User Reviews

The Pittsburgh Pythons is a bad professional basketball team. Moses Guthrie (Julius Erving) is the highly paid star. The team does not get along and some openly want to be traded. Ballboy Tyrone Millman turns to astrologer Mona Mondieu (Stockard Channing). H. S. And Harvey Tilson (Jonathan Winters) are fighting brothers battling over the team. The situation is dire and they have an open tryout.

The lead acting comes from Julius Erving and a kid. The kid is a kid. Dr. J never won an acting award to the surprise of nobody. The astrology premise is mildly humorous for a second. Then it's a lot of new age gibberish. Whatever. The idea is open to the Major League storyline, but the movie does not spend any time on the other players. There isn't anything here other than basketball. It's a lot of basketball and none of it matters. Honestly, I'm only watching this for Dr. J and now I've seen it. This is most interesting for actual players playing the games.

I was also a teenage extra when this film was shooting. However, at 14 I was memorized by all the star fested personalities. I along with two other teens lucked up and got a speaking part that ran two days. My part is right after the scene where the Pisces win the game, Dr. J comes out of the arena, three female fans are waiting, and two ask for his autograph, I say I will settle for a kiss. How lame. Wow, And yes the director took many takes to choose from before the scene ended.

However, I remember having lunch on the set, I had choice between roast duck or swordfish, I choose the duck. That's when I meet Debbie Allen (Ola) who was very nice and helpful she had such a beautiful spirit about her. Jack Kehoe (Set shot) was also kind to me on the set. I say that because as a 14-year-old impressionable girl these two people showed sincere genuine kindness. Now, not all the people on the set were nice, so I want to acknowledge those that were, it meant so much to me at the time. I never will forget you or the director. I appreciated his vision, which went far past the movie. I believe by including the extras, he exposed young people to something that would have only remained a dream.

In addition, the scenery of our fair city shot both during the day and the night was just beautiful. Even now watching the movie, someone yell's that's our city bridge, or I've been on that basketball court. The city looked beautiful on the big screen.

YES, the movie was a FLOP but my experience was not! My kids still get a kick out of seeing their mom as a teenager on National TV.

Sam

I was actually an extra in this movie, one of the worst sports movies ever made. I only did one day's worth of work and it was one of the most boring things I've ever experienced. I'm in the scene where someone supposedly puts helium in the basketballs and they float to the top of the Civic Arena. A crane (out of camera range) had thin wires attached to the balls. The director took about 10 takes of the scene. I thought I would lose my mind, trying to act surprised every time the balls "floated." When I saw the film I was shocked at how little screen time the shot got, but not as shocked at how bad the whole movie was. With a cast as good as it has you'd think they could save it, but the script was so bad even the great Stockard Channing couldn't help!

Not much here. No comedy. Just lots of complaining mostly from non-acting basketball players. The great Jonathan Winters had a five minute scene and wasn't at all funny.

Basketball scenes are less interesting than watching neighborhood kids playing a game.

And the supposed cheesy music that's fun...it's cheesy, but actually sounds like what you heard at a roller rink in the 70s, or a carnival ride. High pitched and annoying organ grinders, like what a performing circus animal dances to.

Almost all of the soundtrack doesn't even show up in the film, except for 10 second bits and the title song at the end. Get the soundtrack instead of wasting 90 minutes watching this.

I paid to see this dog in an actual movie theater...I can't imagine how boring my life must have been then to not have any better alternative--say, root canal work on four teeth at once without Novocaine.

Julius was my hoops hero at the time (still is in some ways), and I was major-league embarrassed for him.

The premise is ridiculous, and the movie takes itself so seriously it just strains all credulity. If it were a little bit more "camp" in style, it might be funny to watch 20 years later, but it just doesn't get how ludicrous it is. Even the hoops highlights are mediocre.

We called it, "The fish that ate our $3.50 (which was movie admission at the time!)."

The movie is goofy and campy with a bad script but I liked it. When I first saw this on TV I was picking out all the NBA stars from the various teams. This was filmed the year before Magic joined the Lakers who still had a few of their old castoffs like Hudson and Ford. A young Mychal Thompson knocks "Set Shot" into the scorers table.

Another commented on the short shorts players wore. Yes, this is how they wore them in those days. Unlike these ugly long skirts Michael Jordan brought into the league that players now wear.

The thing that bugs me most about this and other movies where a sport is being played is why the hell is the play-by-play guy heard throughout the arena????? I HATE when they do this. The sports stadium announcer only announces lineups, fouls, and substitutions - HE DOES NOT ANNOUNCE PLAYER ANALYSIS, STRATEGIES OR PERSONAL POINTS OF VIEW TO THE CROWD OVER THE LOUDSPEAKERS!!!!

