The Foot Fist Way
Paramount Vantage | Release Date: May 30, 2008 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
63
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
5
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
The result is a comedy that's low budget in all the right ways - so hilarious, testosterone-charged and yet cringe-inducing to watch that the result is almost exhausting. Read full review
91
Entertainment WeeklyClark Collis
Not short on broad physical humor. But Simmons is a brilliantly detailed grotesque capable of withstanding comparison to his most obvious inspiration, Ricky Gervais' "Office" boss David Brent. Read full review
83
Portland OregonianMarc Mohan
The always thin tightrope between "laughing at" and "laughing with" is negotiated with success in the low-budget comedy The Foot Fist Way. Read full review
80
Film ThreatEric Campos
This is a really small film, shot in 19 days, and it's a little rough around the edges, but it's got a huge comic heart that's undeniable. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesMark Olsen
It's all saved by actor Danny McBride, who has created such a distinctive character in Simmons, at once engaging and repulsive, that it's hard not to keep watching even while cringing. Read full review
80
The New York TimesNathan Lee
An itsy-bitsy, ultra-indie, super-silly comedy packing huge laughs and unexpected heart. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia Puig
A refreshingly silly and clever portrait of a strikingly daft and clueless man. Read full review
75
New York PostKyle Smith
The movie is so heavily weighted toward the Simmons character that no one else really gets to breathe. And though McBride's shtick is brilliant - he could get rich by playing variations on this character for the next few years, and probably will. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter Travers
This hilarious, high-kicking nonsense cost two cents and looks it -- hell, it was shot in 19 days, but you'll laugh helplessly anyway. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
A deadpan, dead-on comedy. Read full review
70
VarietyJohn Anderson
The character of Fred Simmons is a Cliff Clavin-esque sensei deluxe in The Foot Fist Way, a low-budget, low-flying farce a la "Napoleon Dynamite" or "Jackass: The Movie." Read full review
70
Village VoiceRobert Wilonsky
Truthfully, The Foot Fist Way is no different from an episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm": This is irritainment, something you snicker at while covering your eyes, praying that this guy never gets loose in the real world, when, in fact, he's your next-door neighbor. Or you. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
It plays exactly like a Will Ferrell comedy, but better, because Ferrell's not in it. Read full review
63
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
This scrappy, ultra-low budget comedy, made in 19 days for $70,000 by North Carolina School of the Arts graduates Jody Hill, Danny McBride and Ben Best, comes with its own Cinderella tale: It debuted at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival but failed to find distribution until comedian Will Ferrell and his business partner, Adam McKay, championed it. Read full review
63
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
It's more amusing than not, but some scenes outlast the humor in them. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
There are enough droll moments to spark cult status, and McBride's commitment is impressive. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
Trouble is, the gags just keep finding new ways to make McBride's strip-mall sensei seem pathetic, and the few scattered laughs never justify the cruelty. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Children should not be allowed within a mile of this film, but it will appeal to "Jackass" fans and other devotees of the joyously ignorant. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTy Burr
The film itself suggests a sketch video on Ferrell and McKay's "Funny or Die" website, padded out to the dimensions of a character comedy. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
By the time Foot Fist limps to its ultimate fighting climax, you'll likely wish you had double-teamed "Game of Death" and "Waiting for Guffman" instead. Read full review
38
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
Staggers and wanders and feels far longer than its 85 minutes, and it's best considered a calling card for better things to come. Read full review
30
Washington PostGabe Oppenheim
Fails to generate a real plot, and the awkward moments work better in a context of adolescence. Quirk isn't funny when accompanied by adultery and brutality -- though a couple of lines zing. Read full review
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