The Comebacks (PG-13, 2007)

David Koechner isn't an actor whose name most moviegoers likely recognize, but he's got one of those unforgettably funny faces. He's a second-tier member of the Will Ferrell/Steve Carell comedy frat pack and has appeared in Anchorman, Talladega Nights, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Reno 911!: Miami, and many more. And while it's high time that Koechner landed a leading role in a comedy, THE COMEBACKS isn't worthy of his talent. Basically an Epic Movie-style spoof of sports flicks, The Comebacks follows the same predictable plot formula as many of the "inspiring true stories" it's mocking. Koechner plays Lambeau Fields (yes, like the home of the Green Bay Packers), an infamously bad coach who's hired to lead a small Texas college football team. Their name: The Comebacks.

Despite spoofing elements of every sports movie from Rudy to Radio to the TV version of Friday Night Lights, the jokes often fall flat. Anyone over the age of 8 could explain why a "wiener joke" is infantile, and showing a close-up of gymnasts spreading their legs open is just plain gross. Apparently the screenwriters weren't aiming high, because The Comebacks's obvious humor makes the Scary Movie series look like Shakespearean comedy.

The film's only highlights are the various cameos from Koechner's comedic pals. Will Arnett (The Brothers Solomon), Kerri Kenney-Silver (Reno 911!), Dax Shepard (Let's Go to Prison), and Finesse Mitchell (Saturday Night Live) are just some of the comic actors who pop up. But they can't save this mess from being a major fumble.

Studio: Fox Atomic
Director: Tom Brady
Cast: Carl Weathers, David Koechner, Melora Hardin
Genre: Comedy
Run time: 84 minutes
Theatrical release: October 19, 2007
DVD release: January 29, 2008
MPAA Rating: PG-13
MPAA explanation: crude and sexual content throughout and some drug material (re-rated on appeal).