knightni

9. The Natural (8 of 15 lists - 143 points - highest ranking #1 knightni) The Natural is a 1984 film adaptation of Bernard Malamud's 1952 baseball novel of the same name, directed by Barry Levinson and starring Robert Redford. The film, like the book, recounts the experiences of Roy Hobbs, an individual with great "natural" baseball talent, spanning decades of Roy's success and his suffering. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actress (Glenn Close), and nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress (Kim Basinger). Many of the baseball scenes were filmed in Buffalo, New York's War Memorial Stadium, built in 1937 and demolished a few years after the film was produced. Buffalo's All-High Stadium stood in for Chicago's Wrigley Field in a key scene. It was the first film produced by TriStar Pictures. Plot Roy Hobbs is a child, playing baseball with his father on the family farm. Roy's father dies suddenly while Roy is still young, collapsing under a tree. That tree is split in half by lightning, and young Roy carves a baseball bat from it, on which he burns the image of a lightning bolt and the label Wonderboy. In 1923, a 19-year old Hobbs (Robert Redford) is granted a tryout by the Chicago Cubs as a pitcher. The train to Chicago makes a stop at a carnival and Roy is challenged to strike out "The Whammer" ("...a thinly disguised version of Babe Ruth") (Joe Don Baker), the top hitter in the major leagues. He does so in front of many people, including a sportswriter named Max Mercy (Robert Duvall), who draws a picture of the event to put in the paper the next day. Just before Hobbs gets on the train, a young boy shouts, "Hey, Mister, what's your name?!" Roy Hobbs responds by telling the boy his name and throwing him a ball. Back on the train, the naive Hobbs is seduced by Harriet Byrd (Barbara Hershey), an alluring but sinister woman, who gravitates to him after judging that he, rather than The Whammer, is now the best baseball player in the world. Byrd lures young Hobbs to a hotel room, shoots him, and then jumps out the window to her death. The story skips forward 16 years to 1939. A fictitious National League team called the New York Knights has signed the now 35-year-old Hobbs to a contract, to the ire of the team's gruff manager and co-owner, Pop Fisher (Wilford Brimley). With the Knights mired in last-place, Pop is angry about being saddled with a "middle-aged rookie" and refuses to even let him participate in team practice. After a showdown in which Roy refuses to submit to Pop's judgement of him when angrily told he is to be sent back to the minors, Pop is impressed and relents. When finally allowed to practice with the team, Hobbs shows incredible hitting ability. During the next game, the team's star player, Bump Bailey (Michael Madsen), angers Pop with his chronic laziness in the field and Roy is sent to pinch hit. Pop encourages Hobbs to knock the cover off the ball, which Hobbs actually does, providing the game-winning hit for the Knights in a rain-shortened game. After a now-motivated Bump dies running through the outfield fence in pursuit of a fly ball, Roy takes over as the team's starting right fielder and plays phenomenally, becoming the league's sensation and single-handedly turning the Knights' fortunes around. Hobbs' spectacular success prompts Max Mercy to try and unearth details about his mysterious background, but Mercy's attempts to elicit information from Hobbs himself are unsuccessful. Mercy starts a rumor that Wonderboy is a loaded bat, but the allegation is disproven when the league weighs and measures the bat, which meets specifications. Roy is soon summoned to a meeting with the principal owner of the Knights, The Judge (Robert Prosky). Beforehand, he is informed by Pop's assistant, Red (Richard Farnsworth), that The Judge actually has an interest in the team losing, since Pop is obligated to sell his share of the team to his co-owner if the Knights fail to win the National League pennant. To ensure that result, The Judge had secretly ordered his chief scout to stock the roster with unknown players like Hobbs. The Judge worries now that Hobbs' unexpected talent will foil his plans. At the meeting, The Judge inquires about Roy's background but is rebuffed. The Judge then offers him a new contract as an implicit bribe to throw the season, but Hobbs makes it clear he is committed to winning the pennant for Pop. Hobbs leaves, at which point gambler Gus Sands (Darren McGavin) emerges from the shadows and is revealed to be in league with The Judge. They realize Roy is not as greedy as Bump and devise a plan to manipulate him: Memo Paris (Kim Basinger) is sent to seduce and distract Roy. Mercy sees Roy playfully pitch to a teammate after practice one day and finally realizes where he saw Hobbs before. Mercy confronts him with the cartoon he drew way back after Roy had struck out The Whammer and offers him $5,000 for his story, but Roy isn't interested. Mercy takes Roy to dinner and introduces him to Gus and Memo. Memo seduces Roy and they begin seeing each other regularly. Roy actually cares for her and fails to see that he is being set up. Despite warnings from Pop that his niece is "bad luck," he continues the relationship. Hobbs soon falls into a slump. The Knights are at Wrigley Field in Chicago to play the Cubs and Hobbs, having another miserable game, comes to bat in the top of the ninth inning with the Knights trailing by one run with a man on third. With two strikes, he notices a woman dressed in white stand up in the crowd, illuminated by sunlight, and he promptly belts a game-winning home run that shatters the scoreboard clock. After the game, Roy realizes the mysterious woman in white is his childhood sweetheart, Iris (Glenn Close), and they meet at a soda shop and reconnect. She attends the next day's game, at which Hobbs hits four home runs. Afterwards, they go for a walk and Roy, for the first time, confides his shooting and how he subsequently lost his way in life. Iris is sympathetic and they return to her apartment for tea. Roy notices a baseball glove lying around, which Iris informs him belongs to her 16-year old son. Roy wonders where his father is and Iris tells him he lives in New York. Roy is curious to meet the boy, who is a big fan, but Iris doesn't want Roy to miss his train and tells him he should leave. Roy's encounter with Iris renews his focus. With Hobbs hitting again, the Knights surge into first place, needing just one win in their final three games against the Philadelphia Phillies to clinch the pennant. Against Pop's admonitions, a victory party is held at Memo's, where Roy once again refuses a payoff from Gus. Memo then feeds Roy a poisoned éclair, causing him to fall ill. Roy awakens in a hospital bed a few days later and learns that the Knights lost their final three games of the season, setting up a one-game playoff against the Pittsburgh Pirates for the pennant. The doctor informs Roy that the lining of his stomach has been gradually deteriorating due to his previous gunshot injury, which was discovered when they recovered the silver bullet head while pumping Roy's stomach. Hobbs is warned that his stomach could tear apart and kill him if he continues to play ball. Memo visits Roy in the hospital and tries to persuade him to sit out and accept Gus' payoff. Roy later sneaks out of the hospital to take batting practice, but collapses after a few swings as The Judge secretly observes from his office. Later that night, The Judge appears at Roy's bedside and increases his offer to $20,000, even though he doesn't think Roy is in any condition to play. Hobbs refuses and The Judge threatens to ruin Roy's image by releasing police photographs from the Harriet Byrd shooting, which were obtained from Mercy. The Judge also informs Roy that he has a contingency plan in place, having bribed another key player on the team. The Judge leaves the money. The day before the game, Iris visits Roy, who is glum. He still blames himself for getting shot and failing to achieve his full potential in baseball. Iris insists he's a great player anyway, but Roy responds that he could have broken every