Kicking & Screaming (2005)

Director:

Jesse Dylan

Writers (WGA):

Leo Benvenuti (written by) &
Steve Rudnick (written by)

Release Date:

13 May 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Sport

Tagline:

One man could lead this team to glory. . . That man was busy

Plot:

Family man Phil Weston, a lifelong victim of his father's competitive nature, takes on the coaching duties of a kids' soccer team, and soon finds that he's also taking on his father's dysfunctional way of relating... |

Plot Keywords:

Merchant | Cigar Smoking | Divorcé | Banquet | Father Son Relationship

Awards:

6 nominations

Cast

Will Ferrell	...	Phil Weston
Robert Duvall	...	Buck Weston
Mike Ditka	...	Mike Ditka
Kate Walsh	...	Barbara Weston
Musetta Vander	...	Janice Weston
Dylan McLaughlin	...	Sam Weston
Josh Hutcherson	...	Bucky Weston
Steven Anthony Lawrence	...	Mark Avery
Jeremy Bergman	...	Hunter
Elliott Cho	...	Byong Sun (as Elliot Cho)
Erik Walker	...	Ambrose
Dallas McKinney	...	Connor
Francesco Liotti	...	Gian Piero
Alessandro Ruggiero	...	Massimo
Sammy Fine	...	Jack
Timmy Deters	...	Alex
David Herman	...	Referee (as Dave Herman)
Rachael Harris	...	Ann Hogan
Laura Kightlinger	...	Donna Jones
Jim Turner	...	Jim Davidson 'The Captain'
Julia Campbell	...	Janet Davidson
Phill Lewis	...	John Ryan
David Bowe	...	Forest Avery
Matt Winston	...	Tom Hanna
Susan Barnes	...	Diana Ditka
Lu Elrod	...	Patty
Tom Virtue	...	Track & Field Coach
Karly Rothenberg	...	Jack's Mother
Joseph R. Sicari	...	Umberto
Timm Sharp	...	Butcher Shop Employee
Stasi Glenn	...	Butcher Shop Employee
Frank Cassavetes	...	Butcher Shop Employee
Jose Vivanco	...	Butcher Shop Employee
Jarrad Paul	...	Beantown Employees
Rob Benedict	...	Beantown Employees (as Robert Patrick Benedict)
Martin Starr	...	Beantown Customers
Elizabeth Lackey	...	Beantown Customers (as Lisa Lackey)
Brian Palermo	...	Beantown Customers
Scott Adsit	...	Stew
Peter Jason	...	Clark
Gus Buktenica	...	Caring Soccer Dad
Jeffrey Noah	...	Phil (Age 9 & 11)
Kaitlyn Arens	...	Baby Phil
Harrison Doyle	...	Tigers
Christopher Garcia-Reyes	...	Tigers
Chase Klitzner	...	Tigers
Brandon Vincent	...	Tigers
Zach Hendrickson	...	Gladiators
Logan Rouse	...	Gladiators
Daniel Barrera	...	Gladiators
Brett Berman	...	Gladiators
Richard G. Fray II	...	Gladiators
Jeffrey Koval	...	Gladiators
Kyle Nathanson	...	Gladiators
Jeffrey Thomas Nemit III	...	Gladiators
Jack Polson	...	Gladiators
Wesley Taylor	...	Gladiators
Michael Uyehara	...	Gladiators
Tyler Reid West	...	Gladiators
Willie Amakye	...	Cosmos Player
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dan Metcalfe	...	Soccer Dan
Rachel Zeskind	...	Soccer mom
Tom Arnold	...	Himself (uncredited)
Alex Borstein	...	Obnoxious Hummer Lady (uncredited)
Marc De'Antone	...	Bar man (uncredited)
Sara Firestone	...	Picnic Woman 2 (uncredited)
Heidemarie Fuentes	...	Soccer Parent (uncredited)
Devon Gearhart	...	Voice (uncredited)
Colby Greening	...	Soccer Player (uncredited)
Tony Swift	...	New york cosmos soccer player (uncredited)

