Kicking And Screaming review

Since his movie breakthrough in 2003's Old School, Will Ferrell has imprinted his overgrown child schtick on a series of roles. It's becoming a familiar trademark and one that is all over the occasionally amusing Kicking And Screaming, a broad comedy with a tender heart about a son who is trying to connect with his father. Ferrell's absurdist buffoonery is still enjoyable, but it's no longer fresh and although some have made careers of effectively playing the same character (not mentioning any names: Woody Allen), there is a danger that the novelty will soon wear off.

Ferrell plays Phil Weston, a nerdy, athletically challenged vitamin salesman. His deficiencies might not be such a factor had he not had the misfortune to be the only son of the ultra competitive Buck (Robert Duvall) who runs a sporting goods franchise whose slogan is "He's got balls." The relationship between the two has always been strained with Phil barely suppressing the frustration of a lifetime spent competing with his father. At one point he declares himself to be a "tornado of anger," in a manner so bottled up he would barely draw a frown from a librarian. His frequent outbursts are generally quelled by a sharp slap from his long-suffering wife (Kate Walsh).

Events come to head for father and son when Buck, the coach of the successful Gladiators youth soccer team, trades Phil's boy Sam (Dylan McLaughlin) to the lowly Tigers. Hurt and humiliated by his father's actions, Phil finds himself coaching Sam's new team as they try to challenge the Gladiators' supremacy. Watching the enthusiastic if clueless Phil endeavouring to train a bunch of hopeless kids allows Ferrell to indulge his gift for slapstick humour. The motley collection of youngsters provide him with ample stooges, most notably Elliott Cho as the diminutive Byong Sun.

Three key elements come to Phil's aid and begin to turn the fortunes of the hapless Tigers. Firstly he enrolls the assistance of real life legendary American Football coach Mike Ditka who, in one of those blurred Hollywood distinctions between reality and fiction, plays himself. Not remotely interested in soccer, the famously gruff Ditka's involvement stems purely out of spite. He relishes the opportunity to beat his despised neighbour Buck. Ditka brings in two gifted local Italian boys to boost the squad. The final factor is Phil's newly acquired love of coffee, a passion prompted by Ditka's endorsement of the drink's invigorating qualities. Watching the once amiable Phil turn into a caffeine-fuelled monster provides further opportunity for Ferrell to test the bounds of silliness.

Ditka proves to be a natural at playing himself and is more than just a good foil for Ferrell's antics. Duvall too strikes the right tone, one that exploits the laughs, but never wallows in sentimentality. Knowing when to rein in Ferrell is a tough job and one that director Jesse Dylan only partially succeeds in. Kicking And Screaming's slight plot drifts in places and it's left to Ferrell to sustain interest, but even his clownish charm ends before the film does.