Necessary Roughness

So why review a 21 year old movie? Easy. Good movies have no expiration date, and this is certainly one of them. At the time, the NCAA was going through all sorts of problems with player bribes, payoffs, faked grades, violations from steroids to hookers to cars for the players. This movie was brave enough to face these problems and gives an accurate picture of trying to build a football team from a bunch of wanna be's and never were's. Scott Bakula is perfect in the role, neither attempting to affect a fake Texas drawl nor over playing the role. Hector Elizondo and Robert Loggia, two veteran actors who could easily dominate the film, instead add their considerable talents to make the film believable. Several great touches are added, including Rob Schneider as the announcer for the games, and the appearance of a prison team arranged by Dean Elias (Larry Miller, the schmuck you love to hate) adds an extreme and interesting comic scene. Dick Butkus, Earl Campbell, Roger Craig, Ben Davidson, Tony Dorsett, Evander Holyfield, Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Jim Kelly, Jerry Rice, Hershel Walker, and Randy White are the prison football players, and if you have to ask who they are, you need to head over to the NFL Hall of Fame (Except for Evander Holyfield, former Heavyweight Champion of the World). The film is cohesive, the language is minimal, and the violence is limited to the football field, practice, and a slight altercation between two teams at Billy Bob's. Collectible if you are a fan of good sports movies, and definitely a great film for the family on a Saturday night.

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

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!!

You can read most details of the film in other, more complete reviews, pro and con. But I need to add an oddity.

The movie team, the Texas State University Fighting Armadillos, battles to a pounding against the Southwest Texas State Bobcats in one game. The point I want to make is that the REAL Southwest Texas State in San Marcos, TX changed its name in real life to Texas State University--San Marcos (the "--San Marcos" designation has also recently been dropped). So, in the movie, the problematic TSU university team in green and white plays its own real-life future alter ego, the real maroon-and-gold SWT Bobcats, complete with cheerleaders. The Armadillo mascot for Texas State in the movie is fictitious, but the Bobcats are real.

Since the movie was made in 1991 and the name change took place in 2003, the two movie opponent school names -- before anyone knew about the future name change -- eventually became the same university in reality.

Footnote: I graduated from Southwest Texas State in 1978 in journalism, with a minor in art. When the name change happened, the Alumni Association wrote and asked if I wanted a new diploma with the new college name, which I did opt for. So they sent me a new diploma with the new school name. I now have two diplomas from the same university (different names) with the same degree and minor.

According to WOAI-AM radio station in San Antonio, the total cost of the name change and resulting associated do-overs (stationary letterheads, repainting, etc) was $350,000, paid for by private donations.

In the pantheon of football movies it's not the best, but not the worst by far. It's a decent comedy for the generation when it came out. The ensemble cast worked well together and anything with Kathy Ireland in it can't be all that bad. Sinbad also looked like someone who may have played football before going to teaching. 6/10