Hoosiers

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Rick S Unfortunately I can’t leave zero stars. Absolute snooze fest of a movie with a terrible starting cast. These kids come off so cocky, and there coach just oozes arrogance. Typical born on third base story Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 12/18/24 Full Review Jay W I like basketball, I like movies, and I like basketball movies. I am a sucker for a good Sports Movie. I proudly embrace all the cheesy-ness that come with the common tropes of the genre. The slow motion, the montages, the ragtag bunch of misfits that band together for a common a goal, a no-nonsense coach that demands respect from his players, I love all that stuff. It is what a lot of people may see as cliched, but this was one of the movies that helped pioneer those story beats, and it remains one of the best. "Hoosiers" is a 1986 movie based on a true story starring Gene Hackman as Norman Dale. Gene Hackman does great in his role, as does Dennis Hopper as Scooter Fletch. Both actors can play great over the top villains but do an excellent job in this movie as more human, flawed and vulnerable characters. The performances from the younger actors are also very good. Each player is given his own moment to shine and they deliver on their moment. The music in this movie is also very well done, the soundtrack is at home in any basketball player's playlist. Other than the music and characters, what else does this movie do well? Simply put, the basketball. This movie does a great job in the basketball element of the story. Of all the sports movies I've seen, this may have the most screen time of the actual sport. The story does an excellent job of adding variety to each of their games. It is like the movie has 4 different exciting movie finales in one movie. Every game that they play, could easily have been made to be the climax of a lesser sports movie. And I eat up every moment of it. The motivational speeches given in this film are all very quotable. And I am confident that the lines in this movie are spoken in every locker room by every basketball coach. I think it may be a law in Indiana. On the negative side, there is a romantic subplot that is thrown into the movie that feels tacked on last second. But the movie doesn't spend much time on it, so neither will I. At the end of the day, since the film makers and actors all played to the best of their ability. I don't care what the other critics say, in my book, THIS FILM IS A WINNER. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/01/24 Full Review David M Cloying? Perhaps. Nostalgic? Certainly; and, proudly, authentically and gloriously so. A great, amongst the very best, of sports movies, it tugs hard at the heart and our shared belief in the transcendent moments that make sport. And, if that’s not enough, you have Gene Hackman, Dennis Harper and (who doesn’t love) Barbara Hershey, to boot. A Friday Night Lights for Indiana basketball - it’s spiritual home. It is for basketball what The Natural is for baseball - stirring, heroic, romantic, and earnest without a trace of cynicism. And, for those asserting, understandably, that it feels formulaic, please note that it’s based loosely on the very true story of Indiana’s Milan High School’s 1954 basketball team, which won the Indiana state championship against Muncie Central High School - a school TEN times its size. In the case of Milan and Hickory, to echo the script: “ And David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on the head, and he fell to the ground.” This is not just a movie for basketball fans, or sports fans; it is a heartwarming and inspiring film for anyone who loves well-crafted and heartfelt movies. Very much recommended. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/28/24 Full Review Donald L One of my all time favorite movies. I have watched it over and over again since 1986 and I am watching it again today lol. Love under dog movies. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/17/24 Full Review Leaburn O A solid sports drama and a disturbing reminder of how small town America and high school sports works in the US. Bought this one on Prime as a rental as DVD costs a fortune in the UK and not in free streaming. It was part of the top 10 sports films as nominated by the AFI. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/17/23 Full Review Matthew N Outstanding movie, Hackman and Hopper were great together. Showed what a lot of kids went through and still do to this day especially in smaller schools. And if you went to a small school and loved basketball this movie is an absolute must watch for any age group. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Hoosiers

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