Movie Info:
Writers: Ben Best, Jody Hill, Danny R. McBride
Director: Jody Hill
Cast:
Rating: R
Studio: Paramount

Release Info: June 24, 2006
Theatrical Release:
DVD Release Date: September 23, 2008
Online Availability: Best Buy for $19.99

First, I want to say I’m not knocking indie films. The Foot Fist Way is most definitely an indie flick. It feels it. It looks it. It personifies that indie vibe. There are plenty of indies I like. This indie film just tries too hard and falls flat. Still, it’s easy to see why Will Ferrell would have gotten involved in the project when it came to releasing The Foot Fist Way. It’s also easy to see why the movie is only exclusively being sold at Best Buy. This limited release means limited exposure and limited money loss. In truth, the producers, creators and cast don’t yet know if The Foot Fist Way is going to make it or not. It could really go either way.

In the grand scheme of independent movie making, there are far fewer Clerks and Napoleon Dynamites. That’s just the way it goes! I was expecting something of The Foot Fist Way merely because Danny R. McBride is the main character. He was severely underplayed in the Owen Wilson comedy Drillbit Taylor. He’s also done well in other supporting roles in Hot Rod, Pineapple Express and the heavily controversial Tropic Thunder. But even McBride can’t save The Foot Fist Way. It’s just not in the cards.

While The Foot Fist Way starts out trying valiantly to maintain that independent, “yes, I really rock” movie feel, about halfway through the movie, it loses steam and falls apart. It turns into just another bad comedy and that’s not the vibe these actors seemed to have been going for when they started the movie. What or why the steam is lost is unknown. What is inevitable is the failure of this movie.

The Foot Fist Way Plot
Fred Simmons (Danny R. McBride) is a self-proclaimed Tae Kwon Do master. In fact, he’s the self-proclaimed “King of Demo” (martial arts demonstrations). With Fred seemingly at the top of his world, running his own Tae Kwon Do school, his life seems perfect. That is, of course, until he learns that his wife, Suzie (Mary Jane Bostic) is cheating on him. Suzie hasn’t just cheated on Fred once. She’s cheated on him twice. This is the end of the world for Fred and his perfect life seemingly begins to crumble.

As you might imagine, Fred isn’t really the best instructor out there. He works in a small town. His studio is in a strip mall. He teaches a group of kids and adults who aren’t always the most coordinated, though he believes he has something special because he’s learned everything he knows from the head of the American Tae Kwon Do Association. Still, Fred tries hard and tries to be the best he can, that is until he finds out Suzie is playing dinkie winkie with her boss.

From there, Fred becomes a different person. He’s mean to his students. He hits on the females in his class. He’s falling apart, essentially. All because of trashy Suzie Simmons, who wasn’t even really worth his time. After alienating himself, challenging anyone to a Tae Kwon Do match who even bothers to talk to him, and losing students, Fred decides to take a trip to meet his martial arts hero, “Chuck the Truck” Wallace (Ben Best), in an attempt to get his life back on track.

In a road trip that includes his student Henry (Carlos Lopez IV), who has low self-esteem and lacks confidence, his nine year old protege Julio (Spencer Moreno) and his very odd best friend Mike McAlister (Jody Hill), the four set out on a journey of self-discovery. And, of course, Fred also wants to kick Chuck the Truck’s rear, to prove he really is as good at martial arts as he claims to be.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
The video quality isn’t great despite being an anamorphic widescreen transfer. This is low-budget filmmaking at its best. Where colors should be vibrant and realistic, colors are dull and soft. There is grain, dirt, minor scratches, the contrast isn’t always sharp and there are occasional moments of blur. However, these problems aren’t so annoying they make the movie unwatchable.

This isn’t the type of movie that is going to have an audio setup that will blow you away. The Foot Fist Way features Dolby Digital 5.1. The dialogue driven track features robust sounds for the music, but the dialogue is fairly standard. I didn’t have to mess with my volume, which was nice. The audio is definitely better than the video though still somewhat substandard.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
The Foot Fist Way has a few different bonuses that might interest fans of the movie. First up is an audio commentary. This is with Danny R. McBride, Jody Hill and Randy Gambill (a production designer for The Foot Fist Way). It can be hard to hear Randy and the track isn’t as interesting as it could be, as the boys sometimes act more like they’re having a party than doing a commentary. McBride is the most on task and most interesting of the bunch. This commentary gets mixed reviews with me.

An extremely long (half-hour) behind the scenes tour set to music is up next. I found this feature to be incredibly boring. Making of, behind the scenes tour is it not. This is just another way to waste your time with The Foot Fist Way DVD. The bonuses wrap up with an alternative ending, deleted scenes (20 in total) and a blooper reel.

After adding in previews for other Paramount releases, I just wasn’t impressed with this bonus section.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
The Foot Fist Way starts out strong and begins to fizzle halfway through. Some comedy lovers who dig independent comedy seem to like this movie. I’m not one of them. If you’re willing to take the risk, then you can only pick up The Foot Fist Way at Best Buy. Otherwise, I recommend waiting to see if Blockbuster or Netflix offers this movie so you can rent it first.

Overall Rating:

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