The Replacements is one of my favorite sports movies. It might adhere to most of the cliches of the genre and it might be quite similar to something like Unnecessary Roughness, but I cannot help but thoroughly enjoy it again and again. Not bad for a movie about a bunch of losers!
In The Replacements, a strike is going on in the National Football League (the American kind of football, mind). The owners of the teams don't want the season to end prematurely, and so they search frantically for replacement players. This is not easy, since many players syphatize with their professional colleagues, and the players that are available... Let's just say there is a good reason why they are not playing. This is the problem plaguing headcoach Jimmy McGinty (Gene Hackman), brought in to lead the Washington Senators to the playoffs. With plenty of trouble he is able to assemble a team that is made up of a quarterback who cracks under pressure, a wide receiver who drops every ball that is thrown in his direction, another wide receiver who is deaf and a diverse assortment of other players who put the less in hopeless.
I'm not going to kid you into believing that this movie is in any way original in it's story development. So yes, the team does suck at the beginning. And they do start gelling together and winning games. But the way the team does it is a lot of fun to watch. This is thanks to the many great characters in this movie. Keanu Reeves is Shane Falco, a tragic quarterback fighting for his last chance. Reeves does a very good job with his role. He's been accused of being a bit of a wooden actor, but in this movie that goes perfectly with the character, who has it in him to be great, but who is stifled by his lack of nerves. Hackman makes a very affable coach, while supporting actors like Orlando Jones, Jon Favreau, Rhys Ifans, and Faizon Love are great at making their characters funny, but still giving them more than two dimensions as well. The interplay of the characters is solid. The jokes keep hitting, the cameradery between the players is believable and infectuous, and the relationship between Falco and cheerleader Anabelle (Brooke Langton, an actress we should have seen much more of) is sweet and romantic. You know, there really isn't anything wrong with this movie, which I have now seen four or five times without it getting boring for a single second. There is nothing left for me but to give this great sports comedy a very high score.
****½
Directed by: Howard Deutch
Written by: Vince McKewin
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Gene Hackman, Brooke Langdon, Orlando Jones, John Favreau, Rhys Ifans
Running Time: 118 minutes
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