The Replacements

The Replacements

A comedy based on the 1987 professional football players’ strike. Gene Hackman plays the coach of the team, Jack Warden is the owner, Brett Cullen is the All-Pro quarterback that goes on strike and Keanu Reeves is the “scab” who replaces the star QB.

User Ratings and Reviews

2 Stars Love this movie. Shipping sucked.
Love this movie and couldn’t wait to watch it. Too bad shipping took 3days longer than it was supposed to. Pretty frustrating.

5 Stars I love this movie!!!
I really enjoy watching this movie. It has a lot of hilarious scenes between the characters and overall it is just a “fun” movie. Plus it has one of the most romantic scenes I have ever seen on film. It is the bar scene between Keanu Reeves’ (Shane Falco) character and the head cheerleader. Something about that scene moves me every time I see it. I recommend it!

5 Stars Pain heals, chicks dig scars … glory lasts forever …

Every year when it’s Superbowl time, I pull this movie out to remind me of a few very important things. The main thing first: American Football isn’t what it used to be. Second, neither are the players. I’ll probably watch it two or three times during the course of the week as well, just to make sure I get enough mileage out of the jokes, but more importantly the message. I won’t take it too seriously though as it is just a movie that’s meant to be tongue-in-cheek even if it is based on actual events.

Football used to be a sacred institution, a pinnacle of inspiration for `the everyman’, a place many men would hope their son’s would end up. But it just doesn’t feel the way it used to when you devote your evening to getting into the game and carefully watching it unfold. Following a team throughout the year doesn’t have the same allure when your five million dollar player blows his knee in game three, the quarterback gets arrested for felony animal abuse or testing positive for steroids or some other such nonsense.

In the film and in real life, the players in question drive hundred thousand dollar cars, live in castles and seem to go on strike when the wind blows too hard inside the temperature controlled arena. But don’t get me wrong, a team is comprised of everyone of its players and those players that do the most work are often the least recognized. These days college ball has the allure, the attraction and the equivalent fan base that pro football used to have.

This film was obviously (to those that saw it) inspired by the dramatic events that took place in 1987 for the Replacement Sunday Games. Thirteen teams brought together replacement players for probably some of the most interesting football to ever grace the small screen, with both Pat Summerall and John Madden in both versions. It was shortly after this that my interest in all things NFL waned. But to be honest, being from Pennsylvania, I grew up a die-hard Steelers fan and rooted `one for the thumb’ back in ‘81. It wasn’t because of the replacement players that my interest vanished, but the lack of them after the strike ended. A lot of fans and viewers were left with a bad taste in their mouths from over-paid debutante’s that had lost their way. Sports commentators in general, historians and those with the NFL hated all this and were quick to put it behind them, but the newspapers were full of personal stories about these players for some time and the fans loved it, just as it’s played out in the film. There’s more truth in this film than some may realize.

In 1987, I was sixteen going on seventeen, and I remember the news reports for the open call for replacement players. As a teenager, I often thought I could take over the world and remember being bummed thinking how cool it would be if I could’ve tried out as a replacement player. For me, the strike was a very romantic moment in sports history as I envisioned myself as one of those players. The reality is, I think a lot of people felt the same way which was why those games were so memorable and so popular.

So, in 2000, Keanu Reeves takes the field as Shane Falco, a would-be hero had he not blown his career at `The Sugerbowl’ earlier in life. A stink that Rhys Ifans gambling-addicted character ‘Nigel Gruff’ says could be smelt all the way back in Whales. “What a bloody shambles that was!”

I have some good memories when this film came out and when I saw it for the first time. For me, I’ll always enjoy this film for its simplicity and it’s art which it has in spades. The casting seems completely intentional from Gene Hackman as Jimmy McGinty (”That old Coach from the Eighties”), the ever-timeless Jack Warden as a would-be Jack Kent Cook, and yes, it’s the Washington Sentinels, too. It would be pretty hard not to get that reference. The film is also graced with a long list of great faces that seem to get just enough screen-time to build the characters and give them enough life making them all endearing. Orlando Jones, “Jumbo”, the “Wirey” Welshman, psycho “Batemen” (nod to Bret Easton Ellis, maybe?) and the rest. A very memorable cast indeed. John Madden and Pat Summerall get quite a bit of screentime as well, bringing some real football authenticity to the film.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that this is really a `Tak Fujimoto’ film. Those that don’t know may end up googling it, those that do know understand exactly what I’m saying. Tak Fujimoto is hands down one of the finest living cinematographers in Hollywood today and every film he’s involved in bears his mark. All the shots, the light, the natural look and the attention to detail. If you’re making a film, you probably want Tak Fujimoto as the DP. Tak Fujimoto has a way of giving even the most simple of films an incredibly high-end and classic look, something that is often emulated but rarely duplicated.

The Replacements is probably one of the better films made about the sport in the last thirty years. If you collect up all the films made about football, it’s definitely in the top 5. More for its originality and comedic value than anything else, like drama or intrigue.

If you’re interested in any of the music that you heard during the film, or the The Replacements soundtrack, please see my comment below.

… …

5 Stars What’s not to love about this movie?!
It’s such a classic. It meets the girl’s romance needs, the guy’s sports needs, has a little comedy and great actors. It’s just a great all purpose movie.

4 Stars very good movie
I really liked this film and I would recomend this to any fan of the actors or actresses in the film.

Buy/More Info