record and been "the best there ever was." Iris tells him her theory that people have two lives: "the life they learn with and the life they live after that". Roy tells her how much he loves baseball and asks whether her son is in New York with her. She says he is and Roy asks if they will be attending the game, but nurses enter and Iris leaves before giving an answer. The day of the game arrives and Hobbs goes to The Judge's office to return the money, telling The Judge he intends to hit away. Memo draws a gun and fires at the floor. Roy takes the gun from her and throws it across the room, finally recognizing her similarity to Harriet Byrd. Echoing words said earlier by Roy's father, Gus tells Roy he has a great gift, but it's not enough. As Hobbs walks out, Gus calls him a loser and predicts the Knights will lose anyway. Hobbs heads to the locker room, where a nervous Pop is ruminating about the virtues of farming. Roy joins in the conversation and agrees there's nothing like a farm. Pop tells Roy that his mother wanted him to be a farmer, and Roy replies that his father wanted him to be a baseball player. Pop tells Roy he's the best player he's ever coached and the best hitter he ever saw, and tells him to suit up. The game begins and Roy, both hurting and rusty, strikes out in his first at-bat. The Pirates take the lead when the Knights' starting pitcher, Fowler, surrenders a two-run home run. Hobbs realizes Fowler is the player The Judge bribed and runs in from right field to meet with him on the mound. Roy tells him not to throw the game, to which Fowler replies he'll start pitching when Roy starts hitting. Hobbs is terribly overmatched in his next at-bat and strikes out again, falling to the ground. Iris is watching from the stands with her son and heads down near the dugout railing. She has a message for Roy and asks the usher to deliver it. Hobbs receives the message, which explains Iris and her son are at the game and Roy is the boy's father. Shocked by the revelation, Roy peers out from the dugout but cannot locate them in the crowd. Meanwhile, Fowler has settled down and kept the Knights in the game. In the bottom of the ninth, the Knights are still trailing 2-0 and are down to their final out. After the next two batters reach base, Hobbs comes up and the Pirates decide to make a pitching change, bringing in a young, hard-throwing, left-handed Nebraska farmboy resembling Hobbs as a youth. Hobbs fouls the first pitch back, breaking the glass to the press box, where Mercy had been sketching a cartoon portraying Roy as a goat. Hobbs swings through the next pitch. Down to his last strike, he hits what looks like a home run down the right field line, but the ball hooks foul. As he jogs back to the plate, he sees that Wonderboy has split in two. He asks the batboy to pick out a winner and the batboy hands him his own handmade bat, the Savoy Special, which Roy had earlier shown him how to make. As Hobbs digs in to the batter's box, his stomach starts to bleed through his jersey. The catcher notices and calls for an inside fastball to exploit Roy's injury. With lightning flashing in the sky, Hobbs crushes the pitch and sends it into the lights above the right field roof for the game-winning home run. The lights explode and sparks rain down upon the field as Hobbs rounds the bases. The Knights win the pennant. The screen fades then opens to a wheat field bathed in sunlight, with Hobbs playing catch with his son as Iris watches them from afar. Production The film's producers stated in the DVD extras that the film was not intended to be a literal adaptation of the novel, but was merely "based on" the novel. Malamud's daughter said on one of the DVD extras that her father had seen the film, and his take on it was that it had "legitimized him as a writer". This is in spite of the fact that Malamud's novel ends with Roy Hobbs striking out, rather than hitting a home run. A young boy later approaches Hobbs, aware of speculation about gambling, and says, "Say it ain't true, Roy", a reference to Shoeless Joe Jackson and the Chicago White Sox throwing the 1919 World Series to gamblers. Roy's response to boy's interrogative reads as follows: "When Roy looked into the boy's eyes he wanted to say it wasn't but couldn't, and he lifted his hands to his face and wept many bitter tears." This despondence contrasts sharply with the film's home run victory and familial denouement. Hobbs' hope that one day people will say "There goes Roy Hobbs, the best there ever was" is inspired by Ted Williams' - "A man has to have goals - for a day, for a lifetime - and that was mine, to have people say, 'There goes Ted Williams, the greatest hitter who ever lived'." The number 9 Redford wore as Roy Hobbs in the film was a reference to his longstanding admiration for Williams. Darren McGavin was cast late in the process as gambler Gus Sands and was uncredited in the film. Another uncredited actor was the radio announcer heard from time to time throughout the picture; Levinson stated on the DVD extras for the 2007 edition that there had been too little time to find a bonafide announcer during post-production, so Levinson himself recorded that part of the audio track. "Two-thirds" of the scenes were filmed in Buffalo, New York, mostly at War Memorial Stadium, built in 1937 and demolished a few years after the film was produced. Buffalo's All-High Stadium, with post-production alterations, stood in for Chicago's Wrigley Field in a key scene in the film. Other scenes were filmed in South Dayton, New York. Release Reception The Natural currently stands as one of the most beloved sports movies of all time. On movie review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an 83% positive score based on 29 reviews, with an average rating of 7.0/10. Variety called it an "impeccably made...fable about success and failure in America."[5] James Berardinelli praised The Natural as "[a]rguably the best baseball movie ever made." ESPN's Page 2 selected it as the 6th best sports movie of all time, and sports writer Bill Simmons has argued, "Any 'Best Sports Movies' list that doesn't feature either Hoosiers or The Natural as the No. 1 pick shouldn't even count." While The Natural's reputation has enhanced over time, critics were not universally impressed when the film first appeared. Leonard Maltin's annual Movie Guide said in its 1985 edition that the film is "too long and inconsistent". Dan Craft, long-time critic for the Bloomington, Illinois paper, The Pantagraph, gave it three stars, while saying, "The storybook ending is so preposterous you don't know whether to cheer or jeer." Frank Deford, reviewing the film for Sports Illustrated, had faint praise for it: "The Natural almost manages to be a swell movie." Both John Simon of the National Review and Richard Schickel of Time were disappointed with the screen adaptation of Malamud's novel. Simon contrasted Malamud's story about the "failure of American innocence" with Levinson's "fable of success . . . [and] the ultimate triumph of semi-doltish purity," declaring "you have, not Malamud's novel, but a sorry illustration of its theme." Schickel laments that "Malamud's intricate ending (it is a victory that looks like a defeat) is vulgarized (the victory is now an unambiguous triumph, fireworks included)," and that "watching this movie is all too often like reading about The Natural in the College Outline series." Roger Ebert wrote a fairly negative review, calling it "idolatry on behalf of Robert Redford." Ebert's television collaborator Gene Siskel praised its themes and acting performances, giving it four stars, and also putting down other critics that he suggested might have just recently read the novel for the first time. In an analysis of the film as part of a lengthy article on baseball movies, Roger Angell pointed out that Malamud had intentionally treated Hobbs' story as a baseball version of the King Arthur legend, which came across a bit heavy-handed, "portentous and stuffy", in the film version, and that the book's ending should have been kept. However, he also cited a number of excellent visuals and funny bits, and noted that Robert Redford