Directed by
Jesse Dylan

Writing credits (WGA)
Leo Benvenuti		(written by) &
Steve Rudnick		(written by)

Produced by
Judd Apatow	....	executive producer
Mia Apatow	....	associate producer
Daniel Lupi	....	executive producer
Jimmy Miller	....	producer
Charles Roven	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Mark Isham

Cinematography by
Lloyd Ahern II

Film Editing by
Stuart H. Pappé
Peter Teschner

Casting by
Juel Bestrop
Jeanne McCarthy

Production Design by
Clayton Hartley		(as Clayton R. Hartley)

Art Direction by
Virginia L. Randolph		(as Virginia Randolph-Weaver)

Set Decoration by
Jan Pascale

Costume Design by
Pamela Withers		(as Pamela Withers-Chilton)

Makeup Department
Shana Fruman	....	hair stylist
Hitomi Golba	....	hair stylist
Natasha Ladek	....	wig maker
Lisa Layman	....	head makeup artist
Denise Paulson	....	makeup artist (as Denise L. Paulson)
Deborah Ann Piper	....	head hair stylist
Gabriella Pollino	....	hair stylist (as Gabriella Pollino Rodman)
Manlio Rocchetti	....	head makeup artist
Amy Schmiederer	....	makeup artist
Terrie Velasquez	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Daniel Lupi	....	unit production manager
Lisa Rodgers	....	post-production supervisor
Roee Sharon	....	unit production manager (as Roee Sharon Peled)
Will Weiske	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ryan Craig	....	second assistant director
Ryan Craig	....	second second assistant director (as Ryan D. Craig)
Danny Green	....	assistant director: additional photography
Danny Green	....	first assistant director
Donald Murphy	....	second assistant director
Jeffrey Schwartz	....	additional second assistant director
Jody Spilkoman	....	assistant director
Jonathan Watson	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Jenny Baum	....	on-set dresser
Jeanne Bueche	....	art department coordinator
Alan Burg	....	set dresser
Timothy Burgard	....	storyboard artist
Andrew Campbell	....	graphic designer
Louise Del Araujo	....	lead
Darrin Denlinger	....	storyboard artist
Dennis DeWaay	....	construction coordinator
Michael D'Imperio	....	props
Keleigh Ferguson	....	art department production assistant
Jane Fitts	....	graphic artist (as Jane Ward)
Glenn Forbes	....	props
Meg Harker	....	art department coordinator: reshoots
Mark Hurtado	....	storyboard artist
Charles Kern	....	stand-by painter
Scott Maginnis	....	property master
Lanie Mimikakis	....	props
Mark Molina	....	assistant art director
Mark Rodriguez	....	set dresser
Michael Ruby	....	supervising signwriter
Josh Sheppard	....	storyboard artist
Mike Suhy	....	set dresser
Marc Tantin	....	welder
Susie Thompson	....	set dresser
Sally Thornton	....	set designer
Jane Ward	....	graphic designer

Sound Department
Mark Agostino	....	ProTools recording engineer
Ronald Eng	....	supervising sound editor (as Ron Eng)
Tammy Fearing	....	supervising adr editor
Dana LeBlanc Frankley	....	assistant sound editor (as Dana Frankley)
Richard C. Franklin	....	sound effects editor (as Rick Franklin)
Jonathan Fuh	....	boom operator
José Antonio García	....	production sound mixer
Jeff Gomillion	....	adr mixer
Mark Gordon	....	dialogue editor
Cameron Hamza	....	additional sound mixer
Jamie Hardt	....	assistant sound editor
Doug Jackson	....	sound effects editor
Steven Klinghoffer	....	cable person
Susan Kurtz	....	adr editor
Gregg Landaker	....	sound re-recording mixer
Steve Maslow	....	sound re-recording mixer
Chuck Michael	....	sound effects editor
Jon Michaels	....	assistant sound editor
B. Nichole Navar	....	sound production assistant (as Nichole Nivar)
Dan O'Connell	....	foley artist
Willard Overstreet	....	supervising foley editor
Nancy Parker	....	foley artist
Eliza Pollack Zebert	....	adr editor
Eliza Pollack Zebert	....	dialogue editor (as Eliza Zebert)
Philip Rogers	....	adr recordist
Karen Spangenberg	....	additional dialogue editor
Greg Steele	....	adr mixer
Bruce Stubblefield	....	dialogue editor
Robert Troy	....	dialogue editor
Steve Tushar	....	sound effects editor
Greg Zimmerman	....	adr recordist

