The Replacements Review
by Laura Clifford (lcliffor AT genuity DOT net)August 6th, 2000
THE REPLACEMENTS
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It's late in the pro football season with the playoffs only games away when the disgruntled, highly paid League players declare a labor strike against the team owners. Washington Sentinels owner Edward O'Neil (Jack Warden) comes up with his own solution to finish the season - hire coaching legend Jimmy McGinty (Gene Hackman) to recruit and field a team of replacement players in only a week's time in director Howard Deutch's film, "The Replacements."
ROBIN:
Based on the real 1987 NFL players strike, "The Replacements" is a modern day Cinderella story that uses that event as the premise to create a good-natured sports yarn that practices exactly what it preaches. Coach McGinty, at one poignant point of the film tells his quarterback Shane Falco (Keanu Reeves) that "you gotta have heart to win," and, by the grand finale, his replacement Sentinels show they have that heart. The really nice thing about the movie, its cast and crew is that they, too, show a great deal of real heart in their efforts.
"The Replacements" is a true ensemble film on several levels. The large principle cast work together as a real team in their portrayal of the last minute replacements. Keanu Reeves gives one of his more self-effacing performances as the equally humble Shane Falco. Falco, in the fateful 1996 Sugarbowl, led his team to utter defeat and has been reminded of the disaster, by virtually everyone, ever since. Coach McGinty chooses Shane as the team's quarterback and, reluctantly, because of the stinging defeat that ended his football career, Shane agrees to helm the team. McGinty, who has the eye to spot raw talent, brings in other blue-collar types who get an unbelievable opportunity - to fulfill a boyhood dream and play in the pros.
The cast surrounding the film's stars is made up of mostly unknowns and little knowns. Orlando Jones plays the extra fast Clifford Franklin who has the speed to make touchdowns, but has one flaw - he's fumble fingered. Jon Favreau ("Swingers") is Danny Bateman, an L.A. SWAT cop who loves to inflict pain for a just cause. (More on Favreau's perf later.) Rhys Ifans (the best thing in "Notting Hill") is Welsh soccer player Nigel "the Legs" Gruff, who, though new to American football, is perfectly suited for his role as the team's kicker, despite the fact that he chain smokes, even while on the field during a game. Comedian Faizon Love and former Washington Redskins player Michael "Bear" Taliferro play Jamal and Andre Jackson, very large music industry bodyguards turned linemen. Earl Wilkinson (Michael Jace, "Boogie Nights") is a "guest" of the state with touchdown skills, released into Coach McGinty's custody as a favor by the football-loving governor. Talented, but deaf mute, Brian Murphy (David Denman) and Sumo wrestler cum center Jumbo Fumiko (Ace Yonamine), round out the core team of players. Complementing the terrific ensemble cast are veterans Jack Warden as the team's owner and Gailard Sartain as assistant coach Leo Pilachowski. Pretty Brooke Langton ("Swingers") gives a tomboy air to her perf as the obligatory love interest, Annabelle Farrell. Sportscasting legends Pat Summerall and John Madden play themselves as the commentators of the team's games.
I mention the details of each core player because it's important to understand that all of these guys are fleshed out, real people. The actors trained hard under the guidance of football and stunt coordinator Allan Graf, whose resume includes such notable films as "Any Given Sunday," "The Waterboy" and "Jerry Maguire," and it shows in the convincing moves they make on the field. The heartfelt efforts by the actors to look the part of pro football players come out in their performances. Complementing this unity of characters is a quiet, but also heartfelt perf by Reeves as Shane. Shane, because of his past, is reluctant to become the team's leader, but McGinty sees his inner quality and strong love for the game that will make the younger man a true leader. The overall effect of this collaboration makes "The Replacements" a solid edition to the sports comedy/drama film fold.
The team behind the camera also shows a sense of unity in their effort to create a coherent, funny, good-looking and well-crafted sports movie. Tak Fujimoto ("Silence of the Lambs") does superb work in showing the pain and passion of the gridiron while giving an almost homey look to the action off field. Production design by Dan Bishop ("Lone Star") captures the look and feel of professional football. The makers even went to the extreme effort of shooting many of the plays for the film's five games at halftime during an actual NFL game, lending the big stadium full of screaming fans an authenticity that is rare in movies. Musical score, by John Debney, is unobtrusive and helps set the tone for both the comedy and the drama of the story.
