FOOT FIST WAY (2008) **1/2 film capsule by COOP

A knuckleheaded Tae Kwon Do instructor, Fred Simmons (Danny McBride), battles his white-trash wife’s infidelity, his own ineptness and a boozed-up Chuck Norris-style villain in search to find some dignity in his sad, miserable life.

This one showed promise, but only managed to elicit some chuckles and mild amusement. It tried to be a martial arts version of “Napoleon Dynamite,” without a lovable main character. This guy’s ego so vastly outweighs his smarts and ability, he comes across as slimy and irritatingly phony. I only saw one instance of warmth in his face when one of his meeker students finally stands up for himself in a fight. The rest of the time, he’s bragging, posturing and fumbling through one ridiculous situation after another. Did I root for the guy? A little, but I rooted for his students more. His top students, two awkward and goofy kids, showed more heart than anything the main character could muster. I did happen to see this film with a Tae Kwon Do blackbelt. She said she felt some nostalgia while watching the film: taking belt tests, breaking boards, practicing forms. Mostly, she said Simmons reminded her of her own instructor, which I found both hilarious and frightening.

The big story behind this film is the fact that Will Ferrell and Adam McKay discovered “Foot Fist Way” at a festival, liked it and put up the money to distribute it widely. They gave it a chance and if you like films where hopeless losers win such a small battle that it means the world only to them, you might check this one out. I did laugh a bunch, but I need more from my comedies than a few goofy scenes. “Foot Fist Way” appears to be launching the career of McBride. He’s got talent. Maybe if he plays a more likeable character, I’ll root for him next go around. Trailer below (Warning: trailer has rated “R” language)…