Cheap The Replacements (DVD) (Keanu Reeves, Gene Hackman, Brooke Langton) (Howard Deutch) Price

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Customer Reviews of The Replacements

No Tight Ends Here.
In THE REPLACEMENTS, the professional football league players go on strike to protest unfair wages under the salary cap forcing teams to finish the remaining quarter of the season with replacement players. Jimmy McGinty (Gene Hackman), a former championship coach, is brought in to put together a team for the Washington Sentinels, a team that could have a chance at the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. The team McGinty huddles together includes a Japanese sumo wrestler, two gangsters, a psychotic cop, a Welsh soccer player, and Shane Falco (Keanu Reeves)-a former college star who lost a big bowl championship and was never heard from again. The team struggles to find unity, but eventually find their groove together and along the way Falco falls in love with the team's cheerleading coach.

Ever since THE MATRIX, Reeves has finally been able to shake the "Bill & Ted" goofiness that haunted his acting. He does a fairly believable job in THE REPLACEMENTS and for Keanu Reeves, that's saying a great deal. Gene Hackman is just the ... as McGinty, a coach who has a personality a lot like Mike Martz (of the St. Louis Rams). The film has a wonderful supporting cast including Orlando Jones, Jon Favreau, Rhys Ifans, and Ace Yonamine.

The major drawback of the film is that there isn't much continuity; the movie felt disjointed with scenes not flowing into each other well at all. This lack of continuity was somewhat covered by the awesome rocking soundtrack. However, music should never be the star of a film and when it plays a bigger part than the script, a movie almost always suffers.

I found the film to be more enjoyable than I originally thought it would be and I was impressed by Keanu Reeves. There are a lot better football flicks available, but there are some really bad ones, too. THE REPLACEMENTS doesn't have any tight ends and, therefore, fall inbetween.

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The best football movie ever made, YES!
As shocking as it may be, when you think about it, the football movies of the past, to include Oliver Stone's excellent but dark, "On Any Given Sunday" simply do not match this film. I will even place this film in the all-time greats like "Pride of the Yankees" and "The Natural".

First, we don't need to watch any more tragedies on film, we need to see something that inspires us to overcome, and this film delivers: I'm surprised its considered a comedy! Hackman should get an oscar for this film because his narration and actions drive the film and create yet another complex character from the mind of the master. Hackman's Coach knows that the men he wants to be his replacements are great, he is frustrated that life hasn't shown them that and he wants to set them up for success, not failure. He believes in them as human beings, not just as football players, that if they can get a "second chance" they will shine. His talks with Keanu Reeves' charachter, reveal a candor and leadership style you should really consider. He tells him flat out he wants to see the man and the ability come together because it will be wonderful to see or words to that effect, his belief in the REALITY that Reeves can deliver are stupendous. Later he instructs his Quarterback, in the hour of decision, the leader wants the ball in his hands.

Along the way, Reeves meets a sexy head cheerleader and there is a nice romance where she begins to believe in him, too. The football action scenes are the best yet to grace movie screens, you feel like you are in shoulder pads/helmet again. What I like was how just before the final game that would decide whether they go to the play-offs or not, Reeves gets canned by front-office politics in favor of the arrogant Joe Theismann-type "all pro" quarterback who is afraid he will lose his job. You are not really sure how the film will end at this point, the team follows the leadership of Reeves but are losing under the arrogant vet. The coach gets a phone call.

I will not give away the ending but Hackman's voice over after the game, clinches it, I paraphrase: "All men once they have touched greatness in their lives are changed forever".

AND THIS IS THE POINT!!!

Just once, do something great in your life! Go all out and let yourself know that you can do it, once you know this you will be changed forever. The world doesn't let you or want you to know that greatness is within your grasp, this is why it beats you down. Find your gift you have been given and act on it, this is the true attitude "replacement" we need and this film shows us how to get it.

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Worth Seeing
I've seen this movie no less than 5 times and I've found it funny each time. Definitely one to add to your collection.