The screenplay, by Vince McKewin, is a no-frills, rags-to-riches, underdog-wins-against-the-odds kind of yarn that, like everything else about this film, has a lot of heart. There aren't many surprises along the way and thing pretty much follow a checklist - form the team (check), unite them under a common cause (check), establish a love interest (check), and so on (check). The ride along the way is punctuated with humor, some wit, copious quantities of inspirational rock songs - with Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" rep'ing the central theme of empowerment and fulfilling a dream.
I also want to make special mention of the hysterical, scene-stealing performance by Jon Favreau as nutcase Danny. As the team's key defensive back, he is absolutely dedicated to giving his all for the team and is almost puppy dog loyal to Coach McGinty. He's not beyond losing himself during practice, tackling his own quarterback (a no-no) with zeal. When the coach asks him to get the ball back from their opponents at the crucial moment, it's probably the funniest wacky moment in the movie.
"The Replacements" is a good sports fan flick that has enough humor, intelligence and Keanu Reeves to make it a crossover date movie that will make you feel good, maybe even hopeful, for a while. The players prove that they can make a difference. Maybe you can, too, if you get the chance. I give it a B.
LAURA:
Based on the 1987 football players' strike but set in the present with the fictional Washington Sentinals, "The Replacements" is a character driven comedy about a bunch of has-beens and never-wases who get a second shot by crossing the picket line to play the Sentinals' remaining four games of the season. As owner Edward O'Neil (Jack Warden) tells replacement coach Jimmy McGinty (Gene Hackman), they need to win three of those four games in order to make the playoffs - a tall order for a team assembled a scant seven days before playing their first game together.
McGinty first rustles up Shane Falco (Keanu Reeves), a star quarterback who blew his career in a disastrous Sugar Bowl game. (Shane's introduced very originally during the film's credit title sequence. He's doing his job rigged out in scuba gear, scraping barnacles off a boat's hull when he spies an old football trophy of his lying on the ocean floor, which he retrieves and throws.) Other members include Nigel 'the Leg' Gruff (Rhys Ifans, "Notting Hill"), a Welsh bar owner and former soccer player, Clifford Franklin (Orlando Jones) the 'fastest man on earth,' who can't catch, overly agressive cop Daniel Bateman (Jon Favreau, "Swingers") with a maddog tackle, Japanese sumo wrestler Jumbo Fumiko (Ace Yonamine), brother music industry bodyguards Andre and Jamal Jackson (Michael 'Bear' Taliferro and Faizon Love), deaf mute Brian Murphy (David Denman)and Maryland penitentiary resident Walter Cochran (Troy Winbush).
Annabelle Farrell (Brooke Langton , TV's "Melrose Place") is the grounded local girl who must put together a parallel replacement cheerleading squad, which she's forced to man with strippers. Shane immediately locks eyes with Annabelle, and although she professes to not date players, he wears her down with his on field heroics and basic decency. (There first kiss is 'called' by commentator Pat Summerall in a whimsical bit of overlapping scene editting by Bud Smith and Seth Flaum).
The entire team is harrassed by the striking players, led by quarterback Eddie Martel (Brett Cullen, "Apollo 13"). They particularly enjoy turning Shane's humble pickup truck on its side until the Jackson brothers shoot up Martel's Porsche. They also cause a barroom brawl when Martel hurls cruel insults at Brian, but they walk away while the new guys end up in jail. This proves the bonding opportunity they need, however, as Clifford gets them all to line dance to his favorite song, Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive."
This is a good natured comedy that goes exactly where you expect it to go with some surprising details thrown in. It's a little bit "Bad News Bears," a little bit "Any Given Sunday," with a tip of the hat to "The Waterboy" with some huddle vomit. The cast is uniformly good, although Orlando Jones veers into Steppin' Fetchit territory. Reeves is an appealing hero, leading the team but always remaining humble and self-effacing, but its Hackman and Favreau who have the best scene in the film when McGinty effectively puts Bateman's 'talent' into play.
Director Howard Deutch ("Pretty in Pink") gets his audience onto the field with the players. Screenwriter Vince McKewin ("Fly Away Home") leavens his rote script with inventive character quirks and situations, particularly in how he deals with Falco's forced moment of truth during the big game.
Unfortunately, "The Replacements" suffers from lapses into tackiness, exhibitted by lame cheerleading scenes which looked culled from another (smaller budget) film and its use of rock standard covers rather than the original recordings, giving the film a B movie feel with A level stars. Overall, though, "The Replacements" hits its mark as a summer sports
comedy.
B-
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