1986 Indiana movieRating: 16/20
Plot: Based on the true story of the 1954 high school basketball team from Milan, Indiana, a small-town team that overcame all odds to win the state championship after the hiring of coach Lex Luther.
A real schmaltz-fest, just dripping with treacle, but this Hoosier unapologetically loves it. The synth-laden score fixes it firmly in 1986, but that's one of its few flaws. Solid performances by Hackman and Hopper as the unorthodox and much-maligned coach and town drunk respectively, but the supporting cast--namely, the players--brings a down-home realism to rural Indiana. I'm so glad my state wasn't painted with the same brush that painted the landscape and characters in Deliverance or something. Good dialogue, too. The movie's got a ton of heart. I could have been spared the lackadaisical love story between Hackman and Barbara Hershey's character, but the other main subplot, Shooter's redemption, develops realistically, allowing you to care and root for his character. The basketball action itself, and there's a whole lot of it, is shot well, each of the games becoming their own little stories. I also enjoyed seeing the old gymnasiums. This is a well-written underdog story about second chances, worth seeing even if you have no opinion on whether or not Indiana moving to a class system was the right move or not.
Is the Butler run making you overly sentimental? I would give both of these Indiana films a 16, as well. I do think "Hoosiers" is pretty manipulative and more flawed, but it does have a lot of great moments. I have another friend named Barry that had this as his favorite sports movie. I don't know if it is in my top-10. Time to make another list!
ReplyDeleteI am not the Barry who has Hoosiers as his favorite sports movie. Believe it or not Cory has TWO friends named Barry. (But as far as I know, no friends named Steve, even though Steve is a much cooler name.)
ReplyDeleteI would give Hoosiers a 18...I like it a touch more than Shane and Cory, but I think the Hershey/Hackman love story is a waste, and it really does drag it down a bit. Its got a great ending, and some impressive acting though, plus the story is compelling all the way through.
MY favorite sports movie of all time would be Field of Dreams. (A 20) (IF thats a sports movie) If its a sports movie with lots of sports action, it would probably be Raging Bull. (A 19)
Do 'Teen Wolf' and 'The Karate Kid' count as sports movies? 'The Natural' would make my list despite being a great example of everything I normally hate in Hollywood movies. Would 'The Hustler' or 'Rounders' count? Those "sports" are shown on ESPN. 'The Freshman'? Is that the first good sports movie? 'Hoop Dreams' would be close to the top of the list for me. I suppose the Ken Burns baseball documentary doesn't count, right? 'Rollerball' (the original, of course)? I know Cory and I both have an appreciation for 'Kingpin'...oh, bowling? Does 'Lebowski' count? 'Slapshot' was a favorite of my parents...I'd need to see it again. I also really liked 'Seabiscuit' more than I probably should have. As Cory knows, I'm not a fan of the highly-overrated 'Rocky' and I've never bothered watching any of its sequels. Never cared much for 'Bull Durham' or 'A League of Their Own' and I must see 'Field of Dreams' again because I just don't remember it that well.
ReplyDeleteMy contender for Worst Sports Movie of All Time: 'Facing the Giants,' a religious football movie that is the worst movie I saw the first year I had this blog. Link:
http://shane-movies.blogspot.com/2008/03/facing-giants.html
I don't really care too much about Butler, by the way...I was rooting for them in a half-assed way but I haven't watched any NCAA tournament games or anything. People around here have stuffed that bandwagon though.
ReplyDeleteYou came up with a few I didn't even think of ("The Karate Kid", Lloyd's "The Freshman" and "Kingpin"). Nice. I was not going to count pool, but I think it is a legitimate sport, so it should. I also enjoyed "Seabiscuit" quite a bit. My list:
ReplyDelete1. Field of Dreams
2. Rocky
3. Kingpin
4. The Hustler
5. Bull Durham
6. Brian's Song
7. Rocky III
8. The Karate Kid
9. The Freshman (1925)
10. The Longest Yard
11. Raging Bull
12. Slap Shot
13. Hoosiers
14. Major League
15. Miracle
I did not count "The Big Lebowski" because bowling is not a central theme. Otherwise is would be in the middle of my list.
ReplyDeleteI was kidding about Lebowski, Teen Wolf, and, to a certain extent, Karate Kid...
ReplyDeleteI've not seen Miracle or Rocky III.
I know you've seen Hoop Dreams...why doesn't it crack the top 15 there?
I liked "Hoop Dreams" just fine, but it didn't really grab me. Even now, I only remember the movie generally (with something about a kid needing to make clutch free-throws). It may have been a case of let-down since reviews were so great. A 15 and it may have made a top-20 list (definitely behind "Seabiscuit", though).
ReplyDelete