Reviews (77)

A classic
I don't want to make a bigger deal out of this movie than it deserves. It's not a world-changer and the ending is a bit predictable, but it is a wonderful and charming coming of age story and an honest look at small-town America. And cycling and Italians play central roles -- a plus for an American cyclist living in Italy, like me.

But having an affinity for things Italian or for bike racing is not necessary in order to enjoy this 25-year-old classic. What is necessary is an appreciation for small things and memories about the mysterious period between adolescence and adulthood. If that describes you, then chances are you'll enjoy this touching film.

Amid the praise I should say that the DVD package is only average: the original trailer and teaser are there, but it would have been nice to have some commentary from director Peter Yates, some of the actors, or from critics who were fans of the film. A "Making of Breaking Away" mini feature would have also been a welcome addition.

One note: Breaking Away is a very American film, and so I'm not so sure how much of it will hit home with foreign viewers.

Inspiring Coming-of-Age Quirky Heartwarming Film
This is the story of four boys who have just finished high school and who live in Bloomington, Indiana. They are trying to figure out who they are and who they could be. They run up against the animosity of the college kids who look down upon the townies or "Cutters" (Bloomington is also a rock quarrying town) as inherently inferior.

The main character is irrepressible Dave Stohler (Dennis Christopher) who decides that he wants to be an Italian international bicycle racing star, even though he has never been out of his home town and doesn't happen to be Italian. He pours himself into the role of becoming Italian and becoming a star-quality cyclist. His loving parents are bewildered and worry if their son will ever be normal. He doesn't want to be normal; he wants to be outstanding.

This movie does a wonderful job of blending comedy, character development, and action. After watching it, you feel like you were there and you knew these people. I was inspired by this film to look for other Dennis Christopher movies (e.g., "California Dreaming") but none even approached this one. "Breaking Away", with the multiple meanings to its title, is one of the most likable movies I've ever seen. A great pick-me-up if you're down in the dumps.

Remember Being 18? You Will...
Watching "Breaking Away" is like visiting an old buddy in a familiar town. The film is about four friends who have graduated high school and aren't quite sure whether to embrace adulthood and the future or to shun it and cling instead to their childhood identities and each other. There is a great deal of warmth and gentle humor throughout the film, and the performances are winning.

Mike (Dennis Quaid), the leader of the group, clings to his friends as reminders of his days as high school quarterback and fears they will prove to be his best. Moocher is eager for adulthood and is planning to marry his girlfriend. The only problem is he cannot keep a job! Cyril (Daniel Stern) is resigned to the fact he may never leave Bloomington, but remains buoyant regardless. Dave Stohler is the main character, he knows exactly what he wants to be, an Italian Cyclist. There is only one problem- he isn't Italian! Dave learns through a young woman he meets and eventually through his father that simply being Dave is more than good enough, and that he must embrace his natural talents and the future. There have been countless "coming of age" pictures, but this one is the most enjoyable!

DVD: The production values of the DVD leave something to be desired and therefore I only give the product 4 stars. The lack of 5.1 surround is a disappointment, as well as the quality of the video. A commentary track featuring the four leads would have been an interesting addition. The only extras are a couple of trailers.

Wide appeal.
This film has wide appeal. At the outset it really seems to be one of those movies that were made specifically to cater to rising trends of the times -- in this case, the bike boom of the early 70's. And yet, even though our protagonist rides a Masi, this film has few things in common with other flicks like Torque, The Fast and the Furious, Top Gun, Wildstyle, Quicksilver and others that feebly attempt to elevate their respective scenes to almost mythical underground status by building stories and jargon completely around the sport or subject itself. Initially I watched Breaking Away because I was into bicycles. But bicycles in this movie surprisingly take somewhat of a backseat in relation to its main thrust; this film could be said to be not just about coming of age in small town America but more about taking pride in your own cultural identity while finding the courage to pursue your own dreams. And however cliche it might sound, the struggle is a real one, especially concerning the 'vicious cycle' that exists in our supposedly classless American society. And this I think, has a far more timeless appeal than a kid going around thinking he's a professional italian cyclist, however charming it may seem.

A classic
A sleeper that made the grade and graduated into the realms of Classic Flicks, Breaking Away is one of those wonderfully uplifting and subtly patriotic movies that champions small-town America. Steve Tesich won the screenplay Oscar for this semi-biographical story about four 19yo kids who can't quite decide what to do with themselves after high school. They live in Bloomington, Indiana, where the guys from the university look down on the townies and make derogatory comments about their rock quarrying forebears. One of them drifts, then runs, into the world of Italian bicycling, much to his used-car-salesman father's dismay and embarrassment.
You'll feel yourself pulled into rising excitement as the marvelous finale hoves into view, and, though sorry to see the film end, you'll hit the rewind button with a big smile on your face. ... Read more

Reviews (34)

A Matthau Gem... Shall We Say "Diamond?"
The great Walter Matthau (all saggy jowls) plays Buttermaker, an ex-pitcher turned pool cleaner who tools around all day on his jobs in a chop-top station wagon with a cooler of beer in the backseat. A local businessman talks (with money) Buttermaker into coaching a youth-league team of castaways. Seems this is one community that takes its youth league baseball seriously. A little too seriously.

What follows is the familiar plot of a bunch of underdog kids coming together as the "Team Nobody Believed In" and contending for the championship against a team that represents everything that's wrong when parents spoil simple pleasures for their children (the Yankees, coached by Vic Morrow, in a neatly-observed performance). Look, I don't know if "Bears" even did it first, but this movie certainly does it best, and without the labored sentimentality of its progeny.

"Bears" never turns cartoonish. It captures just the right atmosphere- slanting, late afternoon sunlight during the games, the bikes parked behind the dugouts, the post-game chants. The kids, led by Tatum O'Neal and Jackie Earle Haley all perform well, and each has a sharply defined personality. Even Morrow, as Buttermaker's antagonist, isn't portrayed as bad or evil- just a guy with misplaced priorities that make him act like a jerk.

But Matthau makes this movie, conning kids into making martinis for him and cleaning pools while he regales them with increasingly drunken stories of his baseball glory days... until he passes out on the mound in a litter of beer cans. Matthau plays Buttermaker as a modern day loser who discovers (eventually) he still has a better nature.

Bright, smart and funny, "The Bad News Bears" is a joy to watch, full of quick-witted exchanges and even heartbreak. If you've seen one too many "Mighty Ducks" flicks, do yourself a favor and watch this one. It goes down as smooth as one of Buttermaker's ice cold ones on a hot afternoon.

And look for that kid who played Eddie in "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" as Morrow's son and the Yankees' star pitcher. He has a ballpark epiphany that's true and heartbreaking. Just another aspect of this marvelous little movie.