Special Effects by
Ed Kennedy	....	special effects director
Harold Mauck	....	special effects assistant (as Harold G. Mauck)
Christopher A. Suarez	....	special effects technician
Ron Trost	....	special effects: additional photography

Visual Effects by
Ryan Beadle	....	digital I/O
John Coats	....	visual effects supervisor: second unit
David D. Johnson	....	visual effects supervisor
Ed Kennedy	....	visual effects supervisor
Sean Kennedy	....	digital effects artist: Pacific Vision Productions
Nicholas Kim	....	title designer
Lori C. Miller	....	title design
Wilson Tang	....	digital restoration

Stunts
Michael Adams	....	stunts
Richard L. Blackwell	....	stunts
Charlie Brewer	....	stunt coordinator
Joe Bucaro III	....	stunts (as Joe Bucaro
Chris Cashman	....	stunts
Michael Cassidy	....	stunts (as Mike Cassidy)
Paul Eliopoulos	....	stunts
Paul Farber	....	stunts
Doug Folsom	....	stunts
Derek Graf	....	stunts
Kathy Jarvis	....	stunts
David R. Maier	....	stunts
Jonathon Robinson	....	stunts
George Marshall Ruge	....	stunts
Jim Stephan	....	stunts
Webster Whinery	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Mike Bellantoni	....	grip
John Beran	....	rigging key grip
Don Bixby	....	gaffer
Michael Cassidy	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Scott Crabbe	....	digital video assist operator
Dave Egerstrom	....	assistant camera
Megan Forste	....	additional second assistant camera
Steve Galvin	....	rigging consultant
Paul Gibilisco	....	assistant camera
Rob J. Greenlea	....	grip
Derek Grover	....	camera operator
Lisa Guerriero	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Suzanne Hanover	....	still photographer
Doug Huete	....	best boy electric
John Janusek	....	key grip
Tom Jedrzejcyk	....	grip (as Tanqueray)
Jesse Kaplan	....	video assistant
Mark La Bonge	....	Steadicam operator
Mark La Bonge	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Michael Listorti	....	dolly grip
Marc Marino	....	rigging gaffer: additional photography
Todd McMullen	....	camera operator
Gary Molyneux	....	dolly grip: "b" camera
Ryan Nelson	....	grip
Tony Olivieri	....	first assistant camera
Chris Pavlu	....	electrician
Paul V. Perkins	....	key grip
Miro Pokorny	....	electrician
Raul Riveros	....	camera loader
Chad Rivetti	....	first assistant camera
Tony Rivetti	....	first assistant camera
Chris Shadley	....	video assist operator
Tim Speed	....	rigger gaffer
Cameron Thorburn	....	crane operator
R. Gern Trowbridge	....	light board operator
Carl A. Vidnic	....	lighting technician
Rachel Wells	....	lighting technician

