Kicking & Screaming MPAA Rating: PG for thematic elements, language and some crude humor. QUICK TAKE Comedy: A mild-mannered family man becomes consumed with besting his ultra-competitive father when he agrees to coach a soccer team that will play his dad's squad. PLOT: Phil Weston (WILL FERRELL) is a mild-mannered family man who runs a vitamin store but has never escaped the shadow cast by his competitive father Buck who owns a sporting goods store. It's so bad that when Phil brings home his girlfriend Barbara, Buck states that he's getting married to Janice, and a year later both men have new sons. Time passes and Buck is the demanding coach of the Gladiators soccer team that includes his young grandson. But Buck, always wanting to win, never plays Sam and instead favors his own son, Bucky. When he trades Sam to the lowly and winless Tigers, Phil finds himself reliving his childhood where his father treated him the same way. As a result, and due to the current coach leaving town, Phil reluctantly agrees to coach the team that includes a rag-tag group of players. As the team improves, Phil becomes obsessed with winning, setting up a colossal confrontation with his father. Since he has no idea what he's doing, Phil persuades his dad's next-door neighbor and former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka -- who despises Buck -- to become his assistant. Ditka realizes there's little talent on the team and thus persuades the local butcher to allow his two Italian nephews and soccer prodigies, Massimo and Gian Piero to join the team. With their skills, the Tigers soon go on a winning streak, although they're on their own since Phil -- fueled by too much coffee and a need to best his old man -- has become just as competitive as Buck. With the playoffs approaching, the son and his father gear up for their big match and an important bet riding on it.   More Than A Movie: Kicking & Screaming is a family comedy that delivers good laughs along with a needed message to parents about athletics. The film doesn't rely on an especially deep (or even believable) storyline. No sir, it wisely sets the manic comedy of Will Ferrell loose amid a group of silly soccer-kicking 10-year-olds. Every audience member will find something to laugh at-outrageous slapstick antics, cutesy kid moments, and Ferrell's over-the-top competition lust. Anyone who's set foot in an athletic competition will relate to the tension between having fun and winning-and between parents and their children. It's fertile ground for humor and perfectly timed because of the rash of verbal and physical violence sweeping our nation's sports complexes. Kicking & Screaming does everything you'd hope a family comedy would achieve-deliver plenty of clean laughs for all ages and a positive life message we can all take to heart. Kicking & Screaming contains plenty of teachable moments on minor topics such as anger, betting, expectations, teamwork, and apologizing. None of these compare to the elephant in the room that is youth sports. Phil and Buck exhibit the win-at-all-costs attitude that currently infects athletics. Christians need to take a hard look at this because it's an attitude that has negative affects. First, parents need to chill out!  Remember that life isn't fair, so every call won't go your way. Besides, it's just a game that no one will remember a few months (or even weeks) down the road. How you conduct yourself during these games, however, can have ramifications for eternity. We must conduct ourselves with the dignity and integrity that emulates Christ. (You can't imagine Jesus throwing a tantrum on the sideline, can you?) Accept the challenge to reject any such behavior displaying the attitude of Christ whether you win or lose. Speaking of winning and losing, it's important to remind everyone about the importance of fun in competition. As followers of Christ, we're supposed to have peace, joy, and contentment in all situations. That includes losing. (Finding enjoyment in the game and remaining thankful for even having a body that can compete might be a good place to start.) Nobody wins every single game-that's why it's possible to actually plan ahead of time for losing. That doesn't mean you have to be happy after a loss. That's unrealistic. A person who figures out how to have fun in the midst of losing, however, discovers an incredible key to triumphant living. Much of the competition in Kicking & Screaming comes directly from Phil's relationship with his father, Buck. Whether we want to admit it or not, the father/child relationship has an enormous impact. Children derive much of their identity and worldview from the influence of their parents. Absent, abusive, or disinterested fathers can potentially cripple their sons or daughters emotionally and spiritually. First, remember your earthly fathers' poor actions don't doom you. God is ready and waiting to fill in the gaps that even the best fathers leave. Second, seek out a relationship with your dad if possible. It might be awkward or embarrassing, but doing so will definitely pay incredible future dividends. Finally, a hysterical subplot centers on Phil's raging addiction to coffee. His newfound love of java leads to desperate, irrational behavior that's played for big laughs. It actually points to a potential problem as well. We often cite things like drugs, alcohol, or pornography-really "bad" stuff that's easy to identify-when we talk about "addiction." Anything that consumes our thoughts or desire, whether it be video games, shopping, popularity, or caffeine, is an addiction and potentially hazardous spiritually. Examine your life for any such addictions that threaten to overtake you.   What Are the Issues With This Movie? BLOOD/GORE  We see one of the young kids with his back to the camera, urinating in the bushes (we hear the sound). Hunter (a young player) dangles an earthworm near his mouth and then eats it (saying he'll do so for $5). He later does this again to distract an opposing player (we see the worm going into his mouth in both instances). Phil and Buck play a game of tetherball with the ball first hitting Phil hard in the crotch and then to his back and face. He then removes his shirt and we see big red marks on his skin from such contact. Needing Massimo and Gian Piero to play on his team (rather than work on an order for their uncle in the butcher shop), Phil takes a chainsaw to a side of beef. We don't see the impact, but later see him and the kids covered in blood (on their faces, hands and aprons -- played for laughs as an opposing team runs away upon seeing them arrive looking like that).   