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.

Richard Lewis shows why he should be considered for many more parts than he has in the past. His range as an actor is confirmed by his performance in this wonderful look at college basketball. The game sequence is one of the best I've ever seen in a sports movie as far as realistic play is concerned....that from an ex-basketball player from Kansas. Despite the fantastic finish, the play of the game, the flow of it, is much more credible than any basketball film I've seen before but it is so much more still. As a commentary on cannabis, it is non judgmental and wonderfully objective. I just think that anyone with a good sense of humor should view this film and see Richard Lewis at his best. It opened my eyes to his talent and I have since been a big fan of his.

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.

I rate this movie at the same level as Hollywood Knights Very watchable and movies that you and probably not many of your friends have seen or on Kodi. The main characters are priceless and I do not think they have ever reached the same level that they did in these movies. Steve Adler and Newbaum Turk are two great characters in b level movies that are really enjoyable. The pot smoking scene with Steve is quite good.

When I first saw this movie it was because I was up late at night and couldn't sleep. It was showing on shotime, and I decided to watch it because it was a sports movie. I really enjoy watching sports movies because they are inspiring. Unfortunately this movie didn't inspire me at all, but it made me laugh real hard. The movie has many characters, and it takes you into their lives one by one. The drugged out basketball coach, the town mayor who gambles people's money, and the basketball player who feels like a he didn't accomplish anything in his life. All of these characters all share one common interest, and that is that they're all going to be at the national game against Miami. This movie is really funny, and Richard Lewis is really funny as he plays the role of the head coach. His pre-game speeches are just hilarious. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who is into that dark sort of comedy, and I would give it 4 out of 5 stars.