The Replacements is an American football film. These don’t tend to do so well outside of North America*, mainly because it’s played in very few countries, and in a limited way in those where it is. As such, I’m not sure this even got a cinema release in the UK. I know I first picked it up in Blockbuster, though I was aware of it through trailers before that. It’s the old tale of underdogs overcoming the odds. Shane Falco (Keanu Reeves), a quarterback who is infamous for losing the Sugar Bowl (the Super Bowl but for college teams), is called back from the sidelines to head a team of ‘unknowns’ who will act as replacements for the Washington Sentinels during a players strike. Unorthodox coach, Jimmy McGinty (Gene Hackman), puts together a team of talented misfits who haven’t made it into the big league for one reason or another. We follow the team through four games that will decide if the Sentinels will get into the playoffs. The film exploits the differences and flaws in their characters, their inexperience at high-level football and the expectations of everyone around them for comedic effect. The characters are what bring the film alive though. I’m not saying this is a classic, but it is very watchable and pretty funny.
Incidentally, if you like American Football films in general, check out Any Given Sunday and Varsity Blues.
Some points I’d like to say about American football:
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