Casting Department
Nicole Abellera	....	casting assistant
Béatrice Kruger	....	casting: Italy
Caitlin McKenna-Wilkinson	....	adr voice casting
Jocelyn E. Thomas	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Yvonne Bastidos	....	set costumer
Adrienne Greshock	....	costumer
Lisa Hyde	....	set costumer: additional photography
Matthew Jerome	....	costumer
Michelle Kurpaska	....	costume supervisor (as Michelle Kurpaska)
Marylou Lim	....	set costumer
Mike Lutz	....	set costumer
Lisa D. Quercioli	....	PR costumer
Ivory Stanton	....	specialty costume fabricator
Jennifer Todoroff	....	costume production assistant
Deborah Zimmerman	....	set costumer

Editorial Department
Gary Burritt	....	negative cutter
Jason Fabbro	....	video colorist
Ally Garrett	....	assistant editor
Trent Johnson	....	digital film colorist
Nina Kawasaki	....	additional editor
Bruce Lomet	....	digital intermediate producer
David Raymond	....	first assistant editor: avid
Laura Steiger	....	associate editor

Music Department
Sandy DeCrescent	....	music contractor (as Sandy De Crescent)
Greg Dennen	....	score recordist
Chad Fischer	....	composer: additional music
Dave Jordan	....	music supervisor
Stephen Krause	....	scoring mixer
Ken Kugler	....	orchestrator
Frank Macchia	....	orchestrator
Larry Mah	....	digital score recordist
Kathy Nelson	....	executive music producer
Cindy O'Connor	....	music programmer
Bill Pearson	....	music engineer
Curtis Roush	....	supervising music editor
Lee Scott	....	music editor: temp
Andrew Silver	....	music editor
Erich Stratmann	....	assistant music editor
Jojo Villanueva	....	music coordinator
Lyle Workman	....	composer: additional music
Kevin Crehan	....	music editor (uncredited)
Scott McRae	....	music preparation (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Gina August	....	driver
Darrell Dubovsky	....	driver
Wallace Frick	....	transportation coordinator: additional photography
Philip Henderson	....	driver
Jim Oge Jr.	....	driver
Steve D. Weinmuller	....	transportation coordinator: re-shoots
Christopher Weippert	....	driver generator operator

Other crew
Mary Albright	....	assistant: Mr. Ditka
Gerard Averill	....	location manager
Pamela Bower	....	assistant: Mr. Dylan (as Pamela J. Bower)
Zack Brown	....	assistant: Mr. Roven
Jenny Lynn Burnett	....	assistant accountant
Chris Cashman	....	photo double: Will Ferrell
Frank Cassavetes	....	assistant: Mr. Duvall
Joshua Church	....	assistant: Ms. Apatow
Brian Clark	....	medic
Sarah Clifford	....	animal trainer
Simon Clifford	....	football consultant
Andrew J. Cohen	....	assistant: Mr. Apatow (as Andrew Jay Cohen)
Demelza Cronin	....	assistant: Mr. Lupi
Bianca D'Carpio	....	production assistant
Jessica Elbaum	....	assistant: Mr. Ferrell
John Elliott	....	assistant: Jimmy Miller
Erin Engman	....	assistant production coordinator
Adam Farrar	....	production assistant
Lisa Jean Felski	....	post-production accountant
Ian Feuer	....	assistant soccer coach
Sara Firestone	....	assistant: Jimmy Miller
Louis G. Friedman	....	line producer: second unit
Rick Granville	....	production secretary: re-shoots
Michael A. Heath	....	asset manager
Kathy Jarvis	....	soccer coordinator
Fallon Johnson	....	production assistant
Nicki Johnson	....	assistant production coordinator: re-shoots
Valerie Johnson	....	set production assistant
Michael Judd	....	production assistant
Nancy Karlin	....	script supervisor
Shelley Kirkwood	....	unit publicist
Timber Kislan	....	payroll accountant
Cody Klop	....	voice-over
David R. Lawson	....	key medic
Candice LeClaire	....	assistant accountant: re-shoot
Christopher Lee	....	key assistant location manager
Brigette Lester	....	production coordinator: re-shoots
Jennifer P. Luther	....	first assistant accountant
David B. Lyons	....	production assistant
Robert Martinez	....	stand-in: Mr. Duvall
Mark Mayer	....	production accountant
Rob McCabe	....	stand-in: Will Ferrell
Dan Metcalfe	....	soccer choreographer
Dan Metcalfe	....	soccer coach
Rob Nagle	....	assistant: Mr. Dylan
Joseph Palmer	....	assistant: Mr. Roven (as Joe Palmer)
Jennifer Pedevilla	....	payroll accountant: re-shoots
Scott Peterson	....	script supervisor: additional photography
Rick Poyner	....	key assistant location manager
Nadia Randazzo Bombino	....	assistant accountant (as Nadia Randazzo)
Willy Roberts	....	production assistant
Linda Rowe	....	animal trainer
Skylar Schmidt	....	second assistant accountant
Kerri Smeltzer	....	assistant production office coordinator
Mary C. Snyder	....	title designer
Linda Stanley	....	studio teacher
Miker Stovall	....	production assistant
Laura Summer	....	additional voices
Paul Ton	....	assistant: Mr. Roven
Lois Walker	....	production coordinator
Cristina Wildzumas	....	assistant: Mr. Dylan
Wendy Willis	....	assistant: Jimmy Miller
Lynnanne Zager	....	adr loop group
Jim Bacon	....	epk producer (uncredited)
Tamara Maellaro	....	set medic (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures (presents)
• Mosaic Media Group