Giving this movie a 4.7 is overly generous. Imagine watching grass grow. That was more exciting and filled with a better plot than the Fish that Stunk Pittsburgh. Like a lot of other reviewers, I was also an extra in this boring movie. And I went to LA after the shooting and met some people who told me they'd change the name and you'll never recognize it after editing. Wrong. I was a college student at Pitt and there was a lot of hype and radio ads looking for unpaid extras. Not as many people showed up as you'd think. There were maybe enough people to fill only 1 part of 1 section of the Civic Arena. They shoved as many people into this 1 section to make it look like the arena was filled. And over and over again we had to act surprised or shocked at something, I don't remember what it was now. And that was the best part of being there. Otherwise it was horrible. You could tell the ball players were bored and everyone there was bored too. It was so bad nobody could stand it. Whoever paid good money to make this movie should have taken a page out of Night of the Living Dead, a low budget classic horror film made in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. The creatures could have eaten the director, the producer and everyone associated with that piece of trash, which would have made a better plot.

Not the greatest movie ever made and I love it. There is something easy, cheesy, and sweet about this mostly typical root-for-the-underdog story.

Watch the movie, with some friends if possible, and be willing and able to talk, laugh, eat, intake, and maybe dance along with it. perfect for a rainy weekend, college dorm, missed flight kinda day.

The Fish also makes for a good combo movie day with: carwash, caddyshack, badnews bears, and if you wanna see it like I did the first time, rent "Love at First Bite" and watch them back to back, now there's a freaky 70s time capsule.

I think this movie is fun and just a great exit into silliness with a simple heartwarming chunk of cheese. What also added to my enjoyment of the films is that I watched this movie first as a seven year old, in Brooklyn in the now non-existent Duffield theater, (or was it the Metropolitian, eh- they're both gone now anyway) and that the great Dr. J (who was Jordan, Kobe, and LeBron before such types existed) made his motion picture debut in it and was the closest thing to serious in the film. Which to me worked well because this flick needed a straight man and he was it.

I would say the film itself deserves credit for being a picture postcard of the late seventies, over blown with the not quite released 60s psychedelia that never really left through the 70s decade, and full of garish, tackiness, thats fun to watch and laugh at. Its a bonus if you are interested in the period or lived it and haven't seen how over the top Hollywood presented everything.

I finally watched this film, as a fan of sports movies, hoping it might be okay. Woo, not remotely.

Starting from the very beginning with an opening theme song that seems like one of American Idol contenstants who come out and say "I'd like to do a song I wrote myself" and it's absolutely dreadful, this movie was bad.

The script had to be written in a day. Dr. J is the lead and his acting skills leave a lot to be desired (which is probably why his movie career ended here), however 80% of this movie is literally basketball "action." To call that NBA quality is like referring to the kids in the street throwing a football around "NFL quality." It's like watching some guys at a basketball pick up game but telling us it's a pro team.

And because most of the movie is on the court, it's super boring. There isn't anything remotely funny said or done in this despite having some funny talent like Jonathan Winters and Flip Wilson.

There just are not a lot of basketball movies so when you see one you want it to be good. This ain't it.

And the music throughout - man, it's bad 70s disco but I mean, BAD. Not just disco, really bad disco. The little dance-music group toward the end, it's jaw dropping terrible. Like most of this movie.

I'm not sure how this movie was received when it came out but it has not stood up well over time, that is for sure.

I haven't seen this movie in almost 2 decades. I saw it as a young adolescent growing up in Pennsylvania. Nonetheless its still one of my favorites. I can't tell ya why....its simply a story of magic and a boy who has smartz and more importantly a belief in others and all. I'll wait for the DVD to see it again....even if i have to wait a couple more decades.

I first saw this film on HBO in the Spring of 1981, and watched it every time it was on, I loved it. When I bought my first VCR in 1984, it was one of the first films I wanted to get on tape, finally in the end of 1984 it was on regular TV, so at least i got it in some kind of way (even though it was edited and with commercials). In 1988 Cinemax finally showed it uncut so I got it that way. Finally I bought the commercial release in 1997 on Warner Home video. However the Home Video version has several lines edited in it, or from it, so I was very disappointed, luckily I kept my Cinemax version (it has one thing edited in it).All it was, was a announcer voice over introducing the Sylvers. (see below)

Regarding the Soundtrack: Yes there is a vinyl ST, I searched for it for 22 years, and finally found it in January of 2003, of all places, a used record store six blocks away from my apartment. The ST is awesome and was my Holy Grail for awhile.

Here's the examples of the edits: Cinemax version: Edited out is the Voice over announcing: "Here are the SYLVERS". The scene is there but the voice over is missing, it is on the Home Video version though.

HV version: Here are a list of edits:

1. The two girls that show up in the arena, checking out the NEW team, mention that with a name like Bullet he better know how to shoot!" with a suggestive body movement

2. When Jonathon Winters (as the mean brother) is getting massaged and mimicking his brother he mentions about he can "just see his brother now taking a big "Dump" in his diapers"

3. When the whole NEW team is gathered in the locker room being introduced to each other. Running Hawk tells Harry that "with a face like yours, you ought to take a tip from the Lone Ranger and wear a mask" The line is their but he's also making a lewd gesture as he's saying it, that's what's cut.

