It used to be that the loser was the sorriest of all characters in the movie universe. See: "Back to the Future's" George McFly, Cameron from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," Anthony Michael Hall.

Then along came a guy named Napoleon Dynamite, and he transformed the nerd into the coolest guy around, an alternative Homecoming King of sorts. Instead of laughing at these socially awkward guys, we want to share Tater Tots with them. So, it's completely thanks to Napoleon that we're able to embrace Fred Simmons of the low-budget comedy "The Foot Fist Way."

Fred is a modern-day movie hero, a nice guy, played by unknown actor Danny McBride, who tries hard and is pretty oblivious to his actual loserness.

Ordinarily, we'd tear apart this Tae Kwon Do dweeb. He wears his uniform 24/7, his wife is ridiculously tarty and he thinks breaking cement blocks is awesome.

But when we first see Fred doing a karate demonstration in a mini-mall parking lot, instead of cruelly laughing, we look at him with a bit more sympathy.

Fred is actually not so bad. And in his own mind, Fred thinks he's quite an amazing person. He owns his own karate studio. His students look up to him. And his friends share his obsession for tae kwon do superstar Chuck "The Truck" Wallace.

Of course, Fred's little bubble has to burst when he finds out his wife isn't as innocent as he'd like to believe. Even though we see this coming way before he does, it's still heartbreakingly hilarious when it does.

Part of the movie's charm is the cast of unknown actors who also wrote the script: McBride, Ben Best and Jody Hill.

Because Fred and his friends aren't played by superstar comics like Will Ferrell (who, incidentally, is a huge fan of this movie), it makes discovering the characters that much more fun.

Take Hill, who also directed the film: He practically steals the spotlight as Fred's best friend, Mike, a creepily intense karate master who isn't afraid to corrupt young kids.

Still, this isn't the kind of movie that will appeal to everyone.

The plot is too simple and predictable. The use of karate as an outlet for physical comedy gets overused. And some of the jokes about who could beat up who in a fight seem regurgitated from "Napoleon Dynamite."

But those with a bit of patience and a love for losers will leave the theater with a bunch of new quotable nuggets from what could be this summer's sleeper comedy.

"The Foot Fist Way"; running time: 1 hour, 27 minutes; rated R, 3 stars.

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