Good News for the Bad News Bears
A great movie that hits it mark..unfortunately sprung two terrible sequels. THE BAD NEWS BEARS is a social commentary about when kids are taken out of the sandlot (which is more fun when kids are left to play among themselves) and organized by adults to play little league baseball and the result is chaos. Walter Matthau in one of his signature roles as coach Buttermaker (he even reprised the role in a parody of the film on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, in the now classic and hilarious BAD NEWS BEES sketch). Matthau is hilarious as the drunken, ex-big league ballplayer/pool cleaner hired by one of the parents to coach a bunch of losers in a competetive and elite Los Angeles little league organization. The kids are innocent, but honestly brutal in their depiction. Standout performances from Jackie Earl Haley (BREAKING AWAY)as Kelly Leak, the motorcycle riding punk who is also a great athlete, Chris Barnes as tough little Tanner Boyle (who supposedly takes on the whole seventh grade when he is humilated in the embarrassing first game loss), and of course Tatum O'Neal as the tough girl pitcher whose curve ball breaks 2 feet. All this works on a level of a family movie, but some situations are adult oriented. Watch the film on network television and it is butchered beyond recognition. On DVD and cable, it it way better because you see why some of the situations occur. One example is the scene when pitcher Joey Turner (Brandon Cruz -tv's COURTSHIP OF EDDIE'S FATHER) throws at the head of batter Engelberg (Gary Lee Cavagnaro) and you'll know why. Actor Vic Morrow continues his string of bad guy roles even in this film as Coach Roy Turner and even the Yankees (a metaphor for elitistism) is used as a name of one of the teams as the arch rival of the Bears. Overall, entertaining and authentic with great casting.

Dear Luper
Dear Luper Ronsogni makes me sick, he cant even pitch nobody thinks we can win, ps I saw a good movie the other night, youd like it. Your friend, tanner boyle

I Loved This Movie!
I remember my mother taking me to see The Bad News Bears when it was playing in movie theaters, I was about 10 1/2 years old and I loved the movie and thought it was a lot of fun to watch and I thought that the cast was great, Tatum O'Neal, Walter Matthau, Vic Morrow, Jackie Earle Haley, etc and when HBO started showing The Bad News Bears I watched it to many times to count. I see some reviewers have complained about bad language but honestly I have heard much worse langague in movies that are being made these days and I still have to highly recommend The Bad News Bears.

Classic, realistic, non-syrupy story of Little League
Don't listen to other reviewers who impose today's political correctness on a movie that came out in 1976. My parents took me to see this film when it came out (I was nine) and it was a good film. It has lessons about winning, losing and sportsmanship. It touches upon characters we all know: the winning coach (played wonderfully by the late Vic Morrow) who values winning above all else - even his own son. A realistic film from the 1970s, reflecting divorced parents, precocious kids, bullies, all of it is in here. Above all, it is a positive statement about self-respect and accomplishment. While Matthau's ways of coaching would probably be protested today (i.e., giving the kids beer after the final game of the season) it was seen as true to his character and one of the funny touches. Some of the material is mature but it may spark some positive conversations in a family. It isn't watered down, squeaky-clean family fare that people expect today, but it does have a good message and is fun. Excellent performances by a great cast, realistic baseball playing (sometimes painful) and great moments. A classic 1970s film that is often overlooked. ... Read more

Description

The Bad News Bears In Breaking Training is the comic and poignant second-in-the-series of adventures with the pint-sized sandlot ballplayers initiated with the smash success, The Bad News Bears. The picture picks up the Bears' career a year after their infamous second-place finish in the North Valley League. Faced with a chance to play the Houston Toros for a shot at the Japanese champs, they devise a way to get Texas to play at the famed Astrodome. On their pilgrimage to Houston, the Bears gain a new coach; dump that coach; add a new pitcher who can't get his fastball over the plate; find another coach who shows him how it's done, and go on to a come-back victory with all eyes on Japan. ... Read more

Reviews (84)

Perhaps the funniest sports comedy of all time
This is simply a hilarious movie about a hockey team fighting for its very survival in Charlestown, West Virginia. The style of hockey portrayed in the movie is Don Cherry-style "Old Time Hockey" - Sweethearts who don't like violence in sports should check out another video.
Although Paul Newman stars, it is the no-name actors (minor league hockey players in real life) who play the Hanson brothers who steal the show.
Life eventually imitated art: A couple of years after this movie came out, the Boston Bruins went into the stands to beat up fans in New York's Madison Square Garden, and, a few years later, the Montreal Canadians and Philadelphia Flyers had a huge brawl before the game even started - just like in this movie.

One of the funniest films ever!
Like USED CARS, this movie is bawdy, rude, over the top, politically incorrect, profane, gratuitous, and loving every minute of it! Newman plays the captain of a bush-league hockey team that's going down the tubes. For most of the players, it's either hockey or an assembly-line job, so Newman decides to bring in the fans with violence. He succeeds, thanks to some brilliant manipulation and a trio of hockey-playing idiot savants (mostly idiot) named the Hanson Brothers. This is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. The first scene where the Hanson's get off the bench (heck, EVERY scene with the Hansons) is a classic and will make you laugh until you need surgery! The DVD isn't much better than the VHS, unfortunately, as far as picture quality or features go. There are some alternate language tracks (if you're a big fan of Newman in French), but no director's commentary, etc. SEE THIS MOVIE! Every performance is hilarious and perfectly-cast. George Roy Hill (who also directed Newman in the classics BUTCH CASSIDY and THE STING) seems to just bring out Newman's best no matter what the genre. Also Strother Martin (of COOL HAND LUKE, "failure to communicate") fame, is in this and is totally hilarious!

HAT TRICK.
Many were amazed that SLAP SHOT was written by a woman when it was released in 1977. More amazing was that Nancy Dowd's original screenplay was robbed of an Oscar nomination in 1977. Dowd got the feel of the game and the players as perfect as the paint on the blue lines (her brother Ned Dowd plays the infamous Oggie Ogelthorpe in a nano-second cameo that has reverbs throughout the film). George Roy Hill works his A-list players, Newman, Strother Martin and the now heralded Hanson Brothers, into sports (not just sports films) legends. SLAP SHOT is a winner.

Baldwin needs to be a little more observant!
Um, did you perhaps fail to notice that this is an R rated movie? That usually means that there is a fair amount of coarse language, expletives, violence, nudity, etc. Just what made you think that this was a movie for children? Anyway, it's a great movie and being a *huge* Paul Newman fan, I really enjoyed seeing him in this very amusing comedy role.

Baldwin you are clueless
As a hockey player and hockey coach I can tell you one thing, you are not a hockey dad. This movie is definately one of the most hilarious sports movies ever. Don't even bother with any other hockey movie, except maybe Youngblood, because those other movies, especially Mighty Ducks (puke) is not hockey, flying V my behind (did we forget about offsides?).
The Hanson brothers were everyone's heroes. While we all wished to be Gretzky or Orr, we all wanted to be the Hansons. They are some of the best caricatures of hockey players in the 1970s. Hockey was a brutal, lawless game that while some had skating skills, most had fighting skills. It was fun growing up in the 70's and early 80's playing hockey as a kid. While playing high school and college was not quite like this movie, go see a junior game or a USHL game and this is what you'll see, albeit a bit more toned down.
Mighty Ducks - please. Give me Reg Dunlop, Killer Carlson and the Hansons - which being from Minnesota gives me pleasure seeing some hometown skaters. Enjoy the movie, enjoy the hits and the humor. ... Read more

Reviews (45)

My favorite movie!
It's not a deep drama and it won't make you ask you any tough questions of yourself, but Major League is pure entertainment from beginning to end. As such, it's my all-time favorite movie. It's easy to invest in the story (a Cleveland team made up of spare parts tries to overcome their owner's plot to move the franchise) even if it's been dated by the Indians' '90s success. The comedy doesn't pull any punches but still stays pretty tasteful, and I still find it laugh-out-loud funny even after 30+ viewings. The comedy is equal parts outstanding writing by David S. Ward and brilliant characterizations by the actors. James Gammon is dead-on as grizzled manager Lou Brown and Tom Berenger is actually sympathetic as journeyman catcher Jake Taylor. Dennis Haysbert and Corbin Bernsen give great performances, and Charlie Sheen is inimitable as Wild Thing Vaughn. I think any baseball fan will enjoy this movie, but fans of good comedy will probably like it, too.

