Armadillo Bears - Ein total chaotischer Haufen

Necessary Roughness is a fun movie that if it isn't taken too seriously can be very enjoyable. The first to worst Texas State team finds itself with a team of mostly "non-athletes" that came about after the school held open tryouts. The entire championship team from the year before had been suspended for violations. Scott Bakula plays a competent lead as a middle aged college athlete. Sinbad adds some fun to the story as another "elder athlete". Kathy Ireland, while no actress, does add some eye candy to the film. I also like this film in that this rag-tag team does not reach the heights of being #1 or making it to a championship game. The "big game" of this film is when Texas State plays the the #1 ranked college team. The film has plenty of laughs, a touch of drama and competent script writing and players. Watch it on a Sunday afternoon when nothing else is on.

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.

The Texas State University Fighting Armadillos face NCAA sanctions after multiple infractions. The old players are all expelled and the old coaches fired. Carver Purcell (Fred Dalton Thompson) hires coach Ed Gennero (Hector Elizondo) to run a clean program with no pressure to win. Gennero talks defense coach Wally Rig (Robert Loggia) to join him. There are no scholarships and the players have to be actual students. Wally asks former high school star Paul Blake (Scott Bakula) to try out. Dean Phillip Elias (Larry Miller) doesn't like the football program. Joining the team is rich boy Jarvis Edison (Jason Bateman), receiver Featherstone who can't hold on to the ball, Eric 'Samorai' Hansen and soccer player Lucy Draper (Kathy Ireland). Blake falls for Dr. Suzanne Carter (Harley Jane Kozak) who turns out to be his professor. Andre Krimm (Sinbad) is the celestrial mechanics professor and former football player who Blake gets to join the team. It's a silly little sports movie in the vein of Major League. It's got the zany cast of characters. It's got the evil dean. This one even has a girl on the team and Kathy Ireland makes for a very cute football player. Bakula is terrific as the old weary freshman. Rob Schneider is actually funny when he's doing commentary. It's very formulaic but that's what these movies are.

Freshman college football with a 34 yr old playing? (Scott Bakula) A HUGE science teacher playing? (The ever-funny Sinbad)A rich kid who gains confidence from the 34 yr old? (Jason Bateman) The best lookin' Greek-Aussie I ever saw & probably the smallest in football? (Louis Mandylor) I bought this DVD thinking it would be another Major League. Well, it was a little drier but still funny. When the GIANT guys come out on the field from prison, (The Refrigerator, Too-Tall, etc.) you wonder how & why but it's only to 'toughen up' the team. The roughness is necessary! See this for a laugh, especially during football season. And ladies, there is always something for US in these sports films! It's your choice!!

First of all, I'm going to say that this is definitely not American Cinema at its finest. Better movies have been made, better comedies have been made, better football movies have been made. With all that said...I just can't help liking this movie. The acting is decent, with assistant coach Riggendorf (Robert Loggia) being the funniest character. The halftime speech at the climactic "big game" makes me laugh out loud every time. If you're the "hoity-toity" movie critic type who appreciates nothing outside of Oscar-worthy pictures, why are you watching a football movie anyway? If you know how to have a good time watching a movie, and laugh at the eccentricities and vulnerabilities of realistic characters, "Necessary Roughness" is more than worth a look! 7/10