4. When Luscious Tucker is being interviewed in the locker room (after joining LA), he says he's gonna stick on Moses Guthrie like "Stink on Sh**"

5. When Moses Guthrie (Erving) is rallying his team at the end with a pep talk, his dialog is edited out saying "Taking sh***y bounce after sh***y bounce", and that's what I'm going to take back out with me on the GD court" These are just five examples, it's been awhile but I'm sure there's more.

I don't know why these are edited, the movie was already PG, and I've seen a lot worse.

This film has a breezy magic all throughout it. It is one of my favorite films ever made. It is not to be taken seriously (a film with a psychadelic basketball floor can't be), but the wonderful Thom Bell score and great songs give the film a wonderful pace. The sequence where Dr. J is on the court playing one on one with himself is classic.

I loved this movie for its wonderfully tacky 1970's filmmaking style. I swear when I first saw it on cable I thought it was Spike Lee's He Got Game doing some kind of parody of that style. It's a keeper!

Even better than the Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island. Stupendous, Fantastic, the greatest mix of basketball, astrology, and ethnic sterotyping ever put on film. A 10. No question. Gabe Kaplan's "Fast Break" is a poor coat tail attempt.

Monday, 12/04/2006 7:20pm The first time I saw this movie was when I was playing basketball in college. Watching Dr. J dunking the basketball helped me to develop my own style of dunking. The one dunk that I was to perform was when Dr. J throws the basketball off the backboard, catches it in mid-air for a reverse dunk. Another dunk was when he was coming from the side lines, throwing the basketball off the backboard with a reverse spin action, catching the ball with one hand and jamming it home. I was just a young white country boy from Tallassee, Alabama that surprised the likes of Charles Barkley and Bo Jackson on the basketball court at Auburn University in the early 80's. I must give all the credit to Dr. J for further developing my basketball skills.

I know there are some great films out there to pick a favorite from, but something about this little goofy 70's film seems to stay with me. I tell my friends to just enjoy the movie and not to expect too much. You have to remember, there's not a lot going on here, just basketball, astrology, and a root for the underdog, feel good storyline. We all know it was for Dr. J anyway. If nothing else, the music is truly old school rhythm, blues and soul. Anyone know where to find the actual soundtrack?

Don't take it serious and you'll love it. Funky 70's soundtrack and the sight of Dr. J's 'Fro will have you roaring.

I was a youngster when this movie came out and I remember the lines as if it came out yesterday. The dope soundtrack, the slapstick comedic lines and athletic basketball moves (which I admit were more amazing when I was a kid) by Julius "Dr. J" Erving makes it a worthwhile trip to memory lane.

And maybe the absolute best in the sports category. Julius Erving was a fantastic basketball player and is a great example of how to carry ones self in public. That said, as good as he was on the court, he's that bad of an actor in this movie. As Bill Simmons mentioned, the only way this movie made any sense was if they paid everyone in Coke. Since they obviously didn't, this movie makes no sense at all. Put your brain in neutral and enjoy the terrible acting at the height of 70's cheesiness.

I really didn't know what to expect but this movie was cheesy fun. I'm a 70's child so it was cool to relive some of that. Of course I bought this because Branscombe was in it. You can see how young he was. Loved the entrance he made...

The cast alone is great. Jonathan winters, Gazzo and a bunch of legendary players. Peak Doctor J! My second favorite basketball movie of all time to above the rim. Enjoy a basketball film that is more about a time and place than basketball. This film just makes me smile when I think about it. The aba is as cool as it was back then. The flavor and vibe of this film is something that all Americans should be exposed too. Just like above the rim the film has aged better than even when it first came out. Basketball fans from 8-80 will enjoy the high flying action. I love the cameos from the stars of the time and horoscope stuff which is so time and place.

Julius Erving in those shorts is enough to make be watch this movie over and over again. Plus, its in Pittsburgh, so you cant go wrong there. Plus, its about basketball in the seventies. But come on, JUST LOOK AT THOSE SHORTS

I saw this when I was a kid and thought it was the best movie ever. Saw "Fish" again while in my late 20s, and my fake snobishness at the time didn't allow me to enjoy it anymore. Saw it again recently, and now? I love it. Really love it. It's never anything more than it seems to be: lots of basketball for basketball fans, and that's OK.

If you're looking for something more, consider that Julius "Dr. J" Erving headlines the cast in the opening credits. Meadowlark Lemon, the Harlem Globetrotters legend, is third. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is fifth, even though he doesn't have a single line. Considering how funny he is in "Airplane," not allowing him to speak was a mistake. Even so, Dr. J is the start, and the more Dr. J moves we get to see, the better.

Obviously, Dr. J wasn't cast for acting abilities, but let's give him credit for one scene late in the movie when he gives a pep talk to his teammates during the big game. It's actually pretty stiring. It had me ready to jump through the screen and give it my all ... until my back seized up from getting out the recliner so fast.

If you're curious, Gene Siskel recommended this movie on the old Siskel & Ebert show, while Roger Ebert didn't. Those 1970s and '80s broadcasts are on YouTube, and it shouldn't be hard for you to find the one in which they review this movie. The funniest part is how Siskel laments about how they have such a lousy basketball team in Chicago. All he needed to do was wait a few years.