PROFANITY  At least 5 hells, 2 uses each of "God" and "My God" and 1 use each of "Oh God" and "Oh my God."   SEX/NUDITY  We see Janice sitting on Buck's lap and he tells Phil that he's lonely and a man (and thus is getting married to her). Janice shows some cleavage. Phil jokingly asks his young son if he's doing some Internet dating or looking for a mail order bride. Phil learns that Byong Sun has two mothers (we see them, with one being portrayed as "butch"), and is then flustered about what to say, first stating that they're better and then changing that to "different." No sexually related lesbian behavior is seen. A woman shows some cleavage. Barbara starts kissing Phil on their bed, but he starts crying and nothing sexual occurs. Janice shows some cleavage.  A woman wears a midriff-revealing top, while Barbara wears a slightly short shirt that rides up in the back several times (thus we see her bare lower back).   VIOLENCE  (All of the following is played for intended laughs, much of it in a slapstick fashion). We see a college-aged Phil participating in the hammer throw in a track and field event, as he lets the ball fly and it crashes down onto a nearby table, breaking it. Later, he hurts his knee trying to cross a hurdle. Ditka throws a ball back into Buck's yard that hits Phil on the head. Phil throws darts at a dartboard, but instead hits a small neon sign and a large aquarium (with different tosses), causing both to break. Phil pounds his steering wheel, causing the air bag to deploy and hit him in the face. When Phil has something of a pity-based nervous breakdown, Barbara slaps him on the face to make him regain his composure. One of the kids, seated next to another, puts his finger into the other's ear, causing the other kid to shove him away. Some of the young players fall down hard during a game (but are okay). Seeing a father and son tap each other's cleats together, Phil tries doing that to Sam (who's unaware of his intentions) and he ends up kicking his boy in the leg. We see soccer balls hitting boys in the crotch and on the head, while there's other standard physical contact during a game. Ditka tries to hit Buck, but punches Phil in the face by accident instead. Phil later has a black eye from that. When Phil starts crying in front of Ditka, the coach slaps Phil on the face to make him stop. After winning, the boys throw things all about Phil's house, followed by Phil repeatedly kicking a soccer ball inside the living room, bashing the fireplace screen (until his wife tells him to stop). The kids then playfully grab and pile on top of him. Phil reacts adversely to grabbing a cup of hot coffee and then later to drinking some. Phil acts impatiently and rudely toward a woman in a coffee shop. In turn, she eventually grabs him by the throat and others then physically escort him out of the shop. A kid is tripped hard during a game and tumbles to the ground.  While upset during a game, Phil first throws a chair onto the field and then pushes a kid (an opposing player) by the head to the ground (played for laughs, but rather violent in nature). To tempt an opposing young player into attacking him (which then occurs), Phil repeatedly calls the boy "Fart face Jones" and "Farty pants." Phil purposefully knocks over a table with his large coffee machine on it (both crash to the ground). Connor accidentally slams hard into one of the goal's metal posts. Buck kicks one of his son's players into the pool.    More Than A Movie Point for Discussion Parents must sometimes apologize to their kids. Scripture: Col 3:12-21   Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.  And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. Synopsis: Phil apologizes to Sam, his young son, admitting he screwed up and got caught up in winning. He asks Sam to forgive him-his son does. More Than A Movie: It's a big deal any time a parent apologizes to their child. There's a lot of humility and grace mixed into both sides of the equation. You should accept these apologies when they come, but also learn to forgive a stubborn parent who may never reach this point.   Discussion Questions: Has one of your parents ever apologized like this to you? How did their apology make you feel? What does going through with such an apology say about the parent? In the scripture for this "point", what commands does God give the family? Does your family follow them? Why or why not? If not, how might living this way improve your family situation? What might prevent a parent from apologizing? How can you make it easier for your parents to apologize? Is this your responsibility? Why or why not? Do we have to forgive our parents if they don't apologize? Explain. How might forgiveness without an apology possibly help heal your wounds anyway?   More Than A Movie Point for Discussion Parents can put a lot of pressure on their kids. Scripture: Col 3:21   Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. Synopsis: Phil recounts how his father pressured him to excel in sports, starting with putting a soccer ball in his hands as an infant. Then we see Phil in college, trying and failing at several different track and field events. More Than A Movie: Do your parents pressure you? It's a tough situation, because what's borne of a pure desire for your success can turn into an unhealthy obsession. Learn to cope with these pressures by turning them over to God and hopefully finding ways to discuss it with your parents. Discussion Questions: Do your parents pressure you about anything? If so, what is it? How does their pressure make you feel? Do you think they intend to put the pressure on you? Why or why not? What motivates their pressure? If you could explain to your parents how their pressure affects you, what would you say? Why don't you tell them that? In the scripture for this "point", are your parents obeying this verse? Explain. How does their pressure affect your relationship with them? Your relationship with God? Your performance in the area they're pressuring you? How might you possibly talk with them about the pressure you're feeling? How might God help you talk with them; help you deal with their pressure?