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THE BEST GRIDIRON FILMS
Hollywood really does have a thing with sports. Boxing and baseball have long been their favourite topics, but the selection of gridiron films has improved dramatically in recent years. But which is best? I prefer to solve the argument by picking my particular favourites for their own individual message.
The most realistic film by far is Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday. Based on the book by former Buccaneer Pat Toomay, it tells the story of the Miami Sharks, coached by ageing great Al Pacino, a quarterback debate between veteran Randy Quaid and youngster Jamie Foxx, and a whole bunch of other issues. In fact, almost too many issues. Ownership wranglings, drugs, money problems, playing time arguments, Stone deals with them all. The action shots are the best ever seen in a gridiron film and the DVD is well worth getting for the additional extra deleted scenes and film documentaries.
The funniest film by far is The Replacements. Telling the story of a strike team from the 1987 season, Gene Hackman coaches Keanu Reaves and a bunch of typical sporting misfits in a wonderfully entertaining movie. There are almost too many great scenes to list them all but suffice to say, it always cheers me up if I have ever had a bad day at work or on the golf course.
For dealing with sheer moral issues, The Program reflects everything that is good and bad with college football. James Caan plays the coach of Eastern State and deals with eligibility issues, cheating in exams, recruiting wars, the lot. The scariest scene involves one particular player on steroids, who Caan allows to play because he needs the win more than dealing with the moral issue involved. I convinced Phil Jones to buy the DVD when we were in San Diego and he hasn't stopped thanking me for it yet.
The Longest Yard was the 2005 re-make of the original Mean Machine and was the original title of the film. Apart from that Adam Sandler is about half of the size of an NFL QB, it is a very funny and at time hilarious film with great cameos from the likes of Chris Berman. The following year brought us Invincible, the true story of former Eagle special teamer Vince Papale. It is a Disney film so you know it will have a happy ending but it is a good film and one that has you rooting for Papale (Mark Wahlberg) all the way through.
The Mean Machine came into the media spotlight in the UK when Vinnie Jones starred in a terrible remake of the 70s original with Burt Reynolds. The Bandit himself played Paul "Wrecking" Crewe, a former star QB who winds up in jail where he takes control of a team to play the guards. Mayhem naturally results and the scene with Richard Kiel (Jaws from the Bond movies) is the most memorable. Denzel Washington is the coach in Remember the Titans a true story film that tells of the first integrated high school team in the Washington area. Being a Disney film, you know the ending way before it arrives, but the story is a good one and Washington is one of the best actors in the business.
Adam Sandler is one of Hollywood's biggest stars these days and his performance as The Waterboy helped catapault him to stardom. Sandler plays a backward country hick who has an ability to become Dick Butkus when he gets mad. Cameos by Jimmy Johnson and Bill Cowher are nice but the really funny scenes are few and far between. Black Sunday is a film based around an attempt to sabotage the SuperBowl in a terrorist plot. The scenes were actually shot at the Orange Bowl but it is so long since I last saw it, any further review would not do it justice.
College football is the topic for Rudy, a feel-good flick about a perennial back-up at Notre Dame, and high school football for Wildcats an 80s movie starring Goldie Hawn that is actually better than one would first think. A couple of films from the 70s, the famous North Dallas 40 and Brian's Song are highly rated but were before my time so I cannot comment properly on them.
And then there is Jerry Maguire. I really hate that film. I don't know why, I just do. Tom Cruise is a sports agent, based on Leigh Steinberg, and the numerous clips of players, coaches, front office types and other agents are noticeable. A lot of people rate the film highly but sorry, it just doesn't do it for me. Unlike Debbie does Dallas. I'm still busy researching that one and when I think I've done a thorough-enough analysis, I'll let you know!
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