Les remplaçants

Those are the words of coach (Hackman) before the final regular season game for the "replacement" players, filling in for the striking regulars. The "never-been" QB (Keanu Reeves) must try to lead them to victory.

"The Replacements" is primarily a good screwball comedy, in the vein of, but significantly better than, "Best of Show" and "The Waterboy." Some may even take a "message" away, about the importance of teamwork, belief in oneself, true love (QB and the head cheerleader). But that is all secondary.

I rate this one highly for pure escapism entertainment, but also with good acting by Reeves and Hackman, and some almost-believable football action, heavily interlaced with goofiness. The lap-dancers turned cheerleaders, who totally distract the opposing team. The tag-team vomiting during the huddle, after the Japanese sumo wrestler eats too many eggs before the game ("I gotta beef up!") The cop who, like in the "Waterboy", can get enraged (Coach says, "I want you to get me the ball," and he does.) The Welsh kicker who is "wirr-rrry strong" and smokes a cigarette while kicking. The "I will survive" dance in jail, after the barroom brawl with the 'regulars.'

To make a good screwball comedy, the writer and director have to walk a fine line and here they do it well. John Madden and Pat Summerall, playing announcers, are genuinely funny. The DVD picture, and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, are up to standards.

I haven't bothered watching professional football since Joe Montana retired but this movie got me interested again. While I can appreciate the comments of other reviewers that it is a formula movie and has many inaccuracies when it comes to the football action it is pure and unadulterated fun. The bottom line is this movie is downright funny, from start to finish. The cast are absolutely wonderful and the casting director did a brilliant job of bringing this gang together. Gene Hackman of course is perfect as the coach.... "I'll pull you off the field you spoiled son of a bitch".... Rhys Ifans absolute perfection as Gruff (after a **** you remark from Jimbo) "You'll have to find your dick first Shamu", to the shoot em up bros from the hood, to "get me the ball, get me the ball" The acting was absolutely wonderful in this movie. I have to admit I didn't like the guy that played Martell but perhaps that's because I wasn't supposed to like him, perhaps it shows what a good job he did. And Keanu, dear, sweet, so maligned Keanu, I read a reviewer once who said of Keanu's acting that it is "almost transparent" and in this movie it is, he doesn't eat scenery he just does his job, low key, perfectly in character, and for those who know anything at all about acting all you have to do is watch his eyes. He has a Harrison Ford like quality of being able to express a wealth of emotions with his eyes and in this movie he pulls it off perfectly. I also read somewhere that during the making of this movie it was discovered that Keanu really did have "an arm" and at one point threw a 69 yard pass. I have seen this movie in excess of 20 times and will no doubt see it 20 more times, it is the best feel-good movie I have ever seen. When I want drama and suspense I will watch "The Green Mile" when I want simple, comedy that just leaves me with a huge grin I will watch the replacements. Oh yeah and I just want to kiss the person who put Keanu in a No. 16 uniform *S*

This has low key always been one of my favorite movies, it's the perfect mindless sports flic with a good mix of inspo and comedy. Reeves is the perfect antihero to lead this team of oddballs. Keep expeditions low and just enjoy it for what it is.

Based on the NFL strike in the 80s, the Replacements is a movie of a bunch of people that missed their chance to play in the NFL getting to do that as replacement players or scabs. Keanu Reeves stars as quaterback Shane "footsteps" Falco, Gene Hackman is a master in his role of the coach Jimmy McGinty. The rest of the cast is very well done as well from Jon Favreau as the over excited defensive player to Rhys Ifans as Nigel "the leg" Gruff the kicker. Almost every actor seems born to play the role they have. The team, led by Falco starts off rough but soon finds their groove and become a force. It all comes down to the last regular season game and the announcement that the players and the NFL have come to a deal. Will Falco finish the season with the team he built, or will he bow out?

Really nothing new here for plot devices, but this movie is hilarious. It gets both thematic elements correct though. The drama is good when it needs to be and the comedy is well above par when needed.

Despite the fact that this film is a totally unoriginal and predictable retread of a dozen `losers to winners' sports stories, it is so hysterically funny that I didn't even care. The story is thin at best. The NFL is having a players strike and scabs are called in to finish the season. Our heroes are low on ability but high on desire and peculiarity. The quarterback, Shane Falco (Keanu Reeves), once had a promising career, but he fell apart psychologically when his team was pummelled in a college bowl game and he was labelled a player that folds in the big game. Of course, while visiting the NFL, Shane falls in love with the head cheerleader (Brooke Langton) who never dates players (except of course this once).

All this is merely a mundane excuse for a raucous and silly comedy that has some sidesplitting moments. To enjoy this film you really need two things. You need to love football and you need to enjoy slapstick, banana peel comedy. I realize that this limits the audience considerably, but for those who qualify (and I am one), this movie is a scream.

Director Howard Deutch (Pretty in Pink, Grumpier Old Men) did a great job on the football sequences. He hired 45 professional football players (Former NFL players, Canadian Football League, etc.) to do the football scenes and sent the actors to a three-week football camp. The action looked real because it was real. The players were told to play and hit the way they normally would. Of course, the plays were choreographed, but they were real football plays.

The comedy was lowbrow, outrageous and crass, with a great deal of physical comedy. The cheerleader scenes were a riot, especially the cheerleader tryouts. The scene where they started pantomiming sex acts to distract the opposing team was priceless. There was also sharp-witted football humor that required more than just a passing knowledge of the game.

There isn't much serious that can be said about the acting. Keanu Reeves tried to play an earnest comeback and romantic role amidst all the foolishness and it really didn't fit with the rest of the film. However, he was an excellent athlete. He did most of his own on-field shots and looked very believable as the quarterback. Gene Hackman was good when he was making snappy wisecracks, but his inspirational `Hoosiers' imitation was misplaced.

This film really belonged to the supporting actors like Orlando Jones (Clifford Franklin), Michael Taliferro and Faizon Love (The Jackson Twins), Ace Yonamine (Jumbo Fumiko), Rhys Ifans (Nigel `The Leg' Gruff) and all the cheerleaders who made the comedy work. Jon Favreau gets a special mention as the crazy S.W.A.T. officer turned linebacker who took the wild man role to the next level.

This film won't be fun for everyone, but it will have certain people falling off their chairs. I rated it an 8/10. Subtract two points if you aren't amused by slapstick and boorish behavior, and another two if you aren't a football fan. For the rest of you, be prepared to split a gut.