had prepared so carefully for the role, modeling his swing on that of Ted Williams, that "you want to sign him up". Awards The Natural was nominated for four Academy Awards: Actress in a Supporting Role (Glenn Close), Cinematography (Caleb Deschanel), Art Direction (Mel Bourne, Angelo P. Graham, Bruce Weintraub), and Music (Randy Newman). Kim Basinger was also nominated for Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. Soundtrack The film score of The Natural was composed and conducted by Randy Newman. The score has often been compared to the style of Aaron Copland and sometimes Elmer Bernstein. Scott Montgomery, writing for Goldmine music magazine, referenced the influence, and David Ansen, reviewing the film for Newsweek, called the score "Coplandesque." The score also has certain Wagnerian features of orchestration and use of Leitmotif. Adnan Tezer of Monsters and Critics noted the theme is often played for film and television previews and in "baseball stadiums when introducing home teams and players." It was also used in the John McCain presidential campaign in 2008, when introducing Sarah Palin. The soundtrack album was released May 11, 1984 on the Warner Bros. label. All music was composed by Randy Newman. "Prologue 1915-1923" – 5:20 "The Whammer Strikes Out" – 1:56 "The Old Farm 1939" – 1:07 "The Majors: The Mind Is a Strange Thing" – 2:14 "'Knock the Cover Off the Ball'" – 2:17 "Memo" – 2:02 "The Natural" – 3:33 (track not used in the film) "Wrigley Field" – 2:13 (two separate tracks spliced) "Iris and Roy" – 0:58 "Winning" – 1:00 "A Father Makes a Difference" – 1:53 "Penthouse Party" – 1:10 "The Final Game / Take Me Out to the Ball Game" – 4:37 (three separate tracks spliced) "The End Title" – 3:22

10. Bull Durham (8 of 15 lists - 138 points - highest ranking #3 ZoomSlowik) Bull Durham is a 1988 American romantic comedy baseball film. It is based upon the minor league experiences of writer/director Ron Shelton and depicts the players and fans of the Durham Bulls, a minor league baseball team in Durham, North Carolina. The film stars Kevin Costner as "Crash" Davis, a veteran catcher brought in to teach rookie pitcher Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh (Tim Robbins) about the game in preparation for reaching the Major Leagues. Baseball groupie Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon) romances Nuke but finds herself increasingly attracted to Crash. Also featured are Robert Wuhl and Trey Wilson, as well as popular baseball "clown" Max Patkin. Baseball movies were not considered a viable commercial prospect at the time and every studio passed except for Orion Pictures, which gave Shelton a USD $9 million budget, an eight-week shooting schedule, and creative freedom. Even so, many cast members accepted salaries lower than their usual due to their enthusiasm for the material. Costner was cast because of the actor's natural athletic ability. During filming, Costner was able to hit two home runs while the cameras were rolling. Bull Durham was a commercial success, grossing over $50 million in North America, well above its estimated budget, and was a critical success as well. Sports Illustrated ranked it the #1 Greatest Sports Movie of all time. The Moving Arts Film Journal ranked it #3 on its list of the 25 Greatest Sports Movies of All-Time. In addition, the film is ranked #55 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies." It is also ranked #97 on the American Film Institute's "100 Years...100 Laughs" list, and #1 on Rotten Tomatoes' list of the 53 best reviewed sports movies of all time. Plot "Crash" Davis, a veteran of 12 years in the minor leagues, is sent down to the single-A (advanced) Bulls for a specific purpose: to educate hotshot rookie pitcher Ebby LaLoosh (Robbins, playing a character loosely based on Steve Dalkowski)about being a major-league talent, and to control Ebby's haphazard pitching. Crash immediately begins calling Ebby by the degrading nickname of "Meat", and they get off to a rocky start. Thrown into the mix is Annie (Sarandon), a lifelong spiritual seeker who latched onto the "Church of Baseball" and has, every year, chosen one player on the Bulls to be her lover and student. Annie flirts with Crash and Ebby, but Crash walks out, saying he's too much a veteran to "try out" for anything. Before he leaves, Crash further sparks Annie's interest with a memorable speech in which he lists the things he "believes in". Tim Robbins as "Nuke" LaLoosh and Kevin Costner as "Crash" Davis. Despite some animosity between them, Annie and Crash work, in their own ways, to shape Ebby into a big-league pitcher. Annie plays mild bondage games, reads poetry to him, and gets him to think in different ways (and gives him the nickname "Nuke"). Crash forces Nuke to learn "not to think" by letting the catcher make the pitching calls (memorably at two points telling the batters what pitch is coming after Nuke rejects his calls), and lectures him about the pressure in facing major league hitters that can hit his "heat" (fastballs). Crash also talks about the pleasure of life in "The Show" (Major League Baseball), which he briefly lived for "the 21 greatest days of my life" and to which he has tried for years to return. Meanwhile, as Nuke matures, the relationship between Annie and Crash grows, until it becomes obvious that the two of them are a more appropriate match, except for the fact that Annie and Nuke are currently a couple. After a rough start, Nuke becomes a dominant pitcher by mid-season. By the end of the movie, Nuke is called up to the majors and the Bulls, now having no use for his mentor, release Crash. This incites jealous anger in Crash, who is frustrated by Nuke's failure to recognize all the talent he was blessed with. Nuke leaves for the big leagues, ending his relationship with Annie, and Crash overcomes his jealousy to leave Nuke with some final words of advice. Crash is released by the Bulls and joins another team, the Asheville Tourists, and breaks the minor league record for career home runs. We see Nuke one last time, being interviewed by the press as a major leaguer, reciting the clichéd answers that Crash had taught him earlier. Crash then retires as a player and returns to Durham, where Annie tells him she's ready to give up her annual affairs with "boys". Crash tells her that he is thinking about becoming a manager for a minor league team in Visalia. Both characters end one phase of their lives and begin another, Annie and Crash dancing in her candle-lit living room. Cast Kevin Costner as "Crash" Davis Susan Sarandon as Annie Savoy Tim Robbins as Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh Trey Wilson as Joe Riggins Robert Wuhl as Larry Hockett William O'Leary as Jimmy Jenny Robertson as Millie David Neidorf as Bobby Samuel Veraldi as second baseman Stephen Ware as umpire Background The film's name is based on the nickname for Durham, North Carolina, which has been called "Bull Durham" since the 1800s, when the Blackwell Tobacco Company named its product "Bull" Durham tobacco, which soon became a well-known trademark. In 1898, James B. Duke purchased the company and renamed it the American Tobacco Company. By this time, the nickname Bull Durham had already stuck. The film's writer and director, Ron Shelton, played minor league baseball for five years after graduating from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. Initially playing second base for the Baltimore Orioles' farm system, he moved from the Appalachian League to California and then Texas before finally playing AAA baseball for the Rochester Red Wings in the International League. Shelton quit when he realized he would never become a major league player. "I was 25. In baseball, you feel 60 if you're not in the big leagues. I didn't want to become a Crash Davis", he said. He returned to school and earned an M.F.A. in sculpture at the University of Arizona before moving to Los Angeles to join the city's art scene. However, he felt more kinship in telling stories than in creating performance art. His break into filmmaking was second unit work on the films Under Fire and The Best of Times (both of which he also