The DVD has no special features (what else do you expect from Paramount?), but the picture and sound are good.

Movie: 6/5
DVD: 4/5
Overall: 5/5

Major Fun
No, you're not going to walk away from this movie thinking about how to achieve world peace or end poverty, but you will be walking away with a smile. MAJOR LEAGUE is a lighthearted, entertaining film that also happens to be hysterically funny. Throw the great sport of baseball into the mix and MAJOR LEAGUE is a win/win for those who love the game and those who just want to have a good laugh.

There's nothing complicated about the plot. When an aggressive femme fatale (Margaret Whitton) inherits the Cleveland Indians from her late husband, her plan is to put together a team so bad it will lose its fan base and allow her to relocate. And so a band of misfits is put together: washed-up players, inexperienced players, headcases. Of course, predictably, her plan goes awry, but it's still good fun watching the antics of the Indians as they misfire and then come together over a long, long season.

Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Rene Russo, Corbin Bernsen, and Wesley Snipes headline a great cast. Bob Uecker is absolutely hysterical. My favorite character is manager Lou Brown (James Gammon) who delivers the film's funniest line, but one I dare not repeat here (it would never get past the editors)! Grab a hot dog and a beer, pull up a chair, and let MAJOR LEAGUE put a wide grin on your face.

Just a fun movie and I'm in it
This is more a nostalgia note than a review, but most of this movie was filmed over one summer in Milwaukee (maybe Cleveland wasn't blue-collar enough). All the baseball action scenes were filmed in County Stadium, which is now a big parking lot for Miller Park. The crew invited locals to the filming at the Stadium and other locations about town, so it has a lot of local flavor. I went to the filming of the big finale to be part of the "rabid" crowd so I'm in this move, kind of. It's fun to see Uecker do his stuff, and Pete Vukovich, a former Brewer pitcher, is perfect as Heywood, the Yankee nemesis.

People from out of town said County Stadium was a dog of a ballyard, but look for the scene when Berenger sneaks onto the field at night alone and pretends to hit one out. It sure looks pretty, and I miss it.

Cinema's gift to shower singing
Its always amazing to me how people take movies like this so seriously that they think their "astute" observations about plot predictability pass for intelligent bashing. It's a simple movie and it deserves a simple review.

As far as baseball comedies go, this is by far the best ever.

As far as baseball movies go, this is near the top of the list.

As far as Charlie Sheen appearances go, this was his one shot at Oscar gold.

As far as opening songs go, this is the best one of all time, in any movie about any city or any sport or anything.

There's a red moon rising
On the Cuyahoga River
Rolling into Cleveland to the lake (x2)

There's an oil barge winding
Down the Cuyahoga River
Rolling into Cleveland to the lake (x2)

Cleveland, city of light, city of magic
Cleveland, city of light, you're calling me
Cleveland, even now I can remember
'Cause the Cuyahoga River
Goes smokin' through my dreams

Burn on, big river, burn on
Burn on, big river, burn on

Now the Lord can make you tumble
The Lord can make you turn
The Lord can make you overflow
And the Lord can make you burn

Burn on, big river, burn on
Burn on, big river, burn on

Life Imititates Art
Years after this movie's release the Oakland A's defeated Red Sox in 12th inning with bases loaded bunt by catcher. That is what is so great about the movie...the baseball is grounded in realistic play and not artificial home runs as in the Natural.

Uecker and Gammons ( playing Manager Lou Brown) are terrific.
"Just a bit outside" is now the classic comment for a really bad pitch.

Some of the voodoo stuff is overdone, but it is a fun movie ... Read more

Amazon.com

Penny Marshall's popular 1992 comedy sheds light on a little-known chapter of American sports history with its story of a struggling team in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The league was formed when the recruiting of soldiers during World War II resulted in a shortage of men's baseball teams. The AAGPBL continued after the war (until 1954), and Marshall's movie depicts the league in full swing, beginning when a savvy baseball scout (Jon Lovitz) finds a pair of promising new players in small-town Oregonian sisters (Geena Davis, Lori Petty). The sisters are signed to play for the Rockford Peaches near Chicago, whose new manager (Tom Hanks) is a former home-run king who wrecked his career with alcoholism. They're all a bunch of underdogs, and Marshall (with a witty script by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel) does a fine job of establishing a colorful team of supporting players including Madonna and (in her movie debut) Rosie O'Donnell. It's a conventional Hollywood sports story (Marshall's never been one to take dramatic risks), but the stellar cast is delightful, and the movie's filled with memorable moments, witty dialogue, and agreeable sentiment. And just remember: there's no crying in baseball! --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (114)

A League Of Their Own (1992)
What an amazing movie! This has to be my favorite Madonna movie, other than Body Of Evidence. It features an all star cast: Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna, Lori Petty, Rosie O'Donnell, Jon Lovitz, Garry Marshall, and Bill Pullman.

Geena Davis stars as Dottie Hinson and Lori Petty stars as Kit Keller, two adult sisters who play baseball on a minor team in Oregon of 1943. Dottie is a married woman, whose husband, Bob Hinson (played by Bill Pullman) is overseas fighting in the war that was going on at the time. Dottie is an excellent ball player. Kit is a bitter person who is always being treated like crap. After a game, the two are in their barn milking cows, where a scout by the name of Ernie Capadino (played by Jon Lovitz) walks in and offers them a to try out for the All American Girls Professional Baseball League (A.A.G.P.B.L.). Dottie wants nothing to do with it, but Kit knows that this could be big chance for the both of them, so Kit talks Dottie into going. While on the way to Chicago for the try outs, they pick up Marla Hooch, who is an excellent batter. The three finally make it to Chicago. While getting ready to try out, they meet gal pals Doris Murphy (played by Rosie O'Donnell) and Mae Mordabito (played by Madonna). They all are chose to a team: The Rockford Peaches.

Tom Hanks is in the role of Jimmy Dugan, who is a washed up ball player, who is called by Walter Harvey (played by Garry Marshall) to coach the Rockford Peaches.

The Peaches become a smash, winning every game there ever is, all because of their most popular play, Dottie. Kit is angered at this and is traded to another team: The Racine Belles.

The Peaches finally make to the last game of the season. Their opponents: The Racine Belles. Dottie and Kit are up against each other for one final time. Who will win the championship? The Peaches? Or The Belles? Watch this amazing movie, based on the actual events of the A.A.G.P.B.L. This is a movie that is guaranteed to make you watch it over and over again.

My Absolute Favorite
This has alway been my all time favorite movie! I remember my mom and I were in Blockbuster Video store when I was nine, and she and I couldn't find anything. Then, she saw "A League of Their Own," she told me that I would love this movie. And boy was she right. I have seen this movie over 50 times, I know the entire dialogue, the songs, every moment, I can rehash line for line right now if I wanted to. I think this movie had the most well-rounded cast in over a decade. Geena Davis was amazing as Dottie Henson; a person who loved the game very much, although she tried to pull off that she didn't. Lorri Petty's best role to date, as Kit Keller, Dottie's younger sister, whom is always stuck in Dottie's shadow. The chemistry between Petty and Davis is amazing, they work so well together, they were extremely believable. Tom Hanks was fantastic as the alcoholic, ex-baseball star Jimmy Dugan, which of course, his classic urinating seen is a total laugh. Madonna and Rosie had made the laughs of the film, they were wise cracking and hilarious.

