Edward O’Neil, the owner of the Washington Sentinels, is in a quandary. His team of professional football players is on strike, with a few more games left for the season. He calls on Jimmy McGinty (Gene Hackman) from retirement to remedy the situation. With the assurance that O’Neil not interfere with his coaching style, McGinty assembles a team of misfits led by washed-out all-American quarterback Shane Falco (Keanu Reeves). McGinty and his motley crew then kick some ass in winning the games left of the season to do something that Washington has not done in seven years – advance to the playoffs.
Said to be loosely based on the 1987 NFL strike that forced the team owners to hire replacement players to rescue the business, The Replacements carries a simple enough story with a predictable ending. It is what happens in between that makes the movie sell, for me anyway. The movie talks about sports, without trying too hard to be a serious sports movie. It has romance in between, but it does not try too hard to be a chick flick either. What the movie does try hard to do, to a fault, is to please. Admittedly though, I had fun. It had Keanu Reeves on it so it should be a good enough reason to sit through the whole 1 hour and 58 minutes. And it’s not everyday that you get to see a bunch of guys line dance to Gloria Gaynor. Bring in the popcorn and you’re in for a relaxing night.
Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Glory lasts forever.
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