Despite the title, this is a curiously listless comedy from wild man Will Ferrell.
The former SNL player isn't given much room to stretch or improvise as the incompetent coach of a kids' soccer team, and there are even more wasted opportunities when Ferrell finds himself competing against the league's Ubercoach – his own bullying, alpha-male dad (Robert Duvall, apparently riffing on his classic Great Santini persona).
There are a few amusing moments as Ferrell's character finds his inner sports jerk and transitions from mild-mannered to over-caffeinated and hyper-aggressive, but Kicking & Screaming is, for the most part, formulaic family fun, with an assembly-line feel to nearly every aspect of the project. Ferrell's team is a collection of obligatory "types" (the precocious one, the adorable little one with glasses, the big lunkhead, the one who eats worms), the physical comedy is remarkably unfunny, and director Jesse Dylan (son of Bob) shoots the action in a thoroughly uninspired way that makes even the most exciting soccer game look dull. Also stars Mike Ditka and Kate Walsh.
KICKING & SCREAMING (PG) opens May 11 at local theaters. 
-Lance Goldenberg
This article appears in May 12-18, 2005.