Celtic Pride

Celtic Pride is essentially a one note comedy film, yet the pairing of two likable comedy men, an original plot, and some heavy jokes make this film more than average. This is a different kind of sports comedy where the excitement isn't coming from the players, but two rabid fans of the Boston Celtics.

Dan Akroyd and Daniel Stern play Mike and Jimmy, two hardcore fans of the Boston Celtics. The Celts are in the finals with the Utah Jazz and their star player selfish, ballhog Lewis Scott (Wayans). After losing game six, it's on to game seven where either the Celts or the Jazz will become the champions. So Mike and Jimmy go to a nightclub after the game, and get drunk with Scott, before they wake up in Mike's basement with him tied up, and no recollection of the events that took place the night before.

Mike and Jimmy find out from their cop-buddy (Guilfoyle) that kidnapping is kidnapping no matter what time they let the victim go. So they think they should show something for it, and hold Lewis till after game seven so the Celts have a good shot of winning. Their plan goes awry when the cad starts playing mind-games with the two in order to disassemble their longtime friendship.

This is one of the comedies you have to search under the bed for. Even with Akroyd, Stern, and Wayans on the cover this film is usually lost in the dust compared to Akroyd's others like The Great Outdoors and Ghostbusters. This isn't better than those two works of comedic gold, but they do present the same feel-good aspect and have a warm, fuzzy, classic feeling to them.

The pairing of Dan Akroyd and Daniel Stern wasn't unlikely at the time, and they do a good job at being the two buddies. The funniest stuff is from Damon though as he continues to play games with Mike's head saying that "you're his bitch" and consistently taunts him. Thankfully, the movie isn't just made up of these games because if it was, I don't think we could call this a buddy comedy.

Now that it's 2011, I was surprised to see Judd Apatow's name all over this film as producer, story creator, and writer. The current generation knows Apatow for making heartfelt, with an essence of raunch and silly comedy-drama premises. In the nineties, he was more about the laughs than the drama. Celtic Pride can also serve as a time capsule of a different time in a film-maker's life.

Celtic Pride doesn't over-shoot or overstay its welcome. It runs for a comfortable ninety-one minutes, and it goes by quickly. A different side of sports comedies adding flavor and a good amount of heart, Celtic Pride has green and white blood pumping thru its veins.

Starring: Dan Akroyd, Daniel Stern, and Damon Wayans. Directed by: Tom DeCerhio.

It's game 6 of the NBA playoffs with the Celtics 3-2 up against the Utah Jazz and seemingly about to win the title on their home court in Boston. Lifelong fans Mike O'Hara and Jimmy Flaherty may have personal problems but these are put in perspective opposite the dream of catching the title. However Utah's best player, Lewis Scott, is carrying the team and responsible for most of their points. When he destroys the Celtics in game 6, things look bleak. Bumping into him in a bar later that night, Mike and Jimmy plan to get him so drunk he'll still he weak in several days time when game 7 is played. However when they wake up beside him the next morning they kidnap him and plan to hold him until after game 7 has passed. However things are harder than they imagined.

Being a basketball fan I'll give anything that involves the game a try, whether it is more serious films like Blue Chips and He Got Game or comedies like this or Eddie. This film had potential and, opening with a funny sequence where Mike fails to pass on his passion to his students, it looked like it was going to be good. The plot is filled out by poking fun at the excessive sports fans and also taking a more serious look from the point of view of the players themselves (as represented by Scott). However, where things fall down a little is in the delivery.

Marketed as a `wacky' comedy of sorts, the film wants to be that (hence the presence of Aykroyd and Stern) but this means that the more interesting side of the film is ignored and allowed to fall into disrepair (before finally collapsing in the final `7 months later' shot). As a comedy it is entertaining without ever being very funny – I didn't laugh out loud very often but I found it passable and light hearted. It never really gets any better than that sadly, but I felt that this lack of consistent laughs could have been covered if the darker side of the fan/player relationship had been brought out more.

Unfortunately this side slides for the whole of the film until nothing of interest is really left. There are imaginative touches that suggest a better film, but overall the lack of an effective dramatic streak to the film (no matter how secondary it would have been) is a problem. Without it the plot seems trivial and makes it harder to hold the audience's interest. This isn't helped by the fact that the film feels quite cheap and quickly put together. This is shown throughout the film but is clearest in it's portrayal of the basketball action. I wasn't expecting them to have the feel of a big stadium or have total realism, but the games are such a joke (in terms the play) that it made me realise how little effort was put into some aspects of the film.

The cast is OK but the names suggest that a more `zany' comedy was expected to be the outcome of this film. Aykroyd plays a lesser role but has some good dream sequences, Stern is left to lead the film and he appears to lack the confidence to do it well. Wayans is the real star here which is a worrying thing. His character is the strongest and also has the most to say as he is not just a comedy figure in the way the other two are. He leads well and is actually OK but his basketball scenes are poor. For He Got Game, Ray Allen coached Washington so he'd look the part, it appears no-one saw the need for that approach here.

Overall this is a wacky comedy with few laughs. Because it seems to favour the `zany' knockabout side of it's nature, it neglects the darker more interesting side and suffers as a result. This film never made it to the cinema in the UK and barely made an impact on video – there are reasons for this.

dan aykroyd great as crazed,fanatical celtic fan, teams up with his celtic fan partner daniel stern(of home alone fame). both are crazy,funny, and natural. damon wayans adds to the cast as utah jazz basketball player. street smart comedic wayans(from brooklyn) is just right for the part. deion sanders is great as himself.movie is very entertaining and was underrated. better than the critics said.

Two die-hard Boston Celtic fans go out of their way to mess up the star player before game 7 of the Finals, and then accidently kidnap him. Not deep, but it doesn't have to be.

A movie that a good sports fan would find as humorous, but a movie fan would only find forgetable. Akroyd, Stern, and Wayans all turn in entertaining performances, but the true star of the movie is....

Christopher McDonald. He made me laugh my head off with the "Uhhhhhhh I hate my life" line. Akroyd doing the "Shakacon" thing was hillarious, as was his dream.

Overall, it was enjoyable, but proceed with caution.

***+(3.5)/*****(5).

This is the single greatest Boston basketball hostage movie of the 1990's. Damon Wayans is reminiscent of a young Poitier in his role of Lewis Scott, a man who was born to play the game. The problem is, two Boston basketball fans do not want to see Scott and his Utah Jazz defeat their beloved Boston Celtics. So they kidnap him. The homosexual chemistry between Daniel Stern and Dan Aykroyd is a delight, as it is rare that Kevin Arnold and Beldar Conehead can live together in eternal bliss. Celtic Pride mixes themes of anti-basketball hostage and gay rights in a march to the finish line in the marathon of film. It's a shame that Daniel Stern did not receive the Oscar for his exquisite role as Mike O'Hara, a homosexual alcoholic father who really only needs his lover (Aykroyd), and the Boston Celtics. Three hurrahs for director Tom DiCerchio!