Kicking & Screaming (www.the-usher.com)

"It's a bet"

Phil Weston (Ferrell) has never beaten his overly competitive dad Buck (Duvall) at anything. All his life he'd tried to get into sports and be noticed by his dad but only ended up making a fool of himself. After his dad trades his own grandson Sam (McLaughlin) to another soccer team, one without a coach or a win in the entire season, Phil decides to coach the team himself and show his dad that he can succeed.

Sports movies are the forte of Hollywood but they have never produced a good one about the beautiful game, soccer (as they call it).Can 'Kicking & Screaming' change this?

Big stars taking over kids sports teams and turning them into winners is nothing new but this one that the manic humour of Will Farrell pushing it to do better. When you take into account this is really a kids movie, it takes someone like Farrell to make this watchable for adults as well. We have the assortment of cute and funny kids that grace all of these types of movies, the ones that the young audience members can identify with and get behind but then you throw in Will Farrell and you have something that is more watchable than usual.

Yes of course there is the usual message sports movie message of working as a team and enjoying the game but it is the story of Phil oppressed life that will make the adults in the audience laugh. Here we have a man who is longing for the attention of his overly competitive father and the only way he thinks he can get it is to beat him at something. As the film progresses we see this take over Phil's life, leading his to addiction, obsession and neglect as he chases his goal. This is where Farrell really has some fun and what makes him such a funny comedic actor. You can't help but laugh as he becomes addicted to his 'drug', a habit that starts to consume his life and change personality. (Don't worry it is nothing illegal, it is a kids film remember).

Supporting Will Farrell are good performances from Robert Duvall, who is not afraid of making a fool of himself and 'NFL Hall of Fame' legend Mike Ditka who brings his Chicago Bears coaching style to the Soccer field. The kids are also good with Dylan McLaughlin doing a good job as Phil's son Sam.

Of course the American's again show their total lack of knowledge about the basic rules of soccer (football), for example players been substituted and coming back on again, having absolutely no concept of the offside rule and designing plays like in the NFL, but 'Kicking & Screaming' is still good family fun.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 1.35:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1, the movie is presented well.

BONUS FEATURES

The Red Cards: Deleted Scenes (11.57 mins)
Twelve deleted or extended scenes that shows flashbacks to Phil's past, some father and son moments, a soccer nightmare, a health kick, finches, crying and talking Italian. Unfortunately without a commentary or introduction, you don't know why these scenes were removed.

The Yellow Cards: Outtakes (8.40 mins)
A montage of gaffs from the kids and more of Will Farrell's improvisational skills

Alternative Takes (5.34 mins)
Three different takes show more of Will Farrell's improvisations, more of Phil talking to his son and the Juice-Box boy.

From Rome to Hollywood (8.54 mins)
Writers Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick, soccer advisor Simon Clifford, soccer choreographer Dan Metcalfe and stars Will Farrell, Robert Duvall, Francesco Liotti and Alessandro Ruggieor talk about the Italian players. Accompanied by a video diary by the two boys, this shows what they went through to get to LA and be part of the movie.

Kicking it with the kids (3.13 mins)
Director Jesse Dylan and stars Will Farrell, Robert Duvall, Elliott Cho, Erik Walker, Dallas McKinney, Steven Anthony Lawrence, Sammy Fine, Timmy Deters and Josh Hutcherson talk about working on the movie and the amount of fun they had.

Soccer Camp (7.37 mins)
Soccer choreographer Dan Metcalfe and stars Will Farrell, Robert Duvall, Elliott Cho, Erik Walker, Dallas McKinney, Steven Anthony Lawrence, Sammy Fine, Timmy Deters and Josh Hutcherson take you behind the scenes of the soccer training camp which took place before shooting.

Behind the Net: The Making of Kicking & Screaming (13.00 mins)
Director Jesse Dylan, producer Jimmy Miller, writers Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick and stars Will Farrell, Robert Duvall, Mike Ditka, Kate Walsh, Musetta Vander, Elliott Cho, Erik Walker, Dallas McKinney, Steven Anthony Lawrence, Sammy Fine, Timmy Deters and Josh Hutcherson take you behind the scenes of the making of 'Kicking & Screaming'. The featurette covers the characters, Will Farrell's comedy and the soccer as well as Mike Ditka's contribution to the movie.

OVERALL

Universal has done a fine job with the DVD transfer of 'Kicking & Screaming'. The featurettes cover most aspects of the film's production. The only thing missing is a commentary track. Fans should be pleased with the DVD.

DVD

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2005