The Replacements (2000)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Howard Deutch

Writer (WGA):

Vince McKewin (written by)

Release Date:

11 August 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Sport

Tagline:

Pain heals, Chicks dig scars... Glory lasts forever

Plot:

During a pro football strike, the owners hire substitute players.

Plot Keywords:

Strike | Coach | Football | Sumo | Quarterback

Cast

Keanu Reeves	...	Shane Falco
Gene Hackman	...	Jimmy McGinty
Brooke Langton	...	Annabelle Farrell
Orlando Jones	...	Clifford Franklin
Faizon Love	...	Jamal Jackson
Michael Taliferro	...	Andre Jackson (as Michael 'Bear' Taliferro)
Ace Yonamine	...	Jumbo
Troy Winbush	...	Walter Cochran
David Denman	...	Brian Murphy
Jon Favreau	...	Daniel Bateman
Michael Jace	...	Earl Wilkinson / Ray Smith
Rhys Ifans	...	Nigel 'The Leg' Gruff
Gailard Sartain	...	Pilachowski
Art LaFleur	...	Banes
Brett Cullen	...	Eddie Martel

Also Known As:

Helden aus der zweiten Reihe (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Les remplaçants (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Equipo a la fuerza (Spain) [es]
Korvikkeet (Finland) (TV title) [fi]
Le riserve (Italy) [it]
Los suplentes (Argentina) (video box title) [es]
Replacements - korvikkeet (Finland) [fi]
Virando o Jogo (Brazil) [pt]
Zamjene (Croatia) [hr]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some crude sexual humor and language.

Runtime:

118 min | Australia:114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | American Sign Language

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:U | Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Germany:12 | New Zealand:M | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Spain:7 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Company:

Bel Air Entertainment

Trivia:

The dance that the players are doing to the song "I Will Survive" is actually the "Electric Slide," a popular party dance, which is very easy and can be taught even to young children, which is probably the reason it was used.

Goofs:

Plot holes: When Martel, the original starting quarterback returns, why would the team release Falco? They would release Falco's backup first.

Quotes:

Shane Falco: You, ah, wanna come on board for a beer?
Annabelle Farrell: Nothing personal, Shane, but I don't date football players.
Shane Falco: I don't blame you. Not even quaterbacks?
Annabelle Farrell: Especially not quarterbacks. You guys are the biggest babies of all.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Making the Plays: An Actor's Guide to Football (2000) (V)

Soundtrack:

Takin' Care Of Business

Expected storyline, but completely unexpected hilarity

To work, comedy has to be unexpected. And that is just what makes "The Replacements" work so well. Oh, not that the storyline is unexpected, for from it. But the actual comedy embedded in that plot is often delightfully quirky and quite unusual in this extremely good-natured and entertaining film. The very first scene, for example, takes place in a completely unexpected setting and proceeds in a really odd-ball way.

As it is most times, Keanu Reeves acting is subtle. In this film you have to watch those eyes that are so eloquent when he's discouraged and listen to those little expelled breaths that convey so well (and so humorously) his state of mind when he's near the girl he's finds attractive. It's all there, and more, if you watch closely. Reeves is completely believable as a man who needs a second chance to do something he loves--play football. It's like he's a different person on and off the field--and that's exactly what the movie was trying to convey. The development (redemption is only too slightly strong a word) of Reeves' character is excellently portrayed. That struggle to overcome provides a good solid center around which all the hilarity revolves and becomes funnier in contrast.

Gene Hackman and the rest of this ensemble cast did a great job--everyone has his or her moments. If the movie has a weakness, it's the romance. Not that Brook Langton and Reeves aren't good in the clinches--they have a definite chemistry. But it seems like there should have just been one scene between them with some real substance.

"The Replacements" also succeeds well as a football movie. The great photography and sound; the inventiveness of the script in dreaming up unusual and funny, yet still plausible, game events; and the evident attention to training for and depicting the physical moves, all add up to a movie which sports fans will relish. And yet, the football plays, are presented so clearly that even someone who's not a knowledgeable football fan can understand everything that's happening, even the first time.

Comedy is tough--it's quite an achievement to have folks in the theater laughing for most of two hours. And that's certainly what the audience did when I saw "The Replacements." As well as cheering out loud for the "home team," clapping at the end, and coming out feeling like dancing to "I Will Survive" like they did in the movie. As well as feeling like we can survive and be ourselves--just like those scrappy, eccentric replacements.