wrote). Production According to Shelton, "I wrote a very early script about minor league baseball; the only thing it had in common with Bull Durham was that it was about a pitcher and a catcher." That script was entitled, The Player To Be Named Later; a single anecdote from that script made it into Bull Durham. For Bull Durham, Shelton "decided to see if a woman could tell the story" and "dictated that opening monologue on a little micro-recorder while I was driving around North Carolina." Crash was named after Lawrence "Crash" Davis but was modeled after Pike Bishop, the lead character William Holden played in The Wild Bunch: a guy who "loved something more than it loved him." Annie Savoy's name was a combination of the nickname ("Annies") that baseball players gave their groupies and the name of a bar; she was a "High Priestess [who] could lead us into a man’s world, and shine a light on it. And she would be very sensual, and sexual, yet she’d live by her own rigorous moral code. It seemed like a character we hadn’t seen before." After Shelton returned to Los Angeles from his road trip, he wrote the script for Bull Durham in "about twelve weeks." When Shelton pitched Bull Durham, he had a hard time convincing a studio to give him the opportunity to direct. Baseball movies were not considered a viable commercial prospect at the time and every studio passed except for Orion Pictures who gave him a $9 million budget (with many cast members accepting lower than usual salaries because of the material), an eight-week shooting schedule and creative freedom. Shelton scouted locations throughout the southern United States before settling on Durham in North Carolina because of its old ballpark and its location, "among abandoned tobacco warehouses and on the edge of an abandoned downtown and in the middle of a residential neighborhood where people could walk". Shelton cast Costner because of the actor's natural athleticism. He was a former high school baseball player and was able to hit two home runs while the cameras were rolling and, according to Shelton, insisted "on throwing runners out even when they (the cameras) weren't rolling". He cast Robbins over the strong objections of the studio, who wanted Anthony Michael Hall instead Shelton had to threaten to quit before they backed off. Producer Thom Mount (who is part owner of the real Durham Bulls) hired Pete Bock, a former semi-pro baseball player, as a consultant on the film. Bock recruited more than a dozen minor-league players, ran a tryout camp to recruit an additional 40 to 50 players from lesser ranks, hired several minor-league umpires and conducted two-a-day workouts and practice games with Tim Robbins pitching and Kevin Costner catching. Bock made sure the actors looked and acted like ballplayers and that the real players acted convincingly in front of the cameras. He said, “the director would say, 'This is the shot we want. What we need is the left fielder throwing a one-hopper to the plate. Then we need a good collision at the plate.' I would select the players I know could do the job, and then we would go out and get it done”. The scene in the pool hall where Nuke tells Crash that he is going to "the Show" was originally shot in a black whorehouse with Costner's character playing "Unchained Melody" on the piano to a 60-year-old hooker while drunk. Nuke came in and the two men fought in an alley with several black hookers cheering Crash on. Costner remembers, "The pool hall was somehow thought to be a better experience for the audience, because we didn't want to see him with a black woman, I guess. But it was perfectly in line with who he was". Reception Box office Bull Durham debuted on June 15, 1988 and grossed $5 million in 1,238 theaters on its opening weekend. It went on to gross a total of $50.8 million in North America, well above its estimated $9 million budget. Critical response “ A few months after it came out, I was having dinner at a restaurant called The Imperial Gardens. A man came up and asked if I was Ron Shelton. I said yes, and he said, “Somebody would like to meet you.” So I followed him—I didn’t realize at the time it was Stanley Donen, the director—and he brought me over to his best friend, Billy Wilder. Wilder looked up and said, “Great f***in’ picture, kid!” I said, “Mr. Wilder, that’s the best review I’ve ever had!” ” —Director Ron Shelton, in a 2008 interview The film was well-received critically. It currently has a rating of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 73 out of 100, based on 16 reviews. In David Ansen’s review for Newsweek magazine, he wrote that the film “works equally as a love story, a baseball fable and a comedy, while ignoring the clichés of each genre”. Vincent Canby praised Shelton’s direction in his review for the New York Times, “he demonstrates the sort of expert comic timing and control that allow him to get in and out of situations so quickly that they're over before one has time to question them. Part of the fun in watching Bull Durham is in the awareness that a clearly seen vision is being realized. This is one first-rate debut". Roger Ebert praised Susan Sarandon's performance in his review for the Chicago Sun-Times: "I don't know who else they could have hired to play Annie Savoy, the Sarandon character who pledges her heart and her body to one player a season, but I doubt if the character would have worked without Sarandon's wonderful performance". In his review for Sports Illustrated, Steve Wulf wrote, "It's a good movie and a damn good baseball movie". Hal Hinson, in his review for the Washington Post, wrote, "The people associated with Bull Durham know the game ... and the firsthand experience shows in their easy command of the ballplayer's vernacular, in their feel for what goes through a batter's head when he digs in at the plate and in their knowledge of the secret ceremonies that take place on the mound". Richard Corliss, in his review for Time, wrote, "Costner's surly sexiness finally pays off here; abrading against Sarandon's earth-mama geniality and Robbins' rube egocentricity, Costner strikes sparks". Legacy Bull Durham was named Best Screenplay of 1988 by New York Film Critics' Circle. The film became a minor hit when released, and is now considered one of the best sports movies. In 2003, Sports Illustrated ranked Bull Durham as the "Greatest Sports Movie". In addition, the film is ranked number 55 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies." It is also ranked #97 on the American Film Institute's "100 Years...100 Laughs" list, and #1 on Rotten Tomatoes' Top Sports Movies list of the 53 best reviewed sports movies of all time. Entertainment Weekly ranked Bull Durham as the fifth best DVD of their Top 30 Sports Movies on DVD. The magazine also ranked the film as the fifth best sports film since 1983 in their "Sports 25: The Best Thrill-of-Victory, Agony-of-Defeat Films Since 1983" poll and #5 on their "50 Sexiest Movies Ever" poll. In June 2008, AFI revealed its "Ten top Ten"—the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. Bull Durham was acknowledged as the fifth best film in the sports genre. For years, Ron Shelton has contemplated making a sequel and remarked, "I couldn't figure out in the few years right after it came out, what do you do? Nuke's in the big leagues, Crash is managing in Visalia. Is Annie going to go to Visalia? I've been to Visalia. That will test a relationship ... It was not a simple fable to continue with - not that we don't talk about continuing it, now that everyone's in their 60s". Actor Trey Wilson, who played Durham manager Joe Riggins, died of a cerebral hemorrhage at age 40, seven months after this film's release. Awards and honors American Film Institute recognition 2000: AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs #97 2008: AFI's 10 Top 10 #5 Sports