I can go on and on about this film, and the problem is, I can't quite articulate how much I love this film, and why I love it so much. I've cried many times, especially the scene with Betty "Spighetti" and at the end of the World Series. I love this film, Penny Marshall is a Goddess. She chose the perfect actors, and the perfect score, especially Madonna's "Playground" which still makes me cry at the ending sequences. This movie observes a part of history that is ignored. Many to this day, have no idea about the professional baseball league, grant it, this movie "idealized" what really happened, but it made you proud. I think this is still a must-see of a movie, it is still my all-time favorite movie, and it has been for 11 years.

Brilliant film!!
This is one of my favourite films, it made me want to watch it again and again. With an all star cast including Geena Davis, Lotti perri and Tom Hanks, who give brilliant and funny performances. This film is funny,tear jerking and an all round good film. The storyline is brilliant and what more can i say....its definately worth buying!

Good movie but......
Who in the world in Tom Hanks supposed to be. I know he wasnt a real baseball player b/c he said he hit 487 homeruns for Mr Harvys ball team, i have never heard of the guy. Was his name chaged or something? Oh yeah and Harvy Field????? Can u say Wrigley Field. But besides the little things that only people who love baseball would find it is over all a good movie.

I think this is a great movie!
Well I'm biased because my cusin is in this movie. He dances with madonna in the bar sceen.. But I still think that it's a good movie. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Adam Sandler vaulted into the $20-million-salary stratosphere with this, his second $100-million hit in 1998--a movie that further shows just how deeply embedded he is in the Jerry Lewis tradition of idiot comedy. He plays Bobby Boucher, a backwoods Cajun and a mentally challenged individual with a fixation on water: specifically, on serving the coolest, most refreshing H2O available to the college football team he has served since he was an adolescent. But when he's fired from his position, he takes up a similar job with a lowlier college team coached by neurotic Henry Winkler. One day at practice, Bobby loses his temper and delivers a bone-shaking tackle to the starting quarterback; before he can say, "blackened crawdads," he's the star of the team and leading it to a bowl game. But it's all against the wishes of his overprotective mother (Kathy Bates), who wants to keep her Bobby to herself--and that includes keeping him away from the floozy girlfriend (Fairuza Balk) who's sweet on him. There are two kinds of people in this world: People who find Sandler funny and people who view him as a neon-lit symbol of the decline of popular taste. You know who you are and, based on that, you can decide whether this is a movie for you. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (272)

The Waterboy-- Proof of the " I like Adam Sandler Syndrome"
The Waterboy left me scratching my head after watching it on DVD. I found myself wondering why this movie made so much damn money. Adam Sandler was pathetic in his role as a backwoods dullard that went from waterboy to football superstar. He seemed to be playing a much dumber and annoying Forest Gump. Kathy Bates as the insanely overprotective mother was much less annoying than Sandler but still could have been better. It seemed to me that "The Waterboy" tried too hard to make her funny in every seen. Too much snake eating, squirrel shocking, and hair brushing. The whole reference to "the devil" was too repetitive. The transition from her insanity to sanity in the whole hospital scene had no foundation. I thought Henry Winkler was okay as the Football coach with a few nuts and bolts loose. The scene with the Roy Orbison tatoo was shamefully the most intelligent in the movie. Farmer Fran was a total enigma to me. Was it supposed to be funny that you had absolutely no idea what he was saying? I always think that its what people say and do that is funny not what they sound like or move like. I'm not a big fan of the whole waterboy- gets-hit-with-football-everbody-giggle-philosophy.

A feel-good comedy featuring Sandler at his funniest
While The Wedding Singer will probably always be my favorite Adam Sandler movie, The Waterboy is by far his funniest, and I think I actually enjoy this film more each time I watch it. It is the perfect answer for a bad day, as not only is it hilarious and uplifting, it lets you take out some of your own pent-up aggression with each powerful hit Bobby Boucher (Sandler) makes out on the football field. Bobby represents everyone who has ever been excluded, picked on, or ridiculed. While he is not an intellectual giant and does not possess what you call people skills, his kind and simple nature makes him a man among men even before he finds stardom on the gridiron. The boy certainly loves his mama, and Kathy Bates shines in her role as the overprotective, quirky, slightly touched in the head Helen Boucher. If anyone ever questioned Bates' ability to do comedy, this movie should banish all doubts. Fairuza Balk is strangely beguiling as Vicki Vallencourt, a "bad girl" who has long had an interest in Bobby over his mother's objections, and the two make a really strange yet somehow logical couple. Bobby's mother describes Vicki as "the devil," but of course she considers just about every person on the planet besides herself and Bobby to be "the devil."

Bobby's real passion in life is his job as waterboy for the local college football team, a real powerhouse coached by Coach Red Beaulieu (Jerry Reed). When he gets fired, he goes seeking water management employment at South Central Louisiana State University, a legendarily bad team coached by Coach Klein, a very un-Fonzie-like Henry Winkler. When Coach Klein convinces Bobby to defend himself against the taunts of team members, he finds himself looking at a natural-born linebacker. Mama does not want her son playing "foosball," but what Mama does not know won't hurt her (Bobby ingeniously blames all of the cuts and scrapes he acquires during the season on an escaped gorilla). He records a record-shattering sixteen quarterback sacks in his first game, drawing national attention from the real-life sportscasters of ESPN. A magical season unfolds at SCLSU, setting up a Bourbon Bowl meeting of the little college who could and mean old Coach Beaulieu's undefeated championship squad. At this point, certain complications arise, a secret history between Coaches Beaulieu and Klein is revealed, and SCLSU's dream season stands on the point of suddenly becoming a nightmare.

This is not a high-brow comedy, but there is nothing wrong with corny comedy as long as it is funny, and The Waterboy is, to repeat myself, hilarious. Football fans will definitely get a kick out of the way Bobby just destroys his opponents on the field, using several moves that you will not see in the NFL any time soon in the process (certainly not more than once). Perhaps overlooked in the midst of all the comedy is a more serious theme, however. This movie is a story of overcoming obstacles, believing in yourself, and redemption, not just for the ultimate underdog Bobby Boucher but for his mother, Coach Klein, and several other characters. You almost have to feel pumped up and happy in the end, and that counts for a lot in and of itself. Sometimes the good guys do come out on top, or so most of us like to believe in order to get through each day. The Waterboy helps us keep our faith and inspires us to rise above all of the bad things in life and concentrate on such simple yet important matters as family, friendship, love, and always doing your best.

This is one of Adam Sandler's best movies.
The Waterboy is a movie that doesn't require a lot of brain power to figure out, but it's loaded with comedy and hilarious lines from Adam Sandler. One particular part of the movie that I love is when he is in a college class dealing with the agression center of animals and Bobby is asked why alligators are such aggressive creatures. Since his Mama was supposedly right about everything, his answer was "Mama says that alligators are angry 'cause they got all those teeth and no toothbrush." That's comedy, man! Simple comedy, maybe, but it's funny all the same! This is definitely a must-have for any Adam Sandler fan. If you don't like Adam Sandler, then you're not going to like this movie. End of story.

Torn
This movie is very funny in some aspects, however it's very hard to laugh or enjoy in comparison to Happy Gilmore or Billy Madison. I really loved Adam Sandler, however any movie made after Billy or Happy just seemed to lag off really badly, (i.e. Little Nicky, Big Daddy and various others)

I wasn't too thrilled with this one, except Kathy Bates, Blake Clark and Henry Winkler pretty much saved it from drowning (bad pun I know) in its own title.

