All the Right Moves

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Jeffrey M I was 16 when this came out, and it hit like a blitz on third-and-short. Set in a gritty steel-town where Friday nights are church and the field is the altar, All the Right Moves nails how high school football can feel both small and enormous at the same time—life-defining for kids and community alike. Tom Cruise is pure kinetic energy as Stefen Djordjevic—amped, hungry, manic, and not yet the brand we’d all come to recognize. Chris Penn brings a surprising, lived-in authenticity, the kind of teammate you recognize from your own locker room. The fact they were going to send him to USC and not Penn State still bugs me as a stupid left coast idiot writing mistake. At least make it Notre Dame, Pitt, West Virginia, Temple, even Lehigh. And Cruise to "Cal Poly?" When would a Cal Poly recruiter come this far east for a slow white cornerback? Lehigh, Rutgers, Kent State or UConn for him. Lea Thompson is the best choice for the role (could have taken Diane Lane but she might have been a little older) without being a cliché; she grounds the story with warmth and a quiet backbone. And Craig T. Nelson—perfectly cast—plays the coach as a man caught between pride, pressure, and the shrinking promises of a blue-collar town. What sticks isn’t just the football (though the mud, cold, and collisions feel right). It’s the moment in life the movie captures: that razor-thin age when one decision—smart, dumb, or just lucky—can bend your future for years. The film doesn’t romanticize the mill or the scoreboard; it respects how heavy those choices feel when you’re 17 and the adults aren’t exactly winning either. Rewatching it now, it still plays honest. The stakes are clear, the performances are memorable and un-fussy, and the town feels like places we grew up in—tight-knit, stubborn, proud. No shiny filters, no pep-talk fairy dust. Just kids, a coach, and a community trying to make the next right move. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/08/25 Full Review Stephen C Success in 1 hour and 33 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/16/25 Full Review Monsieur P This movie is fine for a 1983 movie about the obstacles of a no name town with no opportunities, as depicted from a highschool Sr. I'm surprised the ratings are so low. I had a lot of friends from the Midwest in the military and they described their life as so. I also remember all the "babies having babies" talk show themes in the 90s so this movie was ahead of the curb. Strong performances by the leads and an entertaining movie. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/24/25 Full Review Jelisije J This is an excellent sports movie abou a small town team of high school kids that are feeling the pressure every single day to make something of their lives and try to be better off then their parents in a small town. They must make all the right moves in order to make it. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/11/25 Full Review Dave P Hadn’t seen it for a while, but it came across the TV this afternoon. Great coming of age movie. I had a similar experience in school myself so maybe it hits home, but it’s well paced and lots of life lessons. Tom was just starting to show his acting chops. I have never been one to worry about actor’s personal lives so Tom remains one of my favourite actors. I always believe he’s the character and not Tom Cruise. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/06/24 Full Review mark g This is a pretty well done movie. I played high school football in this era and thought the film related the times and essence pretty damn good. A better soundtrack probably would have made this film much bigger. Solid story of football and living in a dying town. Very good movie. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/21/24 Full Review Read all reviews

All the Right Moves

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