The Foot Fist Way

Does this title mean I can put my foot AND my fist through the screen?

Danny McBride stars as Fred Simmons – a one-time competitive Tae Kwon Do expert who finds himself struggling with his training academy and marriage. As he prepares the students for their testing, Fred looks forward to meeting his hero, movie star Chuck “The Truck” Wallace (Ben Best), but will it be everything he hopes for?

The Foot Fist Way is one of those rare movies with an invisible plot, no good dialogue, no humor, no drama, and almost no talent on screen or behind the camera. I think if I made a movie this bad, I would have to quit the business. I truly wanted to find something interesting or praiseworthy in the film, but you would have to look at The Foot Fist Way through the Hubble Telescope to find some microscopic splinter of good, and the Hubble is booked for the next few years.

The Foot Fist Way suffers from a muddled tone that confused me, and will probably confuse many of you, too. It is not funny enough to be a spoof, like Will Ferrell’s Kicking and Screaming or a classic Bill Murray movie. Yet, it is not dramatic enough to be a compelling drama about one man’s most challenging moment in life, and how he tackles the challenges in front of him. This leaves the audience in a strange middle ground where you’re not sure how to react, so you just start to fall asleep or walk out.

Danny McBride is a funny actor, so I know he’ll soon show up in something better. In the meantime, The Foot Fist Way stinks.

The Foot Fist Way is rated R for strong language and some sexual content.