Ferrell) has never beaten his overly competitive dad Buck (Duvall) at anything. All his life he’d tried to get into sports and be noticed by his dad but only ended up making a fool of himself. After his dad trades his own grandson Sam (McLaughlin) to another soccer team, one without a coach or a win in the entire season, Phil decides to coach the team himself and show his dad that he can succeed.
Sports movies are the forte of Hollywood but they have never produced a good one about the beautiful game, soccer (as they call it). Can ‘Kicking & Screaming’ change this?
Big stars taking over kids sports teams and turning them into winners is nothing new but this one that the manic humour of Will Farrell pushing it to do better. When you take into account this is really a kids movie, it takes someone like Farrell to make this watchable for adults as well. We have the assortment of cute and funny kids that grace all of these types of movies, the ones that the young audience members can identify with and get behind but then you throw in Will Farrell and you have something that is more watchable than usual.
Yes of course there is the usual message sports movie message of working as a team and enjoying the game but it is the story of Phil oppressed life that will make the adults in the audience laugh. Here we have a man who is longing for the attention of his overly competitive father and the only way he thinks he can get it is to beat him at something. As the film progresses we see this take over Phil’s life, leading his to addiction, obsession and neglect as he chases his goal. This is where Farrell really has some fun and what makes him such a funny comedic actor. You can’t help but laugh as he becomes addicted to his ‘drug’, a habit that starts to consume his life and change personality. (Don’t worry it is nothing illegal, it is a kids film remember).
Supporting Will Farrell are good performances from Robert Duvall, who is not afraid of making a fool of himself and ‘NFL Hall of Fame’ legend Mike Ditka who brings his Chicago Bears coaching style to the Soccer field. The kids are also good with Dylan McLaughlin doing a good job as Phil’s son Sam.
Of course the American’s again show their total lack of knowledge about the basic rules of soccer (football), for example players been substituted and coming back on again, having absolutely no concept of the offside rule and designing plays like in the NFL, but ‘Kicking & Screaming’ is still good family fun.
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Kicking & Screaming (2005) review written by: Jamie Kelwick
7th September, 2008 
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