The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon

A movie about a garbage man (Tony Danza) who gets hit on the head and becomes a field goal kicking sensation for the Philadelphia Eagles. With a plot like this, can you expect anything less than the greatest movie ever made? This movie has it all: superb acting, comedy, drama, suspense, great action sequences, and a megastar in Tony Danza. What else can I say for you to realize that this is the GREATEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME. Forget "The Godfather" and Citizen Kane. They don't even compare to this movie. *************** out of ********** (15 stars out of 10)

This is to football movies what "Raging Bull" is to boxing movies!!!! The only bummer is that since it aired on television and was not released in theaters, it was disqualified from Oscar consideration. Go rent this classic now!

We all love Tony Danza, and here we see him once again carrying his fellow cast members to the end of a project. Gil Filar is especially irritating as "Little Joe Jr." Tony Danza's character (I think his name is "Tony" something) is hit on the head by a can full of garbage by Leon his co-worker (played by a young Walter Matthau) and suddenly becomes a field-goal kicking machine. Whoever wrote the script is a jackass, but Danza makes it shine!

If you are expecting a masterpiece, the title of this one tells you to look elsewhere. But if you are looking for some good, clean, fun with an unbelievable plot, look no further. The willing suspension of disbelief is important if you want to enjoy this film, but afterall, which of us doesn't have a little boy in us that still wants to be a professional football player someday? This film gives us the chance to see it happening to a deserving guy--a garbageman, nonetheless. The movie also has a lot of fun moments, like when the kicker gets to room with the biggest lineman on the team. And while it is not Aesop fare, there is a lesson to be learned here, too--that putting our dreams and opportunities in front of all else that is dear to us can be costly. If you like movies about football, this one is a cute story that is reminiscent of Disney's 1976 film "Gus" about a field-goal kicking mule. This just brings the story into a more human perspective. The kids will love it.

Tony Danza plays a garbageman (Gorman) who has a beat up truck that needs to have a lever kicked into shape constantly, through which he develops the magic ability to kick empty water containers over a mountain. The professional US football team of Philadelphia sees this and decides to sign him as a kicker for a hefty sum.

But this is no Cinderella story. When he gets to his princely castle he finds a lot of problems waiting for him, including a team that doesn't appreciate having a civilian on board, malicious papparazzis, and the crushing demands of high-level public performance. This last turns out to be too much for him and he kick-tile disfunction from it, which subsequently leads to even further problems with a fickle public.

It's very simplistic but extremely tidy and comprehensive. Every relevant critique of fame and the professional sports world is there in child-friendly form. For example, people will be nicer to him just because he's famous when he first joins the team and the coach is verbally abusive - critiques of fame and sports training.

The relationships are also well-developed. Gorman slowly earns the respect of the team by being a good friend and a positive guy. Domestically, you can also tell he's an average dad facing a very common problem - he doesn't have a huge measure of respect from his family - so you get a good sense of the pressure he's under to try and win back some of his pride.

It's a movie made using stick figures - very bare and simplistic, so it's tough for it to achieve a 10 - it was clearly made to be digestible by young children. Nevertheless, it has a tight plot and solid character acting with very few flaws. It's also just riveting and entertaining, even if you don't know an don't care a lick for sports or US Football.

Honourable Mentions: Over the Top (1987). Stallone plays Hawk, a trucker who develops superior arm strength by installing some weight-lifting device in his truck and becomes the world champion of arm wrestling. Sure. It could happen. Why not?