I finally caught up with this thing, decades after it came out, and intrigued by the loads of hype.
Pluses: Gene Hackman and Sheb Woolley. Honorable mention; Dennis Hopper.
Minuses: been-there-done-that (Bad News Bears meets Hoop Dreams); excruciatingly predictable - I saw every pothole coming; shamelessly manipulative. This thing is Cornpone Alley.
If you want small-town Indiana with a sports twist, try Breaking Away. A classic - and a vastly superior film. A grudging 4 out of 10.
Pluses: Gene Hackman and Sheb Woolley. Honorable mention; Dennis Hopper.
Minuses: been-there-done-that (Bad News Bears meets Hoop Dreams); excruciatingly predictable - I saw every pothole coming; shamelessly manipulative. This thing is Cornpone Alley.
If you want small-town Indiana with a sports twist, try Breaking Away. A classic - and a vastly superior film. A grudging 4 out of 10.