I'm kind of disappointed with this movie, but I wouldn't say not to watch it or buy it because if you love stupid comedy like I do, then you'll like this. I'm more apt to rent it rather than own it (if I didn't own it already)

Silly and funny
If you like Adam Sandler, you will like this movie.
If you don't like Adam Sandler, then you will not like this movie.

I like Sandler.
This movie was funny, and if analyzed correctly, quite meaningful. ... Read more

Description

Those diehard Cleveland Indians that went from worst to first in the hit original now cope with fame and its perks as the hangdog team tries to hit, hustle and joke its way back to the top. Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger and Corbin Bernsen star. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

The Cleveland Gang is back
The first Major League movie was a good one but this is better. The Cuban Crusher Pedro Cerano, Rick "The Wild Thing" Vaughn, Willie Mayes Hayes, and newcomer Rude Baker are one fire. Rick comes to this season as a ... pretty boy pitcher who cares too much about injuring his arm that he can't even throw 90. Cerano comes back as a spiritual Budha and is so stupid now that he hits a bird with a baseball and runs in the outfield to save it's life while he gets tagged out... Willie comes back without the speed but has a lot more power and as a movie star with a leg injury. New-comer Rude Baker can't throw to the pitcher even though he's a catcher. See if they'll come back. Also a funny Japenese outfielder is added on who has spritual fights with Cerano.

They're back!
The Indians are back for another season. With several new players to the team, like a crazy japanese fielder, and a Playboy fanatic catcher, plus star pitcher, Rick Vaughn, has went clean cut and lost his powerful arm. Add to this with a host of other problems, the Indians are in for another struggling season of baseball. I liked this movie a lot, and it is my 2nd favorite of the trilogy of the Major League movies, with the original being my favorite.

The DVD menus look great, and easy to navigate. I was expecting loads of extras, but I didn't get much. All that is here is just a thing called "The Starting Line Up" which is pictures of all the movie's main actors on baseball cards. And a trailer for this movie, plus for 2 other movies also.

The hard luck Indians are back for another season
While this isn't the instant classic that the first MAJOR LEAGUE movie was, I actually like the sequel as well as the original.

The only thing really missing from the first film is Wesley Snipes as center fielder Willie Mays Hayes, but Omar Epps does a nice job in his place.

So what if you know that they're going to pull if off from the outset...it's all about the journey right?

Bob Uecker makes the film!

Really Funny Baseball Comedy
Some people would say it doesn't live up to the first one, but I think it does, and it may even be better.

The Clevelend Indians are back, and better than ever. Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn is trying to throw curveballs, Willie Mayes Hayes tries to become a power hitter, Pedro Sorano converts to Buddhism, and more. It has some really high points, and it kept me laughing.

My favorite are the Chinese guys who clean up the field after the games. They're really funny.

Overall, it's a great DVD for a great price. Buy it!

basically Major League
this movie is almost exactly the same as the first with some subtle differences it is funny though ... Read more

Reviews (20)

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR is definitely one of the best movies about Baseball of the '90s. ROOKIE OF THE YEAR is about a 12-year-old boy named Henry Rowengartener (Thomas Ian Nicholas) who ends up playing for the Chicago Cubs - being the youngest person ever to play in Major League Baseball - because he tripped on a Baseball and broke his arm and can now pitch a ball faster than 100 miles per hour. The Chicago Cubs is one of the lousist teams in the majors and the owner of the Chicago Cubs was looking for somebody who could really play Baseball. This movie also comes with a great, positive message: No matter how young you are, nothing is impossible. It's a great movie for both kids and adults and it's very funny, too. I highly recommend this movie to all Baseball fans. Even if you're not a Baseball fan you should still see this movie. The acting is very great, too. And Thomas Ian Nicholas is so cute. Buy it!

This movie is actually pretty good.
Rookie of the Year is actually a pretty good movie and even though it might seem like one og those stupid Disney non-cartoon movies it is a pretty funny movie.
This movie is about a boy (Thomas Ian Nicholas) who loves to play baseball but is horrible until he brakes his arm and is able to snap is arm forward so he can throw a baseball 100MPH and then get's an offer to play for his favorite team, the last place Cubs and he becomes a big help to the team.There is also love in this movie but it is mostly a kids and grown-up comedy.I'd say if you like baseball see Rookie of the Year or if you like comedys see Rookie of the year.I'm shoor you'll like this movie.

The Best Baseball Moive Ever!!!
I love this movie.At first I like baseball very much,but when I saw this movie it made me like baseball even more.I love Thomas Ian Nicholas who played in this movie as the boy name Henry that he joins in the Cubs right after his arm injury as A Pitcher.On this movie I thought was funny when he said to the Pitcher is Pitcher's got a Big Butt!I goota get this movie!!!! It's The Best!!!!

Good but there's better
I received this movie since my son was addicted to watching "The Sandlot" This movie is more Hollywood where as "The Sandlot" has more heart.

Thomas Ian Nicholas
Thomas Ian Nicholas did a great job in this film, out of every child stars in movies in the ninties he made it. He came from Rookie of the Year to American Pie. When American Pie started he and Alyson Hannigan were recognizable but everyone else is unknown. Jason Biggs would have been fourteen if he saw the movie, Chris Klein would have been thirteen if he saw the movie, Eddie Kaye Thomas would have been twelve or thirteen if he saw the movie and Alyson Hannigan would have been eighteen if she saw the movie. Him, Elijah Wood and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are the guys who made it big. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Back in the day, when Richard Roundtree, Fred Williamson, Issac Hayes, and Pam Grier were stickin' it to the Man, Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby collaborated on three buddy comedies that offered urban audiences an alternative to private dicks, sex machines, and bad muthas. The Uptown Saturday Nightstars re-team for an "outtasite" scam involving hypnosis, a hopeless beanpole boxer (Jimmie Good Times Walker), and two rival kingpins. Though in fashion and patois Let's Do It Again is a candidate for the '70s time capsule, it does hold up better than most of its more militant blaxploitation brethren. Poitier, the straight man, and Cosby, working his improvisational mojo, are a great comedy team. Worth the price of purchase alone is the sight of these icons decked out in flamboyant Mack Daddy duds to impress their marks, Kansas City Mack (John Amos) and Biggie Smalls (Calvin Lockhart). Curtis Mayfield's score, with vocals by the Staples Singers, is also good for the soul. --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (21)

cool Film&Smoking Soundtrack
Props to the Genius of Brother Sidney Poitier for directing this Classic&also to the Funky vibe of Bill Cosby.John Amos One of the Most slept on Actors Ever.same thing with Clavin Lockhart.Ossie Davis was Cool as was the whole Cast.this Movie pre-dated Hip-Hop.keep in mind the Name Biggie Smalls.the Soundtrack which has Music Produced by curtis Mayfield with the Staple Singers on vocals is a Must have as well.the Movie&Music go hand in hand.finally on DVD with Great commentary.Enjoy.this is a Feel Good Movie with Soul.

It's About Time... Good Comedy From The 70's On DVD
This is one of the few movies I can say I was waiting for to arrive on DVD. Yes, its campy corny, and predictable, but it has something for me at least that a lot of movies dont; it just makes you feel good and have a good time watching it.

Bill Cosby and Sidney Potier had great chemistry together in all three of their films. Uptown Saturday Night was more critically acclaimed, but this film is just more fun.

The Characters names are still unforgetable: 40th Street Black, Bootney Farnsworth, Kansas City Mack, Jody Tibbs and of course Bill as Mongo Slade. Great Stuff.

