Fast Break

This is a good film which is thoroughly entertaining with some snappy dialogue. None of the actors had really spectacular film careers but in this effort all came to the front of the class with very good performances. The cast mixes well. Without a doubt this is Gabe Kaplan's best effort, even overshadowing his TV role as Mr. Cotter.

Not great, not bad, this film from the disco era has not aged well but still contains some amusing moments. (Is it me, or does film and TV from the late 70s seems so much older and dated than from any other time period in the post-WWII era?)

But the thought that kept entering my head as I watched Gabe Kaplan smirk and wink-wink through his performance was that 10 years later, Billy Crystal could have done this movie is his sleep... and done it better.

6 out of 10 stars: perfect during a snooze on a lazy rainy afternoon...

Gabe Kaplan, of WELCOME BACK, KOTTER fame, stars as a NY restaurant manager who loves basketball. He plays street ball with the ghetto kids, studies sports journals and high school yearbooks, and dreams of coaching. When a remote Nevada university offers him a coaching position for Room & Board, he jumps at the chance, leaving his frustrated wife behind, but taking 4 talented black kids with him to outfit the team. (One of these is a real NBA player.. check it out).

Unless you have a magic vhs copy that has lasted for decades (if you do, get it transferred to DVD now!), you will be hard-pressed to find this great movie. However, GOOD NEWS! There are a couple of versions on YouTube for which I'd gladly pay $ 5.00 for a viewing, but, as of today, they are free of charge. Enjoy!

Fast Break never turned out to be a film that would make Gabe Kaplan a major film star name. Still on its own itsbout a a man from Brooklyn who fulfills a dream of any sports fan.

Kaplan's sport is basketball and he's written hundreds of letters to colleges announcng his availability as a coach. He gets one reply from a ramshackle broken down college un Nevada, They'll pay him and he works cheap and comes with his own players.

Quite a collection too that include Harold Sylvester, Michael Warren and a secret weapon Mavis Washington who oes incognito to all in male drag. Her character provides some gender bending humor along the lines of Victor/Victoria.

The big day is when hs Cadwllader College team beats Nevada State coahced by state celelbrity Bert Remsen. Quite a game too.

Wome in the cast include Randee Heller and Connie Sawyer as Kapllan's wife and mother. Both are well cast in their parts.

As for Kaplan he incorporates a lot of his character and humor from his character in Welcome Back Kotter. I'm sure Kaplan regrets the decision he made to leave Welcome Back Kotter. It killed the series and he didn't obtain movie stardom. But we did get a good sports film from it.

To be clear, this was a Columbia Pictures theatrical-release film, not something slapped together for a network on a Tuesday night. Nevertheless, with Gabe Kaplan as the star and with an upbeat "believe in yourself"-type of soundtrack, it FEELS like a TV movie - and that is OK. I saw if on the small screen in the '80s, probably on a weekend afternoon, sometime during my early teen years. And with the advent of video-sharing internet sites I have watched it a couple of times over the last few years.

Why claim it "could not be made today"? Because the characters express, in no uncertain terms, disapproval and disgust of homosexuality. If they had done so BUT completely changed at the end of the story, that obviously would not only be OK but laudatory. That is not what this movie is. It IS a straightforward "take a chance/beat the odds/happy montage" movie from the long-ago 1970s.