11. Rocky (10 of 15 lists - 137 points - highest ranking #2 ZoomSlowik) Rocky is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen, and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It tells the rags to riches American Dream story of Rocky Balboa, an uneducated but kind-hearted debt collector for a loan shark in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Rocky starts out as a club fighter who then gets a shot at the world heavyweight championship. The film also stars Talia Shire as Adrian, Burt Young as Adrian's brother Paulie, Burgess Meredith as Rocky's trainer Mickey Goldmill, and Carl Weathers as the champion, Apollo Creed. The film, made on a budget of less than $1 million and shot in 28 days, was a sleeper hit; it made over $225 million the highest grossing film of 1976, and won three Oscars, including Best Picture. The film received many positive reviews and turned Stallone into a major star. It spawned five sequels: Rocky II, III, IV, V and Rocky Balboa. Plot On November 25, 1975, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is introduced as a small-time boxer and collector for Anthony Gazzo (Joe Spinell), a loan shark, living in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. The World Heavyweight Championship bout is scheduled for New Year's Day 1976, the year of the United States Bicentennial. When the opponent of undefeated heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) is injured, Creed comes up with the idea of giving a local underdog a shot at the title and, because he likes Rocky's nickname, "The Italian Stallion", he selects the relatively unknown fighter. He puts it in lights by proclaiming "Apollo Creed meets 'The Italian Stallion'". The fight promotor says the decision is "very American," but Creed adds it is also "very smart." To prepare for the fight, Rocky trains with a 1920s-era ex-bantamweight fighter and gym owner, Mickey Goldmill (Burgess Meredith). Mickey always considered Rocky's potential to be better than his effort, and the two conflict over Mickey's motives for training Rocky for the big fight. Rocky's good friend, Paulie (Burt Young), a meat-packing plant worker, lets him practice his punches on the carcasses hanging in the freezers. During training, Rocky dates Paulie's shy, quiet, virginal sister, Adrian (Talia Shire) who works as a clerk in a local pet store; and, he refrains from 'fooling' around with her until the fight on the instruction of his manager Mickey. The night before the fight, Rocky confides in Adrian that he does not expect to beat Creed, and that all he wants is to go the distance with Creed (which no fighter had ever done), meaning that lasting 15 rounds (the typical scheduled length of championship fights at the time) against him would mean he "... wasn't just another bum from the neighborhood". On New Year's Day, the climactic boxing match begins. Apollo Creed does not initially take the fight seriously, and Rocky unexpectedly knocks him down in the first round, embarrassing Creed, and the match turns intense. The fight indeed lasts 15 rounds with each fighter suffering many injuries; the match illustrates Rocky's apparently unlimited ability to absorb punishment. Rocky suffers his first broken nose, and Creed sustains brutal blows to his ribs, obviously not accustomed to such punishment. As the final round bell sounds with both fighters locked in each other's arms, an exhausted Creed vows "Ain't gonna be no re-match", to which an equally spent Rocky replies "Don't want one". After the fight, Rocky calls out for Adrian, who runs down to the ring. As the ring announcer declares the fight for Apollo Creed by virtue of a split decision (8:7, 7:8, 9:6), Adrian and Rocky embrace while they profess their love to one another, not caring about the results of the fight. Cast Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa, an enforcer for a loan shark by day and a semi-pro boxer by night. He is given the chance at the heavyweight title. Talia Shire as Adrian Pennino, Rocky's love interest; a quiet pet store clerk who falls in love with Rocky and supports him through his training. Burt Young as Paulie Pennino, Adrian's brother; a meat-packing plant worker by trade, Paulie permits Rocky to train in the freezer. Carl Weathers as Apollo Creed, Rocky's opponent and heavyweight champion. The character was influenced by the outspoken, real-life boxing great Muhammad Ali. Burgess Meredith as Mickey Goldmill: Rocky's manager and trainer, a former bantamweight fighter from the 1920s and the owner of the local boxing gym. Thayer David as George Jergens: the fight promoter who has "promoted fights all over the world". Joe Spinnell as Tony Gazzo, loan shark and Rocky's employer Cameo appearances Boxer Joe Frazier has a cameo appearance in the film. The character of Apollo Creed was influenced by outspoken boxer Muhammad Ali who fought Frazier three times. During the Academy Awards ceremony, Ali and Stallone staged a brief comic confrontation to show Ali was not offended by the film. Some of the plot's most memorable moments—Rocky's carcass-punching scenes and Rocky running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, as part of his training regime—are taken from the real-life exploits of Joe Frazier, for which he received no credit. Due to the film's low budget, members of Stallone's family played minor roles. His father rings the bell to signal the start and end of a round, his brother Frank plays a street corner singer, and his first wife, Sasha, was set photographer.[citation needed] Other cameos include Los Angeles television sportscaster Stu Nahan playing himself, alongside radio and TV broadcaster Bill Baldwin and Lloyd Kaufman, founder of the independent film company Troma, appearing as a drunk. Longtime Detroit Channel 7 Action News anchor Diana Lewis has a small scene as a TV news reporter. Tony Burton appeared as Apollo Creed's trainer, Tony "Duke" Evers, a role he would reprise in the entire Rocky series, though he is not given an official name until Rocky II. Production United Artists liked Stallone's script, and viewed it as a possible vehicle for a well-established star such as Robert Redford, Ryan O'Neal, Burt Reynolds, or James Caan. Stallone appealed to the producers to be given a chance to star in the film. He later said that he would never have forgiven himself if the film became a success with someone else in the lead. He also knew that producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff's contract with the studio enabled them to "greenlight" a project if the budget was kept low enough. Certain elements of the story were altered during filming. The original script had a darker tone: Mickey was portrayed as racist and the script ended with Rocky throwing the fight after realizing he did not want to be part of the professional boxing world after all. Although Chartoff and Winkler were enthusiastic about the script and the idea of Stallone playing the lead character, they were hesitant about having an unknown headline the film. The producers also had trouble casting other major characters in the story, with Adrian and Apollo Creed cast unusually late by production standards (both were ultimately cast on the same day). Real-life boxer Ken Norton was initially sought for the role of Apollo Creed, but he pulled out and the role was ultimately given to Carl Weathers. Norton had had three fights with Muhammad Ali, upon whom Creed was loosely based. According to The Rocky Scrapbook, Carrie Snodgress was originally chosen to play Adrian, but a money dispute forced the producers to look elsewhere. Susan Sarandon auditioned for the role but was deemed too pretty for the character. After Talia Shire's ensuing audition, Chartoff and Winkler, along with Avildsen, insisted that she play the part. Garrett Brown's Steadicam was used to accomplish a smooth shot running alongside Rocky during his training run up the flight of stairs. It was also used for some of the shots in the fight scenes and can be openly seen at the ringside during some wide shots of the final fight. (Rocky is often erroneously cited as the first film to use the Steadicam, although the distinction actually goes to Bound for Glory.) While filming Rocky, both Stallone and Weathers suffered injuries during the shooting of the final fight; Stallone suffered bruised ribs and Weathers suffered a damaged nose. The poster seen above the ring before Rocky fights Apollo Creed shows Rocky wearing red shorts with a white