The Soundtrack with the Staple Singers still makes you move even though the songs are about 30 years old; the mark of hitting the bullseye musically. One thing that must be mentioned is the mostly black cast for a film of this kind was not the norm back when this film was made and the actors in the film all were either stars in their own right, or would be stars later.

Best scene in the movie without giving too much away for those who have not watched it: the final boxing scene and the aftermath; just plain funny.

Anyway, go out and get this DVD. You will be sure to enjoy it. The whole family can watch it also as I can't recall hearing any foul language.

Highly recommended

Two of the Best, in their Best
Of the three that Bill Cosby & Sidney Poitier made (Uptown Saturday Night, Let's Do It Again and A Piece Of The Action) I
loved this one best. An all-star cast along with the plot in
the boxing match,their wives and dealing with the two kingpins
gave me enough laughs to drive my wife up the wall. The Cosby/Poitier team I feel, is a positive comedy duo that rates with Crosby/Hope.

For real
This movie is good clean fun. Not a lot of cursing, fun comedy action. A must see for the new generation. Don't wait for the new Will Smith version. Which he won't give me a roll in. He's going to redo Let's Do it Again and Uptown Saturday night.A very pleasant movie.

THEY DID IT AGAIN
Of all the movies Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby made, this is the best comedy made together. Very funny and I love the music. I have been waiting for YEARS for this movie to come out on DVD. I,m buying many to give to all my friends. If you wanna laugh a lot, this is the dvd you want. Very, very funny movie. ... Read more

Amazon.com

When it comes to the subject of community, David E. Kelley--theprolific writer-producer behind television's The Practice and AllyMcBeal--falls somewhere on a continuum between directors Howard Hawks and Robert Benton. WhileHawks's professional characters are bound by a knowledge of how to do what theydo even if they don't know why, Benton's people, professional or not, havelong ago substituted their own eccentric reasons for that elusive why. Thus we get the kind of in-house, oddball rituals sandwiched between passages of actual work on Ally, and the affectionately entangled personal andprofessional ties between small-town folks in Kelley's earlier TV series Picket Fences.

Kelley's script for Mystery, Alaska (co-authored by Sean O'Byrne)takes that level of eccentricity to a geographical and spiritual extreme. Thefilm revives the hackneyed Rocky formula, setting alopsided hockey match within a remote, self-contained hamlet where themembers of a tiny population all have to wear multiple hats and still keepneighborly ties intact. The story concerns the town's chief source ofidentity and pride: so-called "Saturday games," in which local men divide into teams and play pond hockey for the locals.When a prodigal son (Hank Azaria) of Mystery shows up with a televisionnetwork offer to bring the New York Rangers in for a televised match againstthe homegrown team, the town fathers agree. Coaching falls to the townsheriff, John Biebe (Russell Crowe), an admirable man and a longtime player recently bumped from the team. John, however, doesn't want the job: everyoneknows the real coach in those parts is Judge Burns (Burt Reynolds), but hewants no part of it either. All of that changes after a sad tragedy forces everyone to reevaluate their positions and pull together in order to beat theRangers.

Following the success of Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Jay Roach proves to be an abledirector of drama, swift action, and low-key, character-driven comedy notunlike that in Benton's Nobody's Fool. He has to deal with some pure corn at the end, but Roach pulls it off and guides the actors to and throughfar better moments. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (95)

Slapshot Meets Bad News Bears Meets Our Town Meets Fargo
"Mystery, Alaska" juggles quite a few cliches, but it does so with wonderful charm and a constant nudge in the ribs.

A small town in the frozen North of Alaska, Mystery loves its hockey beyond all reason. The famed "Saturday Game," played each week with religious fervor, has been brought to the pages of Sports Illustrated by a Mysterian (Hank Azaria) who has left the town for bigger and better things -- although it may be because everyone in town says he plays hockey "like a homosexual" (this is an example of the surprisingly frank and profane language Mysterians like to use, which can be jarring in what is otherwise a sweet movie).

The team, led by John Biebe (Russell Crowe in a nice understated performance), is your typical bunch of loveable small-town lugs, each given either one defining characteristic (babe hound, son struggling with sense of inadequacy, hot young prodigy nervous about playing with the "big boys," etc.) or is mere entertaining window dressing. Otherwise content with the local fame brought by playing in the Saturday game, the guys are exhilirated and terrified to learn that the NHL wants the New York Rangers (at the time, a good team!) to visit Mystery to play the locals as a publicity stunt.

Biebe, who is also the town sheriff, is our lens into this quirky town going through this tumultuous development. A fixture of the Saturday Game for years, he is surprisingly demoted and asked to coach. One of his best players 'accidentally' shoots a representative from Price World, a Wal-Mart clone. Another player cuckolds the mayor of the town. And Azaria returns to make overtures to Biebe's wife. The tranquil little burg has never seen such excitement.

All of this unfolds in a lighthearted manner and builds to the "big game" against the Rangers -- which is only brought about by the untimely demise of a lovable local resident.

The game is handled very well, with the proper "underdog" notes played, but not overly so. The hockey action flows quickly, and feels like a game rather than someone filming a pretend game (a common problem in sports movies -- the action is not realistic enough). One problem - we rarely see Russell Crowe actually skate, which undercuts his status as the team leader and reminds us that he's a Hollywood star in a hockey film.

Perhaps the movie's most inspired moment is the mayor's unique way of invoking Mystery's home-ice advantage during the national anthem (with a hilarious cameo by Little Richard - yes, you heard me). Watch also for a great cameo by Mike Meyers, who has worked with director Jay Roach on the Austin Powers films.

In the end, all loose ends are tied up nicely . . . and perhaps too conveniently for some. Nothing in the movie is a great shock, but that's life in a small town for you.

While in many respects a good family movie, the language and humor is definitely not for younger viewers. And the "romantic" overtures of Skank, the team horn-dog, can be quite shocking to some. Still, a good movie and a fun time.

Mystery, Alaska is the place to be!
This charming film didn't get the positive praise it deserved. It was absolutely wonderful. The small Alaskan town of "Mystery" has a quirky "Northern Exposure" feel to it, and a wonderful ensemble cast add a lot of fun and games.

The "Saturday" hockey game leads off this fairy-tale story of David vs. Goliath, as their hometown boys go against the NHL'S New York Rangers. Former "townie" Hank Azaria starts this whole thing by writing a spotlight on the "Saturday Game" for Sports Illustrated and well.. Mystery is never the same after that. Russell Crowe turns in a great performance as "slightly older" town Sherif John Biebe, who is the heart and soul of the much younger hockey team. There are many wonderful smaller performances by faces you'll certainly know and love. It's a wonderfully sweet, charming and funny (with classic one liners from MANY of the young players) movie that only HAPPENS to be about hockey. There is so much more to it. You don't have to know a thing about hockey to appreciate this fun and lighthearted movie. It's right up there with my all-time favs. Definatley worth a look!

A Movie With a Heart As Big As All Outdoors
If you're interested in this movie, it's probably because it stars Russell Crowe. But if you thought that was the only reason to see this film, have I got some good news for you.

Mystery, Alaska, population 633, is a town obsessed with hockey. From the time they're children, every Mystery boy's dream is to be a member of the town's unnamed hockey team in the weekly "Saturday game." Through a sequence of events only slightly farfetched, the Mystery team is scheduled for an exhibitition game with the visiting New York Rangers, an event of only slightly less importance to this hockey-struck town than the Second Coming. One of the many great things about this movie is the town's reaction to news of the impending game. They're not awestruck by the Rangers, the visiting demi-gods; their first reaction is, "Can we win?" If Mystery plays, they intend to win. The Rangers might be big league American hockey, but Mystery has faith in its boys. It knows they're great even if the rest of the world doesn't.

