'The Foot Fist Way' (R)(out of four)

The story of how the new comedy, "The Foot Fist Way" came to the big screen is almost as entertaining as the movie itself. Former North Carolina School of the Arts film student Jody Hill had studied tae-kwon-do growing up, and thought it would make a good backdrop for a movie.

He wrote a script with fellow former classmates Ben Best and Danny McBride, and then got together enough credit cards to finance the $70,000 needed to shoot the film. They kept costs down by using current students as the crew, and a lot of non-actors in various roles.

Fast-forward to the 2006 Sundance Film Festival where the movie became an audience favorite, getting the attention of comic actor Will Ferrell's production company, which then convinced a Hollywood studio to market and release the film.

The on-screen story they all hope movie audiences fall for revolves around tae-kwon-do instructor Fred Simmons (played by co-writer McBride, from "Drillbit Taylor"). Fred's school might be small and located in a strip mall, but his ego knows no bounds. He tools around town in a Ferrari (although it's never explained how he can afford it) and teaches his students with a hilarious intensity. (It's not a martial arts course, it's a "killing system.")

Young kids and senior citizens do mismatched battle as Fred continually tries to arm-twist new students to sign contracts. But after one fellow passes on his full-court press sales pitch, Fred's last-ditch effort is to attempt to shame him with a "If you were in prison…" line. The talented McBride delivers his lines with as much brilliance as Steve Carell from "The Office."

Fred's world starts to unravel when he finds out his sexy wife (played trailer-park-trashy by Suzie Simmons) has been fooling around with a co-worker. She tries to explain away her indiscretion with the apparently understandable excuse, "I got really drunk. Like Myrtle Beach drunk."

The teacher's response is to embark on a hilariously awkward pursuit of a very unreceptive female student. With that going nowhere, he decides to take a road trip to see his martial arts idol: Chuck "The Truck" Wallace, star of such "classics" as "The Seven Rings of Pain: Parts One, Two, and Three."

Along for the ride are his student "apprentices:" The small, yet spirited "Julio" played by Spencer Moreno, and the very passive teenager "Henry" played by Carlos Lopez. They are joined by Fred's tae-kwon-do mentor (Hill) who clearly has a very dark side that should be avoided at all costs.

It's during the trip to the martial arts convention that the "The Foot Fist Way" really comes alive. Chuck "The Truck" Wallace (played by co-writer Ben Best) might be a movie star and a black belt, but he's Class-A jerk which finally dawns on the idolizing Fred. Much like "Little Miss Sunshine," these misfits band together, trying to find their honor, and they clearly have the audience behind them.

The language might be a bit rough at times, and the production values could use some polishing, but "The Foot Fist Way" features some great lines, an uplifting story, and wonderful performances from people that we will certainly be hearing more from.