This was advertised as a sports comedy, but leaned more towards being a drama; there was a mild amount of romance within it as well. The setting takes place in the year 1925 during the golden age of football, guys wearing leather helmets hence the name leatherheads. There are many different teams in this league; some of them are barely able to continue due to funds including the Duluth Bulldogs which this film centers around.
The film was written by both Duncan Brantley and Rick Reilly. George Clooney steps behind the camera to direct this, and also stars as Jimmy ‘Dodge’ Connelly who tries to professionalize football with the celebrity help of Carter Rutherford played by John Krasinski a celebrated war hero and now player. Jonathan Pryce plays C.C. Frazier and is Carter’s agent of sorts; his shady dealings are what motivates him. Renée Zellweger plays news reporter Lexie Littleton from the Chicago Tribune newspaper and tries to get the real scoop on what’s happening. Wayne Duvall plays Coach Frank Ferguson and is a stereotypical type coach in the early scene of the new found sport.
The Bulldogs struggle to keep things together, falling to the pitfalls of alcohol and drinking (In 1919, the U.S. Congress passed the 18th Amendment, thus making the sale and distribution of alcohol illegal) which is where this film picks up afterwards. The team is made up of a motley crew of guys from all walks of life. The early days of the football game were very crude and vulgar, a lot of non sportsman like moments happened Clooney’s character Dodge was known for his on the field antics.
This will appeal to fans of the game and football nostalgia in general, it has many goofy moments in it, and it seems the cast and crew enjoyed themselves while filming this. For those who might have expected this to be an accurate historical look at football, this film isn’t that, but it does provide some merits for slapstick entertainment.
I think Clooney was trying to capture the yesteryear of the 1920′s, 1930’s and 1940’s. This film does have some accuracy to it and tries not to take itself too seriously and neither should you while you watch this one. So in summary, there is a scandal, a romance and some football bloopers to see. It might not appeal to everyone, and has a niche type audience appeal. Some people might also enjoy seeing the costumes, cars and even motorcycles which were used.
Rarely does a film come along that becomes such a cult hit for sports fans, this is not just about football, but about one young man’s dream to have his chance at playing for the University of Notre Dame. Ultimately, this is a testament to the human spirit and one person’s determination to succeed never giving up no-matter how high the stakes are. The screenplay was written by Angelo Pizzo. This was directed by David Anspaugh who previously had success with Hoosiers (1986) which was another sports film starring Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey, and the late great Dennis Hopper.
Aside from his performance as Sam in The Lord of the Rings franchise films, this film is certainly one of Sean Astin’s finest performances to date, as the real life Daniel E. ‘Rudy’ Ruettiger. You might or might not recognize Jon Favreau as D-Bob in this film, who befriends Rudy at the school. He has lost a considerable amount of weight since this was released and he is now known more for his directing efforts including Iron Man 2 (2010). His real life friend Vince Vaughn plays Jamie O’Hara in the film Rudy, and has appeared together with him in a number of other films including Swingers (1996) which Favreau also wrote the screenplay for.
The music score by the extraordinarily talented Jerry Goldsmith adds much dimension and depth to this true story. Without it, I doubt it would have received as much attention by critics and sports fans. I still think it would have been good, but it helped a lot aside from the stellar acting efforts by the cast, I put it into my top 5 all time sports films. It truly is a wonderful film to watch, I highly recommend everyone see this one.
Another reason to watch this is the fine performance by veteran Hollywood icon Ned Beatty who portrays Rudy’s father Daniel Ruettiger. His brother Frank Ruettiger is played by Scott Benjaminson. There are more appearances in this such as the talented Charles S. Dutton who plays a man known as Fortune a greens keeper at the stadium. Greta Lind plays Mary; Mary Ann Thebus plays Betty, Christopher Reed plays Pete. Also, keep your eyes open for Lili Taylor who plays Sherry.
This true story originates in a factory type town where a young man has his dream and sights set high to succeed at all costs and do what he really loves. He had many things against him including his academic level, athletic ability and not being physically big enough through most people’s eyes. This didn’t stop him from trying his absolute very best and by the ending of the film; you will see how far these efforts take him. Enjoy this classic true-life tale with friends and family.