The movie is about how the town and its inhabitants are affected by the upcoming game. The game itself, though perfectly realized in the film, is almost incidental. Colm Meaney (late of Star Trek: The Next Generattion and Deep Space Nine) plays the town mayor who discovers his wife (Lolita Davidovich) is sleeping with a member of the hockey team. Hank Azaria is Charles Danner, the home town boy who was never respected growing up, became a reporter out in the great big world, brings back to Mystery the NEW YORK RANGERS....and finds he's still not respected. Donna Biebe (Mary McCormack) is the girl Charles loved in high school, now married to team captain and town sheriff John Biebe (Crowe). Burt Reynolds, who still has it, and in spades, after all these years, plays town judge Walter Burns. Walter as a young man wasn't good enough for the Saturday game, a fact he's never forgotten and a source of conflict with his son, who's made the current team. But Walter was good enough for minor league hockey in the lower 48, making him the perfect choice to coach the team for and through the big game. He's the only person in town who really understands North American hockey. For his own reasons, he refuses.

Then there's Russell Crowe as John Biebe. The big game comes at the tail end of John's career. After 13 years in the Saturday game - a Mystery record - he's cut from the team just before news of the Rangers' visit hits town. And the town fathers, whose most solemn duties involve administering the hockey team, don't want him back. A man of quiet strength but not good at expressing his softer emotions, John doesn't know how to tell his wife how much he loves her when he sees Charles flirting, and her flirting back. The way he figures out finally to do that is both inventive and touching.

Though this movie "stars" Russell Crowe, it's not a star driven vehicle, it's an ensemble piece. And while Russell is wonderful as John Biebe, for my money the best performance in the film is Ron Eldard as "Skank" Marden, Mystery hockey player and dedicated fornicator. The scene where Skank appears on the mayor's doorstep one frozen night to apologize to the man he's cuckolded is, I think, the highlight of the film. It's fascinating to watch the unexpected decency, sensitivity, and dignity emerge from what til then seemed an indecent, shallow, undignified man.

The hockey game footage is convincing - thrilling, actually. Russell learned to ice skate for this role, and, with the help of some careful editing, looks pretty darn good on the ice. Numerous Rangers play themselves.

Mystery, Alaska has been called "Rocky On Ice" and that's a fair description. Yes, the film deals with a hockey game, but that's not what makes it special. This isn't a dumb, gimmicky, braindead hockey flick like The Mighty Ducks. It's a character driven, imaginative, well-acted drama....that happens to work within the framework of a story about a hockey game. By the time the Rangers arrive in Mystery you're totally on the home team's side, rooting for them because you've come to care for the Mystery boys, and respect the sacrifices they, and the town as a whole, have made for this game. Like Rocky, Mystery, Alaska shows you don't need a huge budget to make a good movie when you have a great script, solid direction, good actors, and the film possesses that quality indefinable but impossible to mistake or ignore: "heart."

So, can a team of pond hockey players from Mystery, Alaska REALLY beat the New York Rangers? Watch this movie and find out.

One of Russell's Best
I loved this movie. It was one of my first Russell Crowe movies. I am not a sports fan but even if you are not you can enjoy this movie. The romance and humor that flows through it, is wonderful.

more then just hockey
this movie is a story of more then just hockey its a story of life in a small town where the people only have a few escapes. This movie tells the ups and downs of this small town of Mystery and how a game against the Rangers changes their world. If your into hockey you'll love this movie if you are not you'll still like it. Rachel Wilson (Burt Reynolds daughter in the movie) is HOT. ... Read more

Description

Caught in a clash of cultures and ready to wreak more havoc on Japan than Godzilla, the Bad News Bears are back for their third outing, following the enormously successful The Bad New Bears and The Bad News Bears In Breaking Training. This time the Bears have been spirited off to Tokyo by Tony Curtis as Marvin Lazar, a slick and sleazy con artist who sees in the team a perfect peg for a get-rich-quick scheme. The strikeout-prone Bears are pitted against a murderously skillful Japanese junior baseball team, and the resulting comic chaos is hilarious. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Well - it is the third
This movie rounds out the three Bears movies and helped pave the way to the short lived tv series of the same name. While there is very little baseball in this film (the filmmakers get to caught up with the idea of being in Japan and forget who the film is about) and Tony Curtis is not Walter Matthau (but who is?) the film still has its moments and isn't without the smallest of pleasures. A perfect film for kids around 7 years old who like baseball. All others need not bother.

...
...All the Bad News Bears movies are good. I have all 3 on DVD at home and I watch them all the time and never get sick of it. This third one is good also. It does show the team from the first two of the Bad News Bears through the whole movie. They don't play till the end though. I think my favorite one is the second one where they play at the Astrodome that's my favorite one. It's still a classic and fun to watch.

Cheap Seats with even cheaper CRAP!!
Oh CRUD! Is this a baseball movie or a Japan documentary? If this was supposed to be a baseball movie of little league kids, they should have put a little more baseball in it. I like the humor however. But without Tanner and Lupus, the humor is dry. It's just plain garbage! I wish that they would get the TV series out on video too!! It beats the crud out of this one!!

What's wrong with it!
I think that ALL of the bad news bears including the TV series were exceptionally done! They are MUCH MUCH better than the baseball comidies of today! And I wish they would bring the bears back to the BIG SCREEN!

This Is Why Over-The-Hill Players Play in Japan...
"The Bad News Bears Go to Japan." After all, where else could they go after playing in the Astrodome? Unfortunately, a movie series that started with a movie that really didn't need a sequel, much less two, ends down by a run, two men on and a two-out pop-up in the bottom of the 9th. Or 10th... or 15th... Another one of these movies and we're gonna have to get the commissioner's office involved.

Tony Curtis strains mightily to get laughs out of some paper-thin material, and Jackie Earle Haley is way too old to be playing in this league. The film involves his character in a cross-cultural romance, and pits the Bears against the Japanese national team, but the novelty has worn off.

You're just going to be left wondering, "Why did they bother to make this movie? Free trip to Japan?" If you're interested in how our national pasttime is played in the OTHER country where it's the national pasttime, check out the passable "Mr. Baseball" instead. At least Tom Selleck has some believable moves. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Cooley High has frequently been compared to American Graffiti, and for good reason. Like that classic, Cooley High has a loose, multicharacter structure, autobiographical origins, and the rich texture of its time. Set in Chicago in 1964, the movie follows aspiring writer Preach (Glynn Turman) and local basketball star Cochise (Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs, who went on to star in Welcome Back, Kotter) as they wander their neighborhood, drifting in and out of their classes at Cooley Vocational High School. The two friends pull pranks, crash parties, commit petty crimes, and generally try to enjoy their lives in an impoverished urban environment. Preach falls in love with a smart girl named Brenda (Cynthia Davis), whom he wins over by reciting poetry--leading to one of the silliest and sweetest love scenes you'll ever see. When Preach and Cochise go on a joy ride with a pair of young hoods, they end up arrested. Their history teacher, Mr. Mason (a superb Garrett Morris), gets them off, but the hoods think the boys sold them out and come seeking revenge. Cooley High depicts the rough life of African Americans in the 1960s with honesty and humor, offering no easy solutions or pat lessons. It's a roughly made movie, but Turman and Jacobs are both excellent, and there's an attention to reality that makes it engaging, refreshing, and ultimately moving. The soundtrack is a great compilation of 1960s soul, including the Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas,Stevie Wonder, the Four Tops, and Smokey Robinson. An unjustly neglected film that deserves rediscovery. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (28)

