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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Foot Fist Way, The

EMAILPRINTParamount Vantage

Foot Fist Way, The reviews
63
7.2 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 22 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 7 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Comedy

Written by: Danny R. McBride
Jody Hill
Ben Best

Directed by: Jody Hill

Release Date:
Theatrical: May 30, 2008

Running Time: minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: R for strong language and some sexual content

Starring Danny R. McBride, Ben Best, and Jody Hill

The Foot Fist Way, an uproarious, full-contact comedy featuring one of this year’s least likely heroes, is the first project from Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s Gary Sanchez Productions. Included in Ain’t It Cool News’ Top 10 Films of 2007, The Foot Fist Way became a sensation at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, as audiences fell in love with the seriously self-deluded Tae Kwon Do instructor Fred Simmons, who talks a big, macho game, but falls to pieces when his wife betrays him. (Paramount Vantage)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub

The result is a comedy that's low budget in all the right ways - so hilarious, testosterone-charged and yet cringe-inducing to watch that the result is almost exhausting.

Read Full Review >
91

Entertainment Weekly Clark Collis

Not short on broad physical humor. But Simmons is a brilliantly detailed grotesque capable of withstanding comparison to his most obvious inspiration, Ricky Gervais' "Office" boss David Brent.

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83

Portland Oregonian Marc Mohan

The always thin tightrope between "laughing at" and "laughing with" is negotiated with success in the low-budget comedy The Foot Fist Way.

Read Full Review >
80

Film Threat Eric Campos

This is a really small film, shot in 19 days, and it's a little rough around the edges, but it's got a huge comic heart that's undeniable.

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80

Los Angeles Times Mark Olsen

It's all saved by actor Danny McBride, who has created such a distinctive character in Simmons, at once engaging and repulsive, that it's hard not to keep watching even while cringing.

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80

The New York Times Nathan Lee

An itsy-bitsy, ultra-indie, super-silly comedy packing huge laughs and unexpected heart.

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75

USA Today Claudia Puig

A refreshingly silly and clever portrait of a strikingly daft and clueless man.

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75

New York Post Kyle Smith

The movie is so heavily weighted toward the Simmons character that no one else really gets to breathe. And though McBride's shtick is brilliant - he could get rich by playing variations on this character for the next few years, and probably will.

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75

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

This hilarious, high-kicking nonsense cost two cents and looks it -- hell, it was shot in 19 days, but you'll laugh helplessly anyway.

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75

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

A deadpan, dead-on comedy.

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70

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

It plays exactly like a Will Ferrell comedy, but better, because Ferrell's not in it.

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70

Variety John Anderson

The character of Fred Simmons is a Cliff Clavin-esque sensei deluxe in The Foot Fist Way, a low-budget, low-flying farce a la "Napoleon Dynamite" or "Jackass: The Movie."

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70

Village Voice Robert Wilonsky

Truthfully, The Foot Fist Way is no different from an episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm": This is irritainment, something you snicker at while covering your eyes, praying that this guy never gets loose in the real world, when, in fact, he's your next-door neighbor. Or you.

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63

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

This scrappy, ultra-low budget comedy, made in 19 days for $70,000 by North Carolina School of the Arts graduates Jody Hill, Danny McBride and Ben Best, comes with its own Cinderella tale: It debuted at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival but failed to find distribution until comedian Will Ferrell and his business partner, Adam McKay, championed it.

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63

Miami Herald Connie Ogle

It's more amusing than not, but some scenes outlast the humor in them.

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60

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

There are enough droll moments to spark cult status, and McBride's commitment is impressive.

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50

The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps

Trouble is, the gags just keep finding new ways to make McBride's strip-mall sensei seem pathetic, and the few scattered laughs never justify the cruelty.

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50

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Children should not be allowed within a mile of this film, but it will appeal to "Jackass" fans and other devotees of the joyously ignorant.

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50

Boston Globe Ty Burr

The film itself suggests a sketch video on Ferrell and McKay's "Funny or Die" website, padded out to the dimensions of a character comedy.

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40

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

By the time Foot Fist limps to its ultimate fighting climax, you'll likely wish you had double-teamed "Game of Death" and "Waiting for Guffman" instead.

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38

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

Staggers and wanders and feels far longer than its 85 minutes, and it's best considered a calling card for better things to come.

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30

Washington Post Gabe Oppenheim

Fails to generate a real plot, and the awkward moments work better in a context of adolescence. Quirk isn't funny when accompanied by adultery and brutality -- though a couple of lines zing.

Read Full Review >

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 7.2 (out of 10) based on 7 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Art B. gave it a10:
This movie was hilarious! I watched it again after just seeing it.

Jay H. gave it a6:
It hits the mark more than it misses it, and Danny Mc Bride is terrific and has the character down pat. It has some really funny moments but it does wear thin after awhile.

C.B. gave it a7:
For the most part, it's a bad, poorly made movie. But Danny McBride is fantastic. This will be a cult classic, and people will be repeating his lines for years to come...

Steve S. gave it an8:
I enjoyed this movie, though you have to be able to empathize with a protagonist who is kind of a jerk.

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