stripe when he actually wears white shorts with a red stripe. When Rocky points this out he is told that "it doesn't really matter does it?". According to director Avildsen's DVD commentary, this was an actual mistake made by the props department that they could not afford to rectify, so Stallone wrote the brief scene to ensure the audience didn't see it as a goof. Avildsen said that the same situation arose with Rocky's robe. When it came back from the costume department, it was far too baggy for Stallone. And because the robe arrived on the day of filming the scene and there was no chance of replacing or altering it, instead of ignoring this and risk the audience laughing at it, Stallone wrote the dialogue where Rocky himself points out the robe is too big. The first date between Rocky and Adrian, in which Rocky bribes a janitor to allow them to skate after closing hours in a deserted ice skating rink, was shot that way only because of budgetary pressures. This scene was originally scheduled to be shot in a skating rink during regular business hours. However, the producers ultimately decided that they couldn't afford to hire the hundreds of extras that would have been necessary for that scene. Rocky has the 6th highest return of investment of any film ever made. With a production budget of less than 1 million dollars, it eventually earned worldwide box-office receipts exceeding $225 million. Stallone's inspiration Stallone was inspired to create the film by Rocky Marciano and the famous fight between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner in 1975. Wepner had been TKO'd in the 15th round by Ali, but nobody ever expected him to last as long as he did. Wepner recalls in a January 2000 interview, "Sly (Stallone) called me about two weeks after the Ali fight and told me he was gonna make the movie." Rocky Steps The famous scene of Rocky running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art has become a cultural icon. In 1982, a statue of Rocky, commissioned by Stallone for Rocky III, was placed at the top of the Rocky Steps. City Commerce Director Dick Doran claimed that Stallone and Rocky had done more for the city's image than "anyone since Ben Franklin." Differing opinions of the statue and its placement led to a relocation to the sidewalk outside the Philadelphia Spectrum Arena, although the statue was temporarily returned to the top of the steps in 1990 for Rocky V, and again in 2006 for the 30th anniversary of the original Rocky (although this time it was placed at the bottom of the steps). Later that year, it was permanently moved to a spot next to the steps. The scene is frequently parodied in the media. In The Simpsons episode "I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can", Lisa Simpson runs up a flight of stairs wearing a tracksuit similar to the one worn by Rocky. In You Don't Mess with the Zohan, Zohan's nemesis, Phantom, goes through a parodied training sequence finishing with him running up a desert dune and raising his hands in victory. In the fourth season's finale of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, as the credits roll at the end of the episode, Will is seen running up the same steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art; however, as he celebrates after finishing his climb, he passes out in exhaustion, and while he lies unconscious on the ground, a pickpocket steals his wallet and his wool hat. Also in The Nutty Professor, there is a scene where Eddie Murphy is running up the stairs and throwing punches at the top. In 2006, E! named the "Rocky Steps" scene #13 in its 101 Most Awesome Moments in Entertainment. During the 1996 Summer Olympics torch relay, Philadelphia native Dawn Staley was chosen to run up the museum steps. In 2004, Presidential candidate John Kerry ended his pre-convention campaign at the foot of the steps before going to Boston to accept his party's nomination for President. Critical reception Rocky received mixed reviews at the time of its release. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave Rocky 4 out of 4 stars and said that Stallone reminded him of "the young Marlon Brando. " Box Office Magazine claimed that audiences would be "...touting Sylvester 'Sly' Stallone as a new star". The film, however, did not escape criticism. Vincent Canby, of the New York Times, called it "pure '30s make believe" and dismissed both Stallone's acting and Avildsen's directing, calling the latter "...none too decisive..." Frank Rich liked the film, calling it "almost 100 per cent (sic) schmaltz," but favoring it over the cynicism that was prevalent in movies at that time, although he referred to the plot as "gimmicky" and the script "heavy-handed". He attributed all of the film's weaknesses to Avildsen, describing him as responsible for some of the "most tawdry movies of recent years", and who "has an instinct for making serious emotions look tawdry" and said of Rocky, "He'll go for a cheap touch whenever he can" and "tries to falsify material that was suspect from the beginning...Even by the standards of fairy tales, it strains logic." Rich also criticised the film's "stupid song with couplets like 'feeling strong now/won't be long now.'" Several reviews, including Richard Eder's (as well as Canby's negative review), compared the work to that of Frank Capra. Andrew Sarris found the Capra comparisons disingenuous: "Capra's movies projected more despair deep down than a movie like Rocky could envisage, and most previous ring movies have been much more cynical about the fight scene," and, commenting on Rocky's work as a loan shark, says that the film "teeters on the edge of sentimentalizing gangsters." Sarris also found Meredith "oddly cast in the kind of part the late James Gleason used to pick his teeth." Sarris also took issue with Avildsen's direction, which he described as having been done with "an insidious smirk" with "condescension toward everything and everybody," specifically finding fault, for example, with Avildsen's multiple shots of a chintzy lamp in Rocky's apartment. Sarris also found Stallone's acting style "a bit mystifying" and his character "all rough" as opposed to "a diamond in the rough" like Terry Malloy. More than 30 years later, the film enjoys a reputation as a classic and still receives positive reviews; Rocky holds a 93% "Certified Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Another positive online review came from the BBC Films website, with both reviewer Almar Haflidason and BBC online users giving it 5/5 stars. In Steven J. Schneider's 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, Schneider says the film is "often overlooked as schmaltz." In 2006, Rocky was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In June 2008, AFI revealed its "Ten top Ten"—the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. Rocky was acknowledged as the second-best film in the sports genre, after Raging Bull. In 2008, Rocky was chosen by Empire magazine as one of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time. Academy Awards – 1976 Rocky received ten Academy Awards nominations in nine categories, winning three: Award Result Nominee Best Picture Won Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler Best Director Won John G. Avildsen Best Actor Nominated Sylvester Stallone Best Actress Nominated Talia Shire Best Writing, Story and Screenplay Based on Material not Previously Published or Produced Nominated Sylvester Stallone Best Supporting Actor Nominated Burgess Meredith Best Supporting Actor Nominated Burt Young Best Film Editing Won Richard Halsey and Scott Conrad Best Music (Original Song) for Gonna Fly Now Nominated Bill Conti Carol Connors Ayn Robbins Best Sound Mixing Nominated Harry Warren Tetrick (posthumous) William McCaughey Lyle J. Burbridge Bud Alper Rocky has also appeared on several of the American Film Institute's 100 Years lists. AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies, - #78.[29] AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills - #52 AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes "Yo, Adrian!" - #80.