What an unexpected surprise, we were delighted to see this film. I think that most people will find this story to be quite intriguing, even if you don’t like sports films. This one was pretty special, and so were the cast. It worked plain and simply. There was great collaboration surrounding this film, and it shows on screen.
This is certainly one of Sandra Bullock’s finest performances in some time, as she steps into the shoes of Leigh Anne Tuohy who is a woman who doesn’t hold any prejudices in her heart. Rightfully so, she walked away with the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Oscar. The leading character which you get to understand about is played by actor Quinton Aaron portraying real life NFL player Michael Oher on screen. I certainly think this was a breakthrough role for Quinton Aaron, and hopefully he will have a healthy Hollywood career ahead of him.
The film was directed by John Lee Hancock, who also had written the screenplay which is based off the book by Michael Lewis titled “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game”. I was even surprised by country music man Tim McGraw playing Sean Tuohy, he seemed to fit well. Jae Head plays S.J. Tuohy and certainly was a standout with his humorous performance. British actress Lily Collins plays Collins Tuohy. Interesting enough her last name is the first name of the person she is portraying, this usually doesn’t happen often.
Journeyman actor Ray McKinnon portrays Coach Burt Cotton, Kim Dickens plays teacher Mrs. Boswell, Adriane Lenox plays Denise Oher, Kathy Bates appears later in the film as Miss Sue, Catherine Dyer plays Mrs. Smith, Andy Stahl plays Principal Sandstrom, Tom Nowicki plays the Literature Teacher, Libby Whittemore plays the Sarcastic Teacher, Brian Hollan plays Jay Collins, and Melody Weintraub plays the History Teacher.
In this film, you get a chance to see a side of Memphis Tennessee which many people might not know about, and it shows a culture clash between parts of the city. This city is also known for its music and food. I think even non-football fans can stomach enough to sit through this one. It was well put together. I also thought the one sheet film poster which was used seemed to capture the film well.
This is a very compelling sports themed film; you really feel for the character as you see him seep deeper into a spiraling depression of anguish. He continues to fall off the deep end in his life and loses his sanity pieces at a time. Robert D. Siegel directed and also wrote the screenplay. He is a former Editor in Chief of “The Onion” website (a news publication online focusing on various subjects) this film was praised by different media as a standout and was both nominated and won a few different awards.
The film was categorized as a comedy, but it is nothing like a comedy. There might be a couple mildly amusing moments, but the film is very drama filled with a good in depth look at a man’s life who is obsessed with the New York Giants NFL football team. The leading character named Paul Aufiero is played by Patton Oswalt who is better known for his comedic roles in shows like The King of Queens as Spence Olchin. He also has done some standup comedy for HBO and Comedy Central networks.
His best friend Sal is played by Kevin Corrigan who shares a common interest as a fan of the New York Giants NFL football team as well. Together they attend the games (in the parking lot of the home stadium) Paul’s mother is played by Marcia Jean Kurtz and is very convincing in the part. Paul’s brother Jeff is played by Gino Cafarelli who I thought was great in the role and equally believable. Matt Servitto appears in this as Detective Velarde, he has an extensive television resume. Polly Humphreys plays Paul’s sister Christine and her husband Dennis is played by Joe Garden. Sidné Anderson plays Dr. Parker; and Michael Rapaport plays Philadelphia Phil a rival fan of the Philadelphia Eagles NFL team.
Paul is obsessed with a particular player on the Giant’s roster named Quantrell Bishop played by Jonathan Hamm. He is a fictitious quarterback. In his eyes he can do no wrong, and when push comes to shove everything falls to pieces in this unusual obsession. Each time the Giants play, he calls in to a radio show giving his input on what happened game day. As this happens we see him change throughout the story. I think Patton Oswalt delivered an unexpected performance and really shined in this role. The film is certainly worthy to see and will leave you bedazzled by the end of it. I think every sports fan will appreciate this one, but it leaves room for a vast audience.