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (2005) (USA) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2005) (Italy) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2005) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2005) (Argentina) (VHS)
• RTL Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (TV) (first national airing) (RTL7)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2005) (Argentina) (all media)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Video (2006) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Pacific Vision Productions (visual effects)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes and dollies
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  remote camera systems
• Cinesat  satellite Internet on location
• Filmtools  expendables
• Inflatable Crowd Company, The  inflatable mannequins
• Janen Music (I)  music preparation
• Money Shots  commercial compositing
• Panavision  camera and lenses
• Pivotal Post  Avid editing equipment provided by
• Right Lobe Design Group  titles
• Sportsrobe  costumes
• Technicolor Digital Intermediates  digital intermediate
• Technicolor  color timing
• Warner Brothers Scoring Stage  score recorded at (as Warner Bros. Scoring Stage)

Also Known As:

Kicking and Screaming (USA) (alternative spelling)
Soccer Dads (USA) (working title)
Untitled Will Ferrell Soccer Comedy (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements, language and some crude humor.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Canada:PG | Iceland:L | Norway:7 | Malaysia:U | South Korea:All | Netherlands:6 | New Zealand:PG | Sweden:Btl | Australia:PG | Canada:G (British Columbia) | Ireland:PG | UK:PG | USA:PG | Finland:K-7 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Arcadia, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Many of the names on the kids' jerseys are those of crew members, such as Apatow (two producers) and Watson (assistant director).

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the finals, when the referee calls both coaches (Phil and his dad) you can see the shadow of the tarp that covers the sun on the field.

Quotes:

Buck Weston: Oh, this oughtta be good. If we live long enough, we'll see Iron Mike and Aluminum Phil coaching the Tigers.
Mike Ditka: I couldn't really hear ya, Weston. My Superbowl ring was making too much noise.
[crowd hisses]

Movie Connections:

References The Great Santini (1979)

Soundtrack:

EYE OF THE TIGER

Finally, a non-Pixar family movie that adults can enjoy

You may be surprised to learn that rather than just being another overly silly Will Ferrell movie, Kicking & Screaming is actually a brilliantly poignant exposé on the foibles of the human condition. While a movie like Crash chooses to tackle the heavy issue of human relationships within a racially diverse atmosphere, Kicking & Screaming goes a different direction and touches the soul of two topics that are near and dear to my heart: sports competition and coffee addiction.