[30] AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs - Gonna Fly Now #58 AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains Rocky Balboa - #7 Hero.[31] AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers, - #4.[32] AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition), - #57. AFI's 10 Top 10: Sports #2 The Directors Guild of America awarded Rocky its annual award for best film of the year in 1976, and in 2006, Sylvester Stallone's original screenplay for Rocky was selected for the Writers Guild of America Award as the 78th best screenplay of all time. Soundtrack Rocky Soundtrack album by Bill Conti Released 1976 Label United Artists Records Capitol Records (reissue) All music by Bill Conti. "Gonna Fly Now (Theme from "Rocky")" (vocals: DeEtta Little/Nelson Pigford) 2:48 "Philadelphia Morning" 2:22 "Going the Distance" 2:39 "Reflections" 3:19 "Marines' Hymn/Yankee Doodle" 1:44 "Take You Back (Street Corner Song from "Rocky")" (vocals: Valentine) 1:49 "First Date" 1:53 "You Take My Heart Away" (vocals: DeEtta Little/Nelson Pigford) 4:46 "Fanfare for Rocky" 2:35 "Butkus" 2:12 "Alone in the Ring" 1:10 "The Final Bell" 1:56 "Rocky's Reward" 2:02 Rocky's soundtrack was composed by Bill Conti. The main theme song, "Gonna Fly Now", made it to number one on the Billboard Magazines Hot 100 list for one week (from July 2 to July 8, 1977) and the American Film Institute placed it 58th on its AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs. The complete soundtrack was re-released in 1988 by EMI on CD and cassette. Conti was also the composer for Rockys: II, III, V, and Rocky Balboa. The version of "Gonna Fly Now" used in the film is different from the versions released on later CDs and records. The vocals and guitars are much more emphasized than the versions released. The "movie version" has yet to be released. Although the Conti version of "Gonna Fly Now" is the most recognizable arrangement, a cover of the song performed by legendary trumpeter Maynard Ferguson on his Conquistador album prior to the release of the motion picture soundtrack actually outsold the soundtrack itself. Novelization A paperback novelization of the screenplay was written by Rosalyn Drexler and published by Ballantine Books in 1976 Video games Several video games have been made based on the film. The first Rocky video game was released by Coleco for ColecoVision in August 1983 titled Rocky Super Action Boxing; the principal designer was Coleco staffer B. Dennis Sustare. Another was released in 1987 for the Sega Master System. More recently, a Rocky video game was released in 2002 for the Nintendo GameCube, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2, and Xbox, and a sequel, Rocky Legends, was released in 2004 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. In 2007, a video game called Rocky Balboa was released for PSP. In 1985, Dinamic Software released a boxing game for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum (also advertised for and/or published on the Sega Master System, Amstrad CPC and MSX) called Rocky. Due to copyright reasons it was quickly renamed "Rocco".

12. Caddyshack (9 of 15 lists - 129 points - highest ranking #1 PlaySumFnJurny) Caddyshack is a 1980 American comedy film directed by Harold Ramis and written by Brian Doyle-Murray, Ramis, and Douglas Kenney. It stars Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Michael O'Keefe, Cindy Morgan, and Bill Murray. Doyle-Murray also has a supporting role. This was Ramis' first feature film and was a major boost to Dangerfield's film career; previously, he was known mostly for his stand-up comedy. Grossing almost $40 million in the U.S. alone (16th highest of the year), it was the first of a series of similar comedies. A sequel, Caddyshack II, followed in 1988, although it was not nearly as successful or well-received. Plot Danny Noonan works at the upscale Bushwood Country Club as he tries to raise enough money to go to college since his parents cannot afford it and his grades were unremarkable in high school. Danny caddies for Ty Webb, the free-spirited playboy son of one of Bushwood's co-founders, as Ty teaches Danny about the finer points in life usually while showing off random trick shots. One day, Danny decides to caddy for Judge Elihu Smails, the country club's stodgy co-founder, in hopes of earning his favor and the next Caddy Scholarship, a cash award Smails controls. Smails' golfing group includes Dr. Beeper, his obnoxious grandson Spaulding and are joined by Smails' sensuous niece, Lacey Underall, who is visiting for the summer. Meanwhile, Sandy McFiddish, Bushwood's greenskeeper, entrusts his assistant Carl Spackler to remove a gopher digging tunnels underneath the course. During the game, Smails is mocked by Al Czervik, a flamboyant, relentlessly obnoxious nouveau riche real estate tycoon. Al loudly wagers $1,000 that Smails will miss his relatively short putt, which draws a crowd of onlookers. Smails misses the putt and flings his putter in a blind rage, striking a woman. Danny takes responsibility for the incident, claiming the grips on the club were worn and Smails was not responsible, finally putting Danny in good standing with the judge. Smails mentions to Danny that the caddy scholarship has become available again, and encourages him to apply. At a Fourth of July banquet, Danny and his girlfriend, Maggie O'Hooligan, work as servers as Danny becomes enamored of Lacey. Maggie informs Danny of Lacey's sexually promiscuous reputation, but this only encourages him. Danny wins the Caddy Day golf tournament and seals the deal for his scholarship. This earns Danny praise from the Judge along with an invitation to a party at the Judge's upcoming yacht christening. Al literally crashes the party, destroying Smails' tiny wooden sloop with his enormous yacht, the Seafood, by dropping the anchor onto it, chiefly because he took over from his hired captain without knowing how to operate his boat. The judge and his wife angrily return home and discover Lacey and Danny naked in his bed. The judge chases Danny out of his house with a golf club, breaking up half of his bedroom in the process. The next day, Judge Smails calls Danny into the office. Expecting to be fired, Danny is surprised when the judge offers him the scholarship after Danny promises never to mention the embarrassing incident involving Lacey to anybody. Afterward, Al encounters Smails in the club's private bar and states to him that he wishes to buy the club and build condominiums on the site. To avoid a scuffle, Ty helps the two men to agree to a golf match contest for $20,000. Smails and Dr. Beeper against Al and Ty in match play. The match is held the following day. Smails chooses Danny to be his caddy. Suddenly, word spreads of the stakes involved and a crowd builds. With Smails' team winning at the end of the 9th hole, Al decides to double the stakes to $40,000. But he's having his worst game ever, so when a ricocheting ball strikes him, he pretends to be hurt in hopes of having the contest declared a draw. The caddy supervisor, Lou Loomis, standing in as an umpire, tells Al his team would forfeit unless they found a substitute. Ty chooses Danny, causing Smails to threaten his scholarship; Danny realizes that award has too many strings for his liking, especially when Smails is tugging on the ends of them. Al promises to Danny that he will make it "worth his while" if he wins. At the final hole, the match is all square. Judge Smails makes his putt, thus giving the Smails-Beeper team a birdie on the final hole. Danny must sink his very long putt to birdie the hole, thus tying the match, if he misses the putt they lose. Al then raises the stakes to a double-or-nothing $80,000 on only Danny making the putt which eliminates the result of the match, which Smails accepts. Danny's putt reaches the edge of the cup and stops, causing Smails and Beeper to begin celebrating. While the match has been going on, Carl has been escalating his attempts to destroy the gopher, and he has now wired much of the course with plastic explosive. As Danny's putt hangs on the edge of the cup, Carl pushes the detonator and explosions shake the whole course. The force of the explosions causes Danny's