The original "Boyz N the Hood" flick
All of the Black "coming-of-age" films of the 90s -- such as "Boyz N the Hood", "Juice", and even the more romantic "Jason's Lyric" -- owe a debt to "Cooley High". It's as much a classic as "American Graffiti". See familiar faces when they were much younger, like Glynn Turman, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, and Garrett Morris. See Robert Townsend's QUICK cameo (on the basketball court in the gym). See the seeds of what would later become the "What's Happening" TV show (Preach, the skinny writer with glasses became Roger, the skinny writer with glasses). See a death scene that had viewers in tears years before the death scene in "Boyz N the Hood". Hear the original version of "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" (Had Boys II Men even been born in 1975?) No doubt about it, there will never be another "Cooley High". [I can't listen to the song "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" by the Four Tops without thinking of this film. Once you see it, you'll understand why.]

A Trip Down Memory Lane
I recall watching this movie at my 7th. grade English teacher's home when it debuted because she was one of the very few people who had cable TV at this time. This movie along with Cornbread Earl and Me hold a deep connection with me as I can still recall the music and general style of the late 60's and early 70's. The main characters were/are so easy for me to relate to that I always have the same touching reaction whenever I think about their story. I almost feel like I knew Preach and Cochise because their characters are so authentic. I played this DVD for a group of my contemporary friends and I saw tears in the eyes of the men as well as the women. Although the audio on the DVD is very poor, Cooley High is at the top of my DVD collection. The ending alone makes this movie a pure classic.

Excellent!
A sad ending for a great film. This was not some cheap, run of the mill Black 70's movie. It was well acted with a solid plot with very good direction, a definite classic.

The Real BOYZ IN THE HOOD
People tend to have short memories. Cooley High, while an interesting film about the urban black experience seems to be dwarfed by newer black films. Not only this, but the film Boyz in the Hood is a direct rip off of this film. The plotlines are very similar, with the protagonist who is about to make it out of the ghetto eventually struck down in their prime. Anyone who sees this and Boyz in the Hood will realize that John Singleton is a sham and that his "breakthrough" work, Boyz in the Hood, was actually a remake of Cooley High.

Love it
Cooley High is a wonderful movie. It is funny and sad at the same time. I am happy that it is on DVD, because I have a VHS copy and I can forward to my favorite scenes. You must own this. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

One of the best sports movie of all time!
What a great movie this is. It has football, comedy, a little drama and great acting all thrown in together. You may have heard of great football rivalries such as Oklahoma-Nebraska, USC-Notre Dame, Auburn-Alabama, Raiders-Broncos-Chiefs, HOWEVER NOTHING comes close as between the Convicts-vs-the Guards at Citrus State Prison.

Burt Reynolds plays Paul "Wrecking" Crue, a one time NFL great who sold out his team mates and trashed his girlfriends car and is now serving time at Citrus State Prison. Eddie Albert portrays the Warden you Love to Hate, and other great actors and NFL Football Players are in the movie. Plus the sexy Bernadette Peters plays the warden's secretary.

The plot is great. From the time Reynolds enters the prison to the last down of the Football game, it is "The Longest Yard". I will not get into the details of the movie. However, you will find yourself laughing, cheering and be a bit sad at a certain point. This is a movie to watch over and over again.

Sometimes I wish they would make a sequel to this great movie, however, I am glad they didn't. Sequels 98% aren't as good as the original and a sequel might spoil what a great movie this is.

Highly recommended!

One of a Kind-Prison Film with a Unique Blend of Comedy.
When a former and Pro Football player named Paul Crewe (Burt Reynolds), who actually steals his girlfriend's car and ended up going to Prison. When a sadistic Warden (Eddie Albert), who ends up, double crossing him to teach, train and play-Football against the Prison Guards. With not much of a Chance, Paul rediscover for the love of the game and his chance to redeem himself.

Directed by Robert Aldrich (What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, The Dirty Dozen, The Killing of Sister George) made a clever funny sport drama film with a different attitude and feel also. Reynolds also shines is his Lead Performance, which seems to be his Best Role ever. This has a likable supporting cast also. James Hampton (Sling Blade, Teen Wolf) is terrific as Reynolds's Prison Buddy. The film's split image and cinematography has dated a bit. The Spirit of the flick is still intact. It's a expectional flick with a heart and soul. Written by Tracy Keenan Wynn (Who also wrote a Remake of British Version of the Longest Yard) from a Story by Albert S. Ruddy (Bad Girls). Grade:A-.

Sonny Shroyer did TOO appear in this movie!
To the second reviewer, Sonny Shroyer, or "Enos" of Dukes of Hazzard fame, was indeed in this movie! And if you really want another piece of trivia, James Hampton, who played Caretaker, served for one episode as Enos' boss on Dukes. Hampton played Sheriff Buster Moon, who subbed for James' Best Rosco character for an episode in the second season.

Shroyer plays "Sonny," who is the retarted player on "Mean Machine." You may remember it is a cheap shot that the guards give "Sonny" that leads Paul Crewe to his decision to re-enter the game.

By the way, this is probably the best football movie ever made. And certainly I would hope it would inspire any of you to attend or support your local minor league football team- and every community has one.

The players who play minor league football come from incredible backgrounds- everything from heroic concentration camp survivors (yes, as recently as last year Steve Moser, an Eastern European immigrant, was playing minor league football as a kicker at the age of 69) to college stars looking for a second chance to out and out thugs who realize now they should have worked harder academically are out there. The sacrifices these players make just to appear in a game are great, as is their expenses.

But who knows? David Dinkins of the NY Giants was playing minor league football just year. The talent can be there.

If you're one of these guys who long for players who play for the love of the game, then no place, not even high school football, can compete with minor league football.

"Semi-pro's a joke"
An ex-football star (Reynolds) gets in a fight with a girlfriend, takes off with her car, dumps it in the lake and gets in an altercation with two cops who try to arrest him in a bar. This ends up getting Paul Crew (Reynolds) some hard time in prison. Eddie Albert is the warden and is very proud of his semi-pro football team, who's players consist of prison guards. He suggests that Crew ("the wrecking Crew") gets a team of prison inmates to play the guards. Crew just wants to "do his time and get out of here". But he may be doing more time than he thought if he refuses to come up with a team to play the guards. Crew puts his team together with some difficulty. He's not worried about winning, just surviving, but this is the prisoners chance to feel equal to the guards, to feel like real men again. They're taking this game very seriously and before it's over, so does Crew. You will recognize many of the actors in this show, all play good supporting roles.

Where is "Saturday Night Special"?
Perhaps Burt Reynolds best movie. However, at least one scene has been cut and some of the original music soundtrack has also been edited or cut. Enough to make me turn to my wife and say...."I think they cut the @&*%ing song!". She looked at me and replied "I think they cut the @&*%ing song!" Aside from the obvious editing faux pas, this is a great football film. Eddie Albert is masterful as the evil warden, and quite frankly steels the show from Reynolds. Try to overlook the fact that the guards are portrayed as "heavies", (because in real life these are the people that put their lives on the line daily), and focus on the football portion of the movie. Great slow motion sequence and action. ... Read more