If you have seen any of the films fostered by The Mighty Ducks, or that original movie, you know the plot of the latest effort of Will Ferrell, Kicking & Screaming. Ferrll is Phil Weston, a vitamin store owner in Chicago. He has issues (going back to his childhood) with his father, played as an over-the-top SOB by Robert Duvall. Duvall, owner of a sporting goods store chain, coaches Ferrell's son on a soccer team his store sponsors. Unfortunately, Grandpa keeps his grandson on the bench a lot. When Ferrell brings this up with Duvall, Duvall trades the boy from the Gladiators to the Tigers. At this point, replace the Mighty Ducks with the Tigers, and change the sport from hockey to soccer, and you've got the rest of the movie. This, I suppose, was a reasonable idea - tap into the under 16 market of film-goers with one of the big names in comedy. But it just does not work. The scenes with Duvall and Ferrell are somewhat cartoonish; and with the screenplay, Ferrell comes across in much of this movie as, well, unlikeable. Kicking & Screaming only gets two bones out of four. And that is only because the appearance and performance of Da Coach, Mike Ditka, as Duvall's neighbor. For reasons unknown, Duvall and Ditka have disliked each other for years (maybe Duvall's jealousy of Ditka's success - if not that, then I have no clue), and Ditka joins with Ferrell to help coach the Tigers. To the credit of the screenwriters, Ditka's is not a one-scene-and gone performance, and he comes across as the voice of moderation and reason (!). Oh he's still Ditka (minus the language); his scenes with Ferrell are the only flashes of life and laughter in this movie. He's just himself, and because he's himself, Ditka steals this movie. If they'd let Will Ferrell be Will Ferrell, Kicking & Screaming could have worked - not terrifically, but it could have worked. As is, it's a good one to rent when you've got some 8-to-14 year-olds to entertain. But save your money and don't see it on the big screen.