Game Day

This film chronicles the sad and pathetic existence of a second-tier college basketball coach (Richard Lewis) as he prepares for the big game. Rather than preparing by running drills with the team, or going over special plays he catalogs his drug collection and scams on the local college girls. Everything culminates on game day, with one of the most unpredictable basketball games ever filmed.

Richard Lewis is brilliant in this film. His "pep" talks to the basketball squad sound as if they were written by Mamet on his best and most cynical day. The delivery of one speech in particular is perfectly done, you will recognize it when you hear it. This speech is the antithesis of every lame "rah-rah" game winning speech I have ever heard in a sports related movie.

The tag line for this film is: "This ain't Hoosiers," and it is an apt one. It is as if Steven Klein (writer and director) has seen every relevant sports film and passed judgment on them, banishing the sports film to a strange bizarro-world, then returning it, just recognizable.

I'm a total sports movie junky so I was surprised to see this title pop up. I didn't recognize it, but I love Richard Lewis (and Greg Giraldo is in this, btw) and the trailer on YouTube looked cool, so I gave it a shot. I have to say, I've seen a lot of sports movies, and this one has some of the best game footage/editing that I've seen. Also, while it can be a bit raunchy at times, it's really funny. And Richard Lewis was a total revelation. Definitely some of his strongest acting work as the down and out coach.

Anyway, this one brought me back to my love of classic 90's sports films.

A brilliant snapshot of late 20th century America, Game Day is a pressure cooker plot, with viewers increasingly dreading the inevitable, thankfully surprising and rewarding, explosion.

A dark Basketball Cinderella story, with a middle of nowhere underdog team getting a once in a lifetime chance at fame and glory; making it to the national championship, lead by a washed up 'has-been', that literally has been to the national championship five times before, and lost every single time - coach Steven Adler. Richard Lewis delivers his best dramatic performance as coach Adler, a role that covers everything from uplifting motivational speeches to disturbing manifestations of self destruction, as he gives up on everything... except, the game. 'I am good at the game' says Lewis in a blend of self determination and an ironic excuse for everything he is not quite as good at. An unsettling charisma around his character draws you in and keeps you hooked, like it or not.

The film is beautifully shot and edited - blending intense heart-racing peaks, with insightful social commentary and dark comedy. Speaking of comedy, casting the incomparable late comic Greg Giraldo is a beautiful touch.

I couldn't recommend this enough; great charismatic protagonist , well-crafted, thoroughly entertaining and thought-provoking - Game Day's got it all.

Words cannot do this film justice; you really have to see for yourself.

A banal script about an unsympathetic coach finding himself in a championship game surrounded by an unlikely series of events which raises the stakes.

This had to be intentional: it i s not possible to make a film this bad by accident. It deserves a lifetime Razzie for just how bad it is, and that list includes "classics" like Sleepaway Camp (which had sequels) or The Dentist (which also had a sequel).

I'm not sure what this film was trying to prove, if anything, but it has failed miserably at its task. Anyone associated with this film will have much to answer for on Judgment Day.

Don't buy this movie in the one dollar bin from Wal-mart... they must have cut out all the good parts like the nudity and drug use.... I discovered this when I found that there was no cursing and saw the movie was cut from 105 minutes listed on this IMDb page to the 75 minutes i saw. Overall i thought it was a good film. A few laughs, a few stirring moments and a twist ending that will will stick to you like rice to teriyaki chicken...

Imagine my surprise after watching this film that there are thirty five more splendid moments of cinema left to watch. I was horrified. Watching RIchard Lewis change from a comedian to submitting one of the most stirring portrayals of a basketball coach is something that was a joy to watch. Anyhow, I recommend this film to all studying movie-making.