ball to drop, so the Ty-Danny-Czervik team wins the $80,000 bet. Smails refuses to pay, which Al anticipated - he has a couple of big bruiser types "help the Judge find his check book." The gopher emerges, unharmed by the explosives, and dances to Kenny Loggins' "I'm Alright" as the credits roll. Cast Chevy Chase as Ty Webb Rodney Dangerfield as Al Czervik Ted Knight as Judge Elihu Smails Michael O'Keefe as Danny Noonan Bill Murray as Carl Spackler Sarah Holcomb as Maggie O'Hooligan Scott Colomby as Tony D'Annunzio Cindy Morgan as Lacey Underall Dan Resin as Dr. Beeper Henry Wilcoxon as Bishop Pickering Albert Salmi as Mr. Noonan Elaine Aiken as Mrs. Noonan John F. Barmon, Jr. as Spaulding Smails Lois Kibbee as Mrs. Smails Brian Doyle-Murray as Lou Loomis Jackie Davis as Smoke Porterhouse Hamilton Mitchell as Motormouth "Chuck Rodent" as The Gopher Production The film was inspired by writer and co-star Brian Doyle-Murray's memories working as a caddy at Indian Hill Club in Winnetka, Illinois. His brothers Bill and John Murray (production assistant and a caddy extra) and director Harold Ramis also had worked as caddies when they were teenagers. Many of the characters in the film were based on characters they had encountered through their various experiences at the club, including a young woman upon whom the Maggie character is based and the Haverkampfs, a doddery old couple, John & Ilma, longtime members of the club, who can barely hit the ball out of their shadows ("That's a peach, hon"). The now legendary scene[citation needed] involving a Baby Ruth candy bar being thrown into the swimming pool was based on a real-life incident at Doyle-Murray's high school. During the pool party, several people on the deck were fighting over a Baby Ruth bar when it accidentally slips in the pool with its wrapper off. Thinking someone had defecated in the pool due to the bar's uncanny resemblance to human feces, everyone makes a mad scramble out of the pool. When Bill Murray's character is cleaning out the pool afterward and recognizes it as a Baby Ruth bar, he picks it up, smells it, and takes a bite out of it, much to the disgust to the owners of the country club (Ted Knight and Lois Kibbee), who still believe it to be feces. The scene in which Al Czervik hits Judge Smails in the genitals with a struck golf ball happened to Ramis on what he quipped was the second of his two rounds of golf, on a nine-hole public course. Additionally, producers worked to ensure that at least two pairs of female breasts appeared in the film (as a bonus, two appearances of thinly sheathed nipples also star). Initially, Ted Knight and Michael O'Keefe's characters were the central characters of the movie. However, the improvisational atmosphere surrounding the other cast members (specifically Dangerfield, Chase, and Murray) led to the expansion of Dangerfield's, Chase's, and Murray's parts from cameos to starring roles. This didn't sit well with some of the cast, specifically Knight and Scott Colomby. Knight, widely regarded as a kind-hearted person in real-life, eventually became fed up with the constant shenanigans on set, and Colomby's role was reduced as a result of Dangerfield, Chase, and Murray getting more screen time. The dinner and dancing scene was filmed at the Boca Raton Hotel and Club in Boca Raton, Florida. The film was shot over 11 weeks during the autumn of 1979. Golf scenes were filmed at the Rolling Hills Golf Club (now the Grande Oaks Golf Club) in Davie, Florida. According to Ramis, it was picked because the course did not have any palm trees. He wanted the movie to feel that it was in the Mid-West, not Florida. The explosions that take place during the climax of the film were reported at the nearby Fort Lauderdale airport by an incoming pilot, who suspected a plane had crashed. Also the explosions were not approved by the club owners, who were at the background at all times, in fear of them damaging the course. The movie producers were able to convince the club owners to attend an off site meeting. When they were gone, the crew set off the explosions. The pool scene was filmed at Plantation Golf Course (now Plantation Preserve) in Plantation, Florida. There is an overhead shot where the pratice green and 1st tee can be seen. The marina scene involving Al Czervik's boat wreaking havoc upon Judge Smails's "dinghy" was filmed in Biscayne Bay in Miami, Florida. The scene that begins when Ty Webb's golf ball crashes into Carl Spackler's ramshackle house was not in the original script. It was added by director Harold Ramis after realizing that two of his biggest stars, Chevy Chase and Bill Murray (who did not get along due to a feud dating back to their days on Saturday Night Live), did not have a scene together. The three met for lunch and wrote the scene together. This is the only time that Chase and Murray have appeared in a movie together. Bill Murray's "Cinderella story" scene was improvised based on two lines of stage direction. Ramis basically gave him direction to act as a kid announcing his own imaginary golf moment. Murray just took it from there. The flowers were his idea. Murray was with the production only six days, and all of his lines were unscripted. In interviews, Cindy Morgan stated that the scene she shared with Chevy Chase, in which he pours massage oil on her, was completely improvised, and her reaction to Chase dousing her back with the massage oil, where she exclaimed "You're crazy!", was genuine. Due to her being legally blind without glasses or contacts, as well as afraid of heights, there was concern about the scene where she had to dive into the pool. Morgan climbed the ladder, but the flawless dive was executed by a professional diver. Except for the brief scene in which Rodney Dangerfield tussles with the gopher (with the end of his golf club) the gopher was not an onscreen character in the film. A simple hand puppet was created by the props department for that scene, with the director's assistant (Trevor Albert) the delegated puppeteer. After several cuts of the film reduced the original story arc (of Danny's relationship with the Irish waitress) another through line was required. The producers suggested that the gopher's battle with Bill Murray's character be further developed. Therefore, the remaining gopher sequences were written and filmed after the movie was shot. Director Harold Ramis at one point suggested a live animal to play the gopher. Rusty Lemorande, executive in charge of production, and specifically assigned to supervise post production, searched for a suitable creature builder. Companies such as The Henson Company (which became the premiere creature builders in the 80's) did not yet take outside assignments, so Lemorande contacted friends at Walt Disney Imagineering for advice. One of the Disney theme park creature designers, Jeff Burke, was willing to create the character but only on a moonlight basis. Burke was responsible for the creature's design and character with input and guidance from Lemorande. The rod puppet sat in Lemorande's office for weeks. During that time producers Kenny and Peter and Director Ramis would come into the office to play with the creature, all trying to figure out how to integrate it into the film. Simultaneously, an overall deal was made with John Dykstra's effects company for all the necessary visual effects (including lightning, stormy sky effects, flying golf balls, disappearing greens' flags, etc.) so shooting the gopher puppet became part of the intensely negotiated effects package. Dykstra's technicians added extra animation to the existing puppet, including ear movement, and built the tunnels through which he moved. The gopher sounds were the same sounds used by Flipper the dolphin in the 60's television show of the same name. This was after principal cinematography had been completed and used higher quality film stock in an indoor soundstage resulting in the higher picture quality of these scenes still evident even on the current DVD. Reception Caddyshack was released on July 25, 1980, in 656 theaters, where it grossed $3.1 million on its opening weekend. It went on to make $39,846,344 in North America