The Replacements

December 12, 2004

Rated: PG-13 Runtime: 105 min Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I have to admit I wasn’t too excited going into this one, fearful that all the funny parts were in the previews. I was pleasantly surprised and found it to be a very good movie. Not quite great and predictable in parts, but highly entertaining and enjoyable.

The Replacements

Think of it as a football music video with some decent story lines to keep you interested and you’ve pretty much got it. It certainly helps if you’re a football fan, but at least being a sports fan or someone who’s ever competed in a sport will help you relate in some way to this movie.

If you’ve ever complained about spoiled, pampered and greedy professional athletes you’ll definitely like this movie. That is of course how these replacement players for the fictitious Washington Sentinels get the chance to play because the professional football players in the film, just like in real life, want to make 8 million dollars instead of barely getting by on 7 million, so they strike. When all of the replacement players are assembled and start practicing, it seems as though anything good coming out of it is a lost cause, exactly how I felt after about 15 minutes into the movie.

But then, as I watched, something happened. The players start to gel and support each other and really develop into a team, and before I knew it I was really enjoying the flick. Replacement quarterback Shane Falco (Reeves) emerges as a true leader and the team rallies around him. Watching it take place made me want to be a part of it. The team wins some games, and before they know it, if they beat Dallas the Sentinels make the playoffs.

Maybe in some way that is exactly what director Howard Deutch (Pretty in Pink, Some Kind of Wonderful, Grumpier Old Men) wanted, to have moviegoers think, “This is gonna suck,” as a fan would say about a team made up of scabs, only to realize later it was pretty darn good. I doubt that was his intent, but that’s what I ‘d be telling people in interviews if I were him.

The acting was very good. With Keanu Reeves as Neo still in my psyche, seeing him as a replacement QB seemed out of place when I first saw the preview for this film, but he really played the role well. It may not have been the most difficult role to play, but you just couldn’t help but like the guy for his heart and humility. The other players likewise were guys you loved to root for, and Gene Hackman as the head coach is his usual top notch self.

Hackman says in the film referring to the players, “They sure will be fun to watch.” So was this movie. Great football action which totally worked me into a froth for the upcoming season; a team to cheer for; and some *really* fun to watch cheerleaders. Just the way football is meant to be.

Posted by Steve Payne | Filed Under 4 Stars, Brooke Langton, Comedy, DVD, Gene Hackman, Jon Favreau, Keanu Reeves, Orlando Jones, PG-13