The Foot Fist Way
Metascore
63 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 22
  3. Negative: 2 out of 22
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  1. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Peter Hartlaub
    100
    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.
  2. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Clark Collis
    91
    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.
  3. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Marc Mohan
    83
    The always thin tightrope between "laughing at" and "laughing with" is negotiated with success in the low-budget comedy The Foot Fist Way.
  4. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Eric Campos
    80
    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.
  5. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Mark Olsen
    80
    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.
  6. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Nathan Lee
    80
    An itsy-bitsy, ultra-indie, super-silly comedy packing huge laughs and unexpected heart.
  7. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    75
    This hilarious, high-kicking nonsense cost two cents and looks it -- hell, it was shot in 19 days, but you'll laugh helplessly anyway.
  8. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Kyle Smith
    75
    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.
  9. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Steven Rea
    75
    A deadpan, dead-on comedy.
  10. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Claudia Puig
    75
    A refreshingly silly and clever portrait of a strikingly daft and clueless man.
  11. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Robert Wilonsky
    70
    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.
  12. Variety
    Reviewed by: John Anderson
    70
    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."
  13. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: J.R. Jones
    70
    It plays exactly like a Will Ferrell comedy, but better, because Ferrell's not in it.
  14. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Connie Ogle
    63
    It's more amusing than not, but some scenes outlast the humor in them.
  15. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Maitland McDonagh
    63
    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.
  16. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    60
    There are enough droll moments to spark cult status, and McBride's commitment is impressive.
  17. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    50
    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.
  18. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    50
    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.
  19. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Keith Phipps
    50
    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.
  20. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marc Savlov
    40
    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.
  21. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Phillips
    38
    Staggers and wanders and feels far longer than its 85 minutes, and it's best considered a calling card for better things to come.
  22. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Gabe Oppenheim
    30
    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.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.3 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. ArtB.
    10
    This movie was hilarious! I watched it again after just seeing it.
  2. JayH.
    6
    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.… Full Review »
  3. C.B.
    7
    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...… Full Review »
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