Danny McBride plays Fred Simmons, an incompetent, strip-mall tae kwon do instructor who nonetheless has the undying devotion of his sorry students. McBride’s dedication to this demented character is the movie’s main attraction. Even in the face of mounting humiliations – failed tae kwon do demos in mall parking lots, his wife’s unfaithfulness – Simmons strives to maintain his air of misplaced authority. There is a certain sense of self-loathing that goes into these sorts of character comedies, as if the actors are reveling in their own humiliation. Here, as Simmons’ carefully cultivated world begins to unravel, the real sense of panic in McBride’s eyes is almost poignant. Like Will Ferrell – who helped Foot Fist Way find distribution – McBride has created an idiot you inexplicably care about.
