THE FOOT FIST WAY
CAROLINE: I was really excited to see “The Foot Fist Way” because I had repeatedly read that it had the seal of approval from Will Ferrell and our favorite comedic director Judd Apatow. Ergo I figured it must be hilarious.
RYAN: I get why they both endorse it because every time I heard a swear word in the movie, I thought, “Oh. Judd Apatow.” And then the lead character in the film has the same sensibility and humor as Will Ferrell, though he played it much more real and natural than Will ever does.
CAROLINE: Will Ferrell is a huge star, so even though he’s pudgy and not great looking, we don’t care because we identify him as “Movie Star.” The star of this movie isn’t famous yet, so he just reminded me of Larry the Cable Guy, which isn’t a good thing.
RYAN: But you’d expect someone who’s a movie star to be a better actor, and I actually found this guy to be better. He’s much more in the moment of the comedy than Will Ferrell. Will is more aware that he’s doing comedy so he’s more tongue-in-cheek, and that’s why I don’t always like him.
CAROLINE: This movie was shot in about 19 days for no money, and you can tell.
RYAN: You really can. The girl who plays the wife looks like a porn star and it’s weird.
CAROLINE: I thought that was funny. It’s a funny contrast to her chubby, gross husband that she’s sort of hot, even though she’s super tan with bleached blond hair and bad eyeliner. I enjoyed all of her scenes.
RYAN: The movie felt slow to me, even though it’s only 87 minutes long.
CAROLINE: You definitely dozed in the beginning.
RYAN: I can’t deny it. I really liked all the kids at the tae kwon do school. The chunky little boy was cute and funny.
CAROLINE: I agree, but at the end of the day, I didn’t find this movie very funny. I didn’t laugh out loud once. I might I have chortled a couple times, but I was expecting a to be howling in my seat.
RYAN: I didn’t laugh much either, and while I thought the movie was fine, I don’t find it as buzz worthy as it seems to be. It’s not a total waste of time, but it’s certainly not a must-see.
CAROLINE: I can’t imagine recommending this movie now that great stuff like Indy 4 and “Sex and the City” are in theaters. If you’re into puerile humor, you might like it. It seems to be targeting men in their teens and twenties. I really expected it to be a laugh riot, but it sure isn’t.
RYAN: I didn’t have those expectations, so I thought it was kind of funny.
CAROLINE: Ish.
RYAN: What’s your bottom line?
CAROLINE: I was disappointed in this movie. It’s not as clever or original as I’d hoped. Basically, it is what it is – a few guys with a couple video cameras making a movie on no budget. I have friends who’ve done it before too, obviously without this level of success, but this movie isn’t much better than theirs. I just don’t get why this movie of all films is the one that captured Judd Apatow’s attention.
RYAN: Good point. How does a director like him even see a movie like this?
CAROLINE: Well, it was at Sundance. And then it got good word of mouth.
RYAN: Whatever. I don’t recommend this film either.