Over the last several months, films like Semi-Pro and Walk Hard have plummeted at the cinemas, leaving one to believe that the dumb, no reason comedy films that used to rule the box office are a dying, soon to be extinct breed. However, studios continue to pump them out, and this time they have given us The Foot Fist Way, an attempted comedy that deals with the hardships of having a cheating wife and an unsuccessful Tai-Kwon-Do studio. While the film makes many attempts to create off-the-wall sex humor and awkward situation laughs, the film ultimately gets stuck in a choke hold, dying long before the finish line from a lack of oxygen, creativity and originality.
The star of the film, Danny McBride, plays martial arts instructor Fred Simmons. After learning that his wife is committing the unfaithful act of adultery, Simmons scurries around to find both his dignity and self respect. Lacking any real motivation or direction in life, Simmons has a difficult time recovering either of is sought after qualities, instead doing the unthinkable, trusting his wife and forgiving her troubled past.
It is here, about half an hour into the film, that I began to lose interest in both the plot and the characters.
Danny McBride, who works hard to create a sour, no good character out of Simmons, falls flat on his face as his delivery is preconceived and his dialogue extremely blotched. His only real spark is his entertaining fight with his movie idol, Chuck 'The Truck' Wallace. Throughout the entire rest of the film McBride is a pathetic, uninteresting man who has absolutely nothing going for him in life â€" except for his hot, thought completely plastic wife.
Mary Jane Bostwick, in her first starring role, attempts to create a selfish, attractive woman in Mrs. Suzie Simmons.; however, it never really happens. Instead, we are greeted with an annoying and at times unattractive piece of white trash that tends to hurt the eyes and ears more than anything else. Her perception of her character and relationship with her husband is completely off, creating a misfired chemistry between her and McBride.
However, I can't put all the blame on the actors. As the film progressed, it dawned on me that the dialogue and actions were not and never would be funny. Jim Carrey or Steve Carell could have been up on screen delivering the exact same lines and I still would be sitting there uninteresting and ready to walk out. There just wasn't any wit, any true jokes or even any sense of direction for the film. Because of that, there wasn't even the slightest possibility that the film was going to survive its lackluster run time of only eight five minutes.
Yet, as the film finally came to a close, I had an unusual amount of difficulty pinpointing exactly how I felt about the feature. I mean, sure it was dumb and it could never happen in real life; however, that was the point â€" wasn't it? Regardless, the film was miserable, unentertaining and the perfect example of how not to waste your time. Take it from me â€" this film is a true flop and should be avoided at all costs.
