Three out of
Five stars
Running time:
85 mins
Watchable mockumentary with strong performances, but it's not as funny as it should have been and is ultimately both depressing and uncomfortable to sit through.
What's it all about?
Danny McBride stars as Tae Kwon Do instructor Fred Simmons, who takes his frustrations out on his students after he's humiliated by his promiscuous wife, Suzie (Mary Jane Bostic). When Suzie leaves him, Fred is determined to get his self-confidence back, so he takes his two best students (Spencer Moreno and Carlos Lopez) and his best friend from high school (director Jody Hill as Mike McAlister) on a road trip to meet his idol, martial arts DVD star Chuck 'The Truck' Wallace (Ben Best).
However, the meeting doesn't go exactly as planned and when Chuck agrees to make a personal appearance for Fred's students (for $10,000), the stage is set for a martial arts showdown.
The Good
With appearances in both Tropic Thunder and Pineapple Expresss, Danny McBride is rapidly becoming one of Hollywood's funniest character actors, so it's a treat to see him get a film to himself. He's on superb form as Simmons, particularly in an excruciating sequence where he hits on a pretty student (Collette Wolfe as Denise) or when arguing with his wife ("I can be the bigger man, but you've got to be the smaller woman!").
There's also strong comic support from Mary Jane Bostic (making her feature debut) as Suzie, while Ben Best is magnificently sleazy as Chuck The Truck.
The Bad
Your enjoyment of The Foot Fist Way will very much depend on your tolerance for embarrassment comedy (such as Fawlty Towers, The Office, etc.). Indeed, Simmons strongly resembles David Brent in that he has no idea of how obnoxious he is.
Ultimately, this is the film's problem, as Simmons is essentially a rather unlikable, one-note character and the film's attempt to pass off his refusal to change as a victory doesn't quite work.
Worth seeing?
The performances keep The Foot Fist Way watchable and fans of excruciating comedy won't be disappointed but it's not quite as funny or as clever as it should have been.