The film is broken up into five parts, each one representing a different tenet of the martial art (Courtesy, Self Control, Perseverance, Integrity and Indomitable Spirit). Oddly enough, each of these segments tend to highlight how McBride's character, while trying to hold up these beliefs, end up breaking them; that is, until the movie's finale when he goes up against his idol, Chuck "The Truck" Wallace.
The film starts off with Fred and his wife getting separated because he finds out she got a little too friendly with a co-worker. Fred's life gets a little unhinged at this point. He starts losing his self control (especially after he finds out Suzie's (his wife) co-worker has the same last name as a kid in his class. Thinking it's the kid's son, he goes a little too hard on the 10 year-old in a sparring demonstration. Of course, the kid's mother explains to Simmons that her husband is dead. This is just one of the examples of Fred's downward spiral.
In order to help get his mind off of the issues at hand, Fred, his best friend, and a couple of his students are going to take a road trip to meet the movie star/martial arts star, Chuck "The Truck" Wallace at a small convention. While there, the small group meets their idol and gets invited to a party at The Truck's hotel room. The party isn't exactly what you would expect from someone who is supposed to be a symbol of health and vitality, but Fred and his friends go along with the booze and drug party (though not really participating). Eventually though, Fred asks The Truck to go to his dojo to do some demonstrations at the next test event, and once the superstar has warmed up to Simmons, it's a deal.
Unfortunately, Chuck's arrival doesn't end up being all that good, especially since Fred's extra-marital tendencies rear up yet again, and Fred feels that his honor has been threatened.
The Foot Fist Way is a low budget mockumentary that is actually quite fun. Having spent quite a few years in a dojo similar to Simmons', it was easy to see the same cross-section of students that show up in every school like this. There were the kids who are learning self control, the seniors looking to stay active, the twenty-somethings looking for exercise, and even a couple of people who just want to beat people up. If you've spent any time training at a dojo, then you will probably get a kick out of The Foot Fist Way, but be warned, this movie is definitely not for the younger audiences. It is a crude movie filled with sexual references.
