As Ferrell and Ditka get more and more involved in their quest to defeat the soccer team coached by Ferrell’s father and Ditka’s neighbor (played by Robert Duvall), the audience is taught a not-so-subtle lesson about the win-at-all-costs attitude that pervades so much of our society. The maxim, “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game,” was turned into legendary coach Vince Lombardi’s, “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing.” The latter version is what seems to have stuck in our collective psyche. The drive to win at all costs winds up hurting the very children the game was meant to benefit, and they, without surprise, turn out to be the heroic figures in this film by teaching life’s valuable lessons to the adults. This movie touches on so many common themes: our desire to please others, our drive to be perfect, our emphasis on winning, our need for revenge, and our broken relationships. Yet the film remains upbeat and optimistic, ending like every light-hearted comedy with a satisfying resolution to these problems.

“Kicking and Screaming” doesn’t break any new cinematic ground. There is a familiar formula at work here, but with Ferrell and Ditka leading the way, the formula does work. A night out with this movie won’t provide much in the way of philosophical debate for the next day, but it will leave you with an aching side from plenty of laugh-out-loud moments.

Steven Nicholson writes reviews for Cinekklesia because he has nothing better to do with his time.