- Taken aback by his mother's wedding announcement, a young man returns home in an effort to stop her from marrying his old high school gym teacher, a man who made middle school hell for generations of students.
- Fatherless John Farley's youth frustration, even trauma, like many his school kids' in his Nebraska small town home, was the constant abuse and humiliation in sadistic Jasper Woodcock's gym class. After college, doting son John became a motivational bestseller author and returns during a book signing tour to receive the backwater's highest honor. To John's horror, his devoted mother Beverly announces her plans to marry the hated coach and he's to be celebrated on the same event as John. Only ridiculous fatso Nedderman and his strange brother try to help Farley stop Woodcock, but that keeps backfiring.—KGF Vissers
- John Farley is a self-help author returning to his hometown to receive its greatest honor, the corn cob key. Much to his dismay, his high school gym teacher Mr.Woodcock who made John's life a living hell is engaged to his mother! John joins forces with an old friend from high school to terminate the marriage and dig up dirt on their former PE teacher.—Emperor Jake
- John Farley has achieved overwhelming success from the publication of his self-help book, "Letting Go", which espouses letting go of one's past to be able to move on with life. The philosophies in the book were the mechanisms he used to get over some painful issues from his own past, namely the passing of his father when he was a child, and what he saw as the physical and emotional abuse hurled at him, as the fat kid, and that of almost all of his classmates by their sadistic high school gym teacher, Jasper Woodcock. Because of the book, John receives the Corn Cob Key to the City from his farming hometown, Forest Meadow, Nebraska. Against the wishes of his hard nosed manager Maggie, John plans on attending the ceremony to pick up the award - the culmination of the annual Cornival - as he sees it as something prestigious within his own history, and it will allow him to spend some time with his still single mother, Beverly Farley, the Cornival Queen of 1970 who still rides on the queens' float in the Cornival parade. John's visit with his mother takes a turn for the bad when he learns that she is in a serious relationship of five months, with none other than Mr. Woodcock, who John believes has not changed since John was in his class. Things go from bad to worse when he further learns that Mr. Woodcock, still teaching gym, will be awarded the Educator of the Year at the same ceremony, and when Mr. Woodcock and his mother get engaged. With his former classmate Nedderman by his side, Nedderman who received that similar abuse in gym class, John goes on a mission to expose Mr. Woodcock for who he really is and/or get even from all that abuse, even at the possible expense of his mother's happiness. What may work to John's advantage is that Mr. Woodcock has no recollection of "Farley" in his gym class at all and as such has no idea of the rage seething within him.—Huggo
- John Farley (Seann William Scott) is a successful self-help author of the bestseller Letting Go: How to Get Past Your Past, who returns to his hometown in Nebraska to receive an award. Maggie Hoffman (Amy Poehler) is Farley's agent. Maggie is a businesswoman and advises Farley against going to Nebraska and wasting his time. But for Farley, the Corn Cob Key, is a huge award and he wants to be there at the "cornival" in person to receive it. Farley arrives home and learns that his widowed mother Beverly (Susan Sarandon) is dating his former P.E. teacher Jasper Woodcock (Billy Bob Thornton). Farley disapproves of the relationship because he remembers Woodcock as an abusive bully. Woodcock doesn't even remember John and says he had many fat kids over the years. Woodcock used to pick on the weakest students in class and made Farley change his clothes in front of everyone, when one day he didn't bring his gym clothes. He calls Farley a loser and a fat, gelatinous one at that.
Beverly really likes Woodcock and tells Farley that he is the first man since his father, who has felt right to her. Woodcock spends the night with Beverly and that creeps out Farley. Farley decides to speak to Woodcock 1:1, but seizes up when he enters the gym. The gym brings back all of Farley's old and bad memories. Farley ends up apologizing to Woodcock, but is angry when Woodcock will not apologize back to Farley for the treatment meted out to him over the years. Farley tells Beverly that Woodcock is not right for her, but she refuses to blame him for anything.
Woodcock and Beverly become engaged. Farley decides to leave town, but then decides to stay and fight as he refuses to bow down to Woodcock as his new dad. The majority of the film centers on Farley's attempts to convince his mother to break off the relationship, with the help of his best friend, Nedderman (Ethan Suplee). Nedderman works as a waiter at the local pizza joint. Maggies wants Farley in Chicago to appear on Oprah, but Farley refuses. Farley becomes increasingly obsessed with beating Woodcock at various competitions and with proving that Woodcock is not a suitable mate for Beverly. He dips Woodcock's whistle in his urine. Goes head to head against him on a treadmill, and gets thrown off. woodcock forces Farley to get a haircut at Hal the Barber (M. C. Gainey), who ends up using the clippers and shaving the back part of his head.
Farley meets Mr. Woodcock's father (Bill Macy), who is as acidic and an asshole as Woodcock. Farley intervenes when woodcock is being tough with a senior pool class, but ends up being elbowed in the nose, when he tries to save a old, paralyzed man from drowning. Farley finds out that Woodcock has been married before and asks Nedderman to investigate. Woodcock was married to Sally Jansen (Melissa Leo). Sally says that sex was amazing with Woodcock, but the reason is infidelity. She says she saw Woodcock with some big buxom blonde tramp and Farley thinks Woodcock is cheating on his mom as well. Farley and Woodcock go to the Cornival with Beverly and Tracy. Woodcock and Farley compete in many carnival games and Woodcock beats Farley each time. But Farley manages to beat Woodcock at the corn eating contest and goes bonkers, witnessed by Tracy and Beverly. Farley's antics are so childish and extreme that his new love interest Tracy (Melissa Sagemiller), a former classmate (who now teaches English at the same school), refuses to see him again.
Farley refuses to give up and enter's Woodcock's home with Nedderman to plant a video camera to catch him in the act of cheating on his mom. But instead they have to hide when Woodcock comes back unexpectedly with Beverly and they watch him have sex with her.
Farley is set to receive his award at the same ceremony where Woodcock will be presented with an award for being "Educator of the Year." Woodcock receives his award first and is praised by numerous members of the community for being a great teacher and influence on children. Farley is unconvinced and devotes his entire acceptance speech to explaining why Woodcock is the "biggest asshole on the planet." Woodcock and various crowd members refute Farley's points (Sally says she cheated on Woodcock. The students say that nobody died from Woodcock's treatment of them at the gym) (The blonde woman is woodcock's Realtor who was helping him buy a new house for Beverly), and Woodcock then challenges Farley to a fight. Beverly witnesses the confrontation and dumps Woodcock.
The next day, Farley has a heart-to-heart conversation with his mother, who tells him that he is selfish and has always sabotaged her relationships with men after his father's death. Farley realizes she is correct, and after cutting short a live interview on The Tyra Banks Show, Farley attempts to apologize to Woodcock. The two have a final exorcising fight, which leads to Woodcock suffering a concussion. Farley and Beverly visit Woodcock in the hospital and all three seemingly make peace. Farley declares that the key to life is not "getting past your past" but instead learning to embrace your past. He opines that Woodcock's vicious treatment in gym class helped him become the man he is today.
Woodcock and Beverly get married, Farley reunites with Tracy, and Farley goes on to write a second book entitled Backbone: The Definite Guide to Self Confidence.
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