You have just entered a time warp. The year? 1986. Do not attempt to adjust your Internet browser. The retro reviews have now begun.
When a film has been out for over 20 years and is as well known as Hoosiers, I feel that it is not as important to step on egg shells about giving away plot details. You may say I haven't been careful about that at all anyway. But that is a complete tangent.
Hoosiers is probably the second-best sports movie ever made (the top seat belonging to its little brother, Rudy). It is simply the perfect feel-good, underdog, small town, inspirational story. Oh, but I'm prematurely getting into the evaluation...
The film starts with Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) driving through the farmlands of Indiana. This is one of the most beautiful opening title sequences of any film, both visually and musically. Dale is coming to a small, podunk high school in the small, podunk town of Hickory to coach basketball - a second chance for a middle-aged man with a spotty past, offered by the school's principal who is an old friend of Dale's.
Coach Dale is given a measly, rag-tag team of players to work with; the best player in town, Jimmy, has silently and inexplicably decided not to play this year. Dale begins slowly whipping the boys into shape - "breaking them down to build them back up" - while ostracizing many of the townspeople who want just as much influence on the bench as this highfalutin new coach. The people of Hickory are loath to warm up to Dale, with his mysterious origins and his rigid coaching methods.
Dale also has trouble winning over the lovely Miss Fleener, a teacher at the school and the prodigy Jimmy's default caretaker. And to make things even more interesting, Shooter - the town drunk and one of the players' father - is always hanging around either bumming for money or giving amazingly insightful basketball advice.
A foreign game strategy, a couple of losses, and a resistance to small-town familiarity all percolate into the town asking Coach Dale to hang up his whistle and leave Hickory. A town meeting is called, and the vote is cast - Dale must go. But wait! Jimmy has broken his vow of silence to hush the crowd and give them an ultimatum - he will come back and play on the condition that Coach Dale stays.
Now things really begin to move as Hickory begins to win, the town begins to stand behind Dale, and Miss Fleener begins to see the positive impact this new coach is having on those around him. One of these influences is on ol' Shooter, to whom Coach Dale offered an ultimatum of his own: Shooter could ride the bench with him as his assistant coach, provided he sobered up.
A winning streak, a reformed alcoholic, repaired relationships, budding romance, and a town uniting behind its Cinderella team lead to the ultimate showdown - the Indiana State finals. Who wins in the end? You'll just have to see it for yourself.
Warnings
I will only warn you that this is an incredibly positive, clean family film. There are only a few salty words thrown in to remind you that this story is about athletes.
Redeeming Value
Are you kidding me? This film is dripping with redeeming value. A man overcomes his greedy, selfish past to become a sweeping force of positive change. A lazy drunk sobers up and repairs the severed relationship he has with his son. A group of unlikely high school boys find purpose and victory. There are moral three-pointers and family-value slam dunks all over this gymnasium of vintage Americana.
This is an uplifting, inspiring movie. The characters are endearing. The farmhouses and landscape are shot masterfully. The score by Jerry Goldsmith is a bundle of synth-tastic basketball joy.
If you haven't seen Hoosiers, please take my advice and sell your copies of Glory Road, Miracle, Remember the Titans, and all those other Disney poser inspirational sports movies and buy this timeless classic. Seriously, go sell them right now. They are wasting valuable hutch space and giving your guests a bad impression of you.
When a film has been out for over 20 years and is as well known as Hoosiers, I feel that it is not as important to step on egg shells about giving away plot details. You may say I haven't been careful about that at all anyway. But that is a complete tangent.
Hoosiers is probably the second-best sports movie ever made (the top seat belonging to its little brother, Rudy). It is simply the perfect feel-good, underdog, small town, inspirational story. Oh, but I'm prematurely getting into the evaluation...
The film starts with Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) driving through the farmlands of Indiana. This is one of the most beautiful opening title sequences of any film, both visually and musically. Dale is coming to a small, podunk high school in the small, podunk town of Hickory to coach basketball - a second chance for a middle-aged man with a spotty past, offered by the school's principal who is an old friend of Dale's.
Coach Dale is given a measly, rag-tag team of players to work with; the best player in town, Jimmy, has silently and inexplicably decided not to play this year. Dale begins slowly whipping the boys into shape - "breaking them down to build them back up" - while ostracizing many of the townspeople who want just as much influence on the bench as this highfalutin new coach. The people of Hickory are loath to warm up to Dale, with his mysterious origins and his rigid coaching methods.
Dale also has trouble winning over the lovely Miss Fleener, a teacher at the school and the prodigy Jimmy's default caretaker. And to make things even more interesting, Shooter - the town drunk and one of the players' father - is always hanging around either bumming for money or giving amazingly insightful basketball advice.
A foreign game strategy, a couple of losses, and a resistance to small-town familiarity all percolate into the town asking Coach Dale to hang up his whistle and leave Hickory. A town meeting is called, and the vote is cast - Dale must go. But wait! Jimmy has broken his vow of silence to hush the crowd and give them an ultimatum - he will come back and play on the condition that Coach Dale stays.
Now things really begin to move as Hickory begins to win, the town begins to stand behind Dale, and Miss Fleener begins to see the positive impact this new coach is having on those around him. One of these influences is on ol' Shooter, to whom Coach Dale offered an ultimatum of his own: Shooter could ride the bench with him as his assistant coach, provided he sobered up.
A winning streak, a reformed alcoholic, repaired relationships, budding romance, and a town uniting behind its Cinderella team lead to the ultimate showdown - the Indiana State finals. Who wins in the end? You'll just have to see it for yourself.
Warnings
I will only warn you that this is an incredibly positive, clean family film. There are only a few salty words thrown in to remind you that this story is about athletes.
Redeeming Value
Are you kidding me? This film is dripping with redeeming value. A man overcomes his greedy, selfish past to become a sweeping force of positive change. A lazy drunk sobers up and repairs the severed relationship he has with his son. A group of unlikely high school boys find purpose and victory. There are moral three-pointers and family-value slam dunks all over this gymnasium of vintage Americana.
This is an uplifting, inspiring movie. The characters are endearing. The farmhouses and landscape are shot masterfully. The score by Jerry Goldsmith is a bundle of synth-tastic basketball joy.
If you haven't seen Hoosiers, please take my advice and sell your copies of Glory Road, Miracle, Remember the Titans, and all those other Disney poser inspirational sports movies and buy this timeless classic. Seriously, go sell them right now. They are wasting valuable hutch space and giving your guests a bad impression of you.
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