That was an excellent one.

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

I could never actually throw a baseball well. My body just never exactly grasped the mechanics to do it like I should and after playing a game my elbow was swollen and throbbing.Football, on the other hand, I was good at. Throwing a spiral was no problem for me, nor was making the ball go where I wanted it to, and, let's face it, any fool can read can read an offense like an open book, especially in high school.Defense was always more fun to play. Freshman year when I was on offense...hated it. A year later when I got moved to the big "D" I actually enjoyed playing...So I played football...but I watched baseball.Even now that I'm old, I could still care less if the Bears win or lose...the Cubs on the other hand, well, that is an obsession.So when a football movie comes out, I don't exactly flock to the theaters to see it and afterwards, I don't buy it on DVD and watch it over and over again to get me through the long winters.But there are a few good ones."Any Given Sunday" is just brilliant. There is a lot to watch in that movie from the start to the finish, from the inside of the NFL to the game itself."Necessary Roughness" is a totally different beast. It approaches the movie like, well, like it's a baseball movie. It does it with a sense of humor and not a steroidal rage. It's not as concerned about being tough as it is about getting laughs.It all makes for a fun movie to watch. The jokes are awesome, especially when they target football itself, as a sport. And when they do so, its a little more subtle, it's more in the language you heard from your coaches, the references that seem to travel from locker room to locker room across the country.BUT, don't worry, the bulk of the movie and the sense of humor comes from the characters in the film and not the game itself. You don't have to understand the lingo, if you never had to take a knee and get screamed at by an old man with his pants hitched up too high, it doesn't matter, the movie can carry itself without appealing to sports fans.When you sit down for a movie, it should entertain you. That is the base level of any movie and "Necessary Roughness" does that better than most.

This was a rather good comedy sports movie featuring a college football team that basically gets hit hard with sanctions and such. I can not believe this film is so old, however. I was thinking this thing was made in 1995 or 96, but it came out in 91 while I was still in high school. The film actually predates Quantum Leap, a television show that features the star in this one Scott Bakula. Speaking of Scott, here is the case of a guy that just seems like he should of been a major star in Hollywood, but it just never materialized for him. He is great in this one as an older man who returns to college because he had to leave college prematurely the previous time. A coach in charge of rebuilding the football program recruits him as the team has few players and no real quarterback. The dean of the school is against the coach the whole way and is sort of the villain of the piece, but here is one of the kinks. I find it refreshing that a dean would want to focus on education rather than the gridiron. As much as I enjoy football, to often the educational program takes a backseat to a bunch of jocks who should not even be at the college except they are good at sports. Meanwhile, those who go to the school trying to pay their way and in the need of loans have to keep having their tuition raised to pay for things such as stadiums. Enough of my rant, the film is rather good, but is unbelievable. Suffice to say, there is no way a team that has so few players that some have to play offense and defense is going to compete against the number one team in the country. So just think of it as a Hollywood sports comedy, totally unrealistic, but worth a few laughs, unless of course it is Sinbad making the jokes.

Paul (Scott Bakula) was a great high school quarterback in Texas, where he never lost a game. However, his father died after football season was over and Paul felt obligated to take over the family farm. Therefore, he turned down scholarships and never went to college. But, now Texas State wants him, wants him badly. The university has had a long history of NCAA violations and, consequently, is having trouble recruiting players. But, with a new, straight-arrow coach (Hector Elizondo), his assistant (Robert Loggia), and a dedicated college president, Texas State is trying to turn the tide. Paul, although he is now 34, agrees to join the team and the freshman class. Wouldn't you know it, though, he soon has a run-in with an attractive female professor (Harley Jane Kozak), who refuses to accept his growing interest in her. And, with a ragtag roster of only 17 players, playing both offense and defense, can they win any games? This is a fine football flick with some elements of romance thrown in, too, to please any viewer. The cast is very nice, with Bakula, Elizondo, Loggia, Sinbad, a tiny-bit- pretentious Kozak, a lovely Kathy Ireland, a very funny Rob Schneider, and a hilarious Larry Miller whooping it up all the way. The football scenes are quite fine as well, which should please any true gridiron fan. Yes, unfortunately, the film looks dated, with its out of fashion costumes and its mediocre camera work. The Texas setting, however, is rather welcome. All in all, if you love the game-with-a-pigskin, you must arrange to view this one. You will find it greatly entertaining. Fans of romcoms, too, who are running out of material, will be pleased with the efforts here as well.

There is really nothing special about this movie.It really has only the thinnest veneer of a story. Team gets on probation - coach finds 34-year-old quarterback to bring them back - team is a bunch of losers - they win the big game. You know, the usual stuff these sports films are made of, but unlike Hoosiers, there is not much going on outside the lockeroom or off the field.I only watched it because one of the minor stars is coming to town to give a speech and I wanted to see his part. It was about 10 seconds long.Kathy Ireland was there with a small part and Fred Dalton Thompson was there too, again with a small part. The rest of the cast is forgettable. Well, I hate to admit it, but Rob Schneider was a little funny.