Rating: R
Starring:
Danny R. McBride as Fred Simmons
Ben Best as Chuck ‘The Truck’ Wallace
Mary Jane Bostic as Suzie Simmons
Ken Aguilar as Rick
Tyler Baum as Armand
Sean Baxter as Roy Powers
Bruce Cameron as Bruce
Erin Fisher as Ticket Girl #1
Libertad Green as Drunk Model
Juan-Carlos Guzman as Carlos
Jody Hill as Mike McAlister
Jeff Hoffman as Dr. Love
Danielle Jarchow as Connie
Deborah Loates as Marge
Carlos Lopez as Henry Harrison
Spencer Moreno as Julio Chavez
Erica Owens as Mrs. Fisher
Nicholas Stanley as Lil’ Stevie Fisher
Chris Walldorf as Shane
Collette Wolfe as Denise
Special Features:
Commentary with Danny McBride and Director Jody Hill
Bloopers
20 Deleted and Extended Scenes
Alternate Ending
‘Making Of’ Featurette
Other Info:
Widescreen
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Spanish and French Subtitles
Spanish Language
Running Time: 82 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the official synopsis of the film:
“At Fred Simmons’ Tae Kwon Do Studio, boys are turned into black belts and suburbanites into great warriors. That is, until Simmons’ perfect life starts collapsing when he discovers his wife having an affair on him. Twice. A chance to resurrect his life by battling his hero – martial arts celebrity, Chuck ‘The Truck’ Wallace – gives Simmons new purpose as he winds up on a wild, comic journey that takes him from egomaniacal bluster all the way to becoming the stand-up man of his delusional dreams.
Presented by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay – whose collaborations include the hit comedies ‘Anchorman,’ ‘Talledega Nights’ & ‘Step Brothers.’ Starring red-hot comedic sensation Danny R. McBride who starred in Judd Apatow’s ‘Pineapple Express’ and is currently filming ‘Land of the Lost.'”
“The Foot Fist Way” is rated R for strong language and some sexual content.
Mini-Review:
Like many movie buffs, I had heard about the growing cult following for “The Foot Fist Way.”. With fans like Will Ferrell and Ben Stiller, it’s no wonder people’s curiosity was piqued. The rising popularity of Danny McBride and was also noteworthy. So I went into “The Foot Fist Way” with some enthusiasm. I think my expectations were a bit too high, but I still enjoyed it.
My kids are taking Tae Kwon Do, so all the scenes with Fred and his class really cracked me up. From the sayings to the uniforms to the etiquitte, it was all spot on. When Fred talks himself up and harasses his students, it’s all the more entertaining. Anybody that takes Tae Kwon Do or is familiar with it is going to get an extra level of enjoyment out of this film.
Fred is also a fun character. His cockiness and unparallelled ego offer up a lot of funny moments. When he’s confrontend with just how far his reality is from his fantasy, it’s pretty hilarious. It’s no surprise Danny McBride was spotted as a hot new talent from this film. His ad libs are amusing, he’s not afraid to make a fool of himself, and he carries the movie pretty well.
And much like in “Napoleon Dynamite,” McBride is supported by an understated band of muted misfits that manage to generate a lot of laughs on their own. From the young kid Julio to the shy teenage student, each one has a moment to shine. Mary Jane Bostic is also funny as Suzie Simmons, Fred’s white trash wife.
“The Foot Fist Way” does have a few problems. Sometimes the big laughs are far between. There are long stretches where it generates little more than a chuckle, so the pacing has problems. It’s also quite crude at times, probably more than necessary. I think if they had toned it down a tad they could have had a bigger audience.
If you like oddball comedies like “Napoleon Dynamite,” you may be a prime candidate to enjoy “The Foot Fist Way.” Fans of Danny McBride’s recent movies will definitely want to check this out.
The bonus features on this DVD are quite minimal. That’s probably due to the fact that this was a low budget film and they were lucky to make it to the big screen, much less to DVD. They probably didn’t plan on filming very much. So the ‘making of’ video is little more than shaky home video set to music and there are only two bloopers. The highlight of the extras is the deleted scenes. You get to see more improvisation, additional scenes, and additional characters. If you liked the film, it’s fun to watch. Fred’s wife also meets a grim end in the alternate ending.