If you enjoy sports movies, this is one of the better football films that were made in the last decade. It is loaded with a talented cast and has some unique characters in it. The story centers on a small town in Texas where football is everything. The community attends each game and they are fans of the West Canaan Coyotes. It was written by W. Peter Iliff. This was directed by Brian Robbins who you might remember as an actor from television playing Eric Mardian on the show “Head of the Class” which aired between 1986 until 1991.
The simple tagline was “Make your own rules”
The high school team consists of James Van Der Beek playing Jonathon ‘Mox’ Moxon. You might know him best from the television series “Dawnson’s Creek” as Dawson Leery. He is accompanied by Amy Smart who plays Jules Harbor his girlfriend. She is a stable presence in his life. Whereas his family life is somewhat normal aside from his father Sam Moxon played by Thomas F. Duffy who constantly pushes him towards his choices about football to an extreme. Jon Voight plays Coach Bud Kilmer and also pressures Jonathon ‘Mox’ Moxon to follow his rules only. This creates some interesting dynamics between the characters. Coach Bud Kilmer wants to win his 23rd division title and the stakes are high. Ron Lester plays Billy Bob and has known Jonathon ‘Mox’ Moxon since they were in pee wee football together. You might not recognize Ron now as he has lost an astonishing 350 pounds since the release of this film.
You will notice a younger Paul Walker best known from The Fast and the Furious (2001) as Lance Harbor the first string quarterback. He has a relationship with Ali Larter who plays Darcy Sears, and has a very remember able scene involving whipped cream in this film. Scott Caan plays Wildman Charlie Tweeder and would later re-team with Paul Walker in the film Into the Blue (2005). Richard Lineback plays Joe Harbor, Tiffany C. Love is Collette Harbor, Eliel Swinton is Wendell Brown, Jill Parker-Jones is Mo Moxon, Tonie Perensky is Miss Davis, Joe Pichler is Kyle Moxon, and Mark Walters is Chet McNurty.
James Van Der Beek won an MTV Movie Award for his role in this film; the film certainly says some things about life, football and the different directions people can go in. I recommend this film to football fans, and to everyone because it touches upon different things in life we seem to experience.
This story was directed by Sidney J. Furie and written by Curtis Burch. I have seen this one a number of times over the years, and each time I found it to be funny. The film stars the late Rodney Dangerfield playing Chester Lee, a man trying to succeed in the business world. He is engaged to Bess played by Ilene Graff. Her son Matthew is played by the late Jonathan Brandis, who also plays Martha an alternate character that leads to some amusing situations throughout the film.
The main story is about him kissing his bosses butt played by Tom Parks as Dave Mullen; and kissing his bosses’ wife’s butt played by Jeanetta Arnette. Chester agrees to coach the company girls’ soccer team in hopes of a promotion. He was originally inspired to do this from attending a self-help seminar at the opening of the film. The Mullen’s have a daughter named Kimberly Mullen played by Vinessa Shaw. She also plays on the Ladybug team and has a very strong leg.
Dangerfield’s character Chester gets help from both Matthew who dresses up as a girl to play on the girl’s soccer team using his athletic talent, and Julie Benson played by Jackée Harry as his assistant coach. The Ladybug team isn’t very good, and they are in a rebuilding year. Coach Chester will certainly need all the help he can get trying to bring this team together as champions.
Some of the other girls on the team are: Nancy Larimer played by Crystal Cooke who is loud mouthed with a chip on her shoulder, and the last remaining veteran player on the team; Jennifer Frances Lee is Carmelita Chu the goalie who is obsessed with butterflies, Vanessa Monique Rossel is Tina Velez full of fire and temper, Johna Stewart-Bowden is the sassy Sally Anne Welfelt who breaks a nail, and Jandi Swanson is the unsure Penny Pester who completely changes by the end of the film. Nancy Parsons plays Coach Annie, Blake Clark is Coach Bull, and Tommy Lasorda appears as Coach Cannoli.
For those who don’t even enjoy soccer, this will still be worthy of your time, it was a well rounded story with lots of comedic relief by Dangerfield. The humor however is sexually referenced in some scenes, so some people might find it offensive. I thought it was creatively put together and quite humorous. The casting was brilliant and everyone fit each role perfectly.
