The Foot Fist Way (2006)

This film was quietly released into art house theaters with the tag of, “Presented by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay (Talladega Nights, FunnyOrDie.com),” and from the previews, it seemed to be billed as a raunchy Napoleon Dynamite. Director Jody Hill (Observe and Report, HBO’s Eastbound & Down) and star Danny McBride (Tropic Thunder, Pineapple Express) have moved on to bigger things, but The Foot Fist Way does not prove that somebody’s earlier works are their best. Shot on a shoestring budget, it follows Fred Simmons (McBride), a shopping center Taekwondo instructor who is more vulgar and disillusioned than talented. The plot isn’t that important because this totally is a calling card for a couple of guys to say and do things to just get a reaction. Some of it works, but the majority of the material seems like an inside joke between teenagers. You can definitely see the star power of McBride and he can pull off many of these stunts that others can’t. The problem is that except for the un-funny villain, nobody else is as cartoonish as the main character. So, the film comes across as if Looney Tunes characters were placed in the real world, which turns out, doesn’t work. You can’t help but compare this to Napoleon Dynamite, because of the budget, feel, look, and editing style. The difference is, Dynamite found a balance between implausibility and reality, where The Foot Fist Way is all over the place. There are some memorable moments and lines, but just ask me about them and it’ll save you a movie’s worth of time. I give The Foot Fist Way 2 out of 5 demo tapes.