I don't know about you girly girls, but all us manly men are well-rehearsed in sports competitiveness. If you're worth your "man weight" in gold, then you're driven by the need to compete. This isn't something that you carry through high school and then grow out of, oh no, you're stuck with it for life. I may have been at my most intense when running over a catcher back when I played high school baseball, but I'm still known to throw an elbow in the church basketball league and to do a little trash talking during a heated ping pong match. If you refuse to believe a ping pong match can get heated, then you've never played it the right way.

Anyway, this is a movie whose humor feeds heavily off the fuel provided by the competitiveness of all the men involved. Whether it be Robert Duvall (a real man who says the only daily vitamin he needs is a steak) going toe-to-toe against Will Ferrell in a passionate game of tether ball or Duvall and Mike Ditka constantly trying to outdo each other or Will Ferrell becoming so addicted to coffee that he installs a cappuccino machine on the bench and forces Ditka to resign as assistant coach, the chemistry just works.

It's a chemistry that is hard to accurately depict in writing. A chemistry whose effectiveness lies in the delivery. For example, there's a young Asian boy on the soccer team named "Byong Sun." When his mother asks Ditka for an autograph, Ditka asks how to spell his name. She starts to spell it, but he stops her and says, "I think I got it." When she later looks at the autograph she sees that Ditka has written, "Bing Bong." I can't explain why, but this had me cracking up for about 5 minutes. I'd try to concentrate on the movie, then I'd think about how self-assured Ditka was that he now knew how to spell the name, and I'd bust out laughing all over again. Then later in the movie when Ditka yells out, "Way to go, Bing Bong!" I lost it all over again. It's just one of those things.

Or when Ditka tells the kids, "I eat quitters for breakfast and spit out their bones," and then Ferrell deadpans, "Delicious." My words can't do it justice. It's all in the timing and delivery. Sometimes this type of humor is so subtle that it might not be fully appreciated, so I'm warning you now to pay attention to it.

Speaking of Ditka, he steals the show. He has a natural talent for comedy like this, and it's hard not to laugh when he's on screen wearing a Bears sweater vest or a shirt that has "Ditka" on it. Just sit back and enjoy his competitive bickering with Duvall. When Duvall starts to taunt Ditka because he's been reduced to coaching little league soccer, Ditka responds by holding his hand out and saying, "I couldn't hear ya; my Super Bowl ring was making too much noise." The self-referential tone works perfectly.

The kids can get a little too cutesy at times, which will play well with soccer moms, but they do have some genuinely funny moments. Steven Anthony Lawrence is pretty annoying (intentionally so), but I did a spit take (well, not literally) when the camera focused on his face while he was running and he breathlessly stated, "I'm in bad shape for 11." I guess you had to be there.

I'm giving the movie 4 marks, and I realize that's fairly high, but this *is* a family movie, and as such it's one of the most entertaining family movies I've seen in a while. Sure, I didn't care for some of the cutesy kid stuff, and things *do* get predictable and silly, but what are negative elements for me will be looked upon more favorably by younger audiences and sappy parents.

To find a movie that will keep adults consistently laughing throughout without resorting to material that'd make you squirm if you're sitting next to mama or the kids, you usually have to look for the Pixar label, so I tip my hat to Kicking & Screaming for succeeding. This is the kind of "kid's movie" I want to take my 10-year-old brother to, not Racing Stripes.

Oh, and please do yourself a favor and try not to take the movie too seriously. If you're such a curmudgeon that you'd actually complain about the scene where a mother stops her son during a game to put sunscreen on his face, and you actually question why she didn't do this BEFORE the game then I'm sorry, but you deserve to be slapped. Let me explain something... *ahem* IT'S A MOVIE!! Still not clear? OK, let me elaborate...

IT'S A WILL FERRELL MOVIE!! Do you see "directed by Clint Eastwood" attached to the credits? No? Then remove the corn cob, loosen up, and enjoy life a little.

Sheesh. Some people. Now who wants to go head-to-head with the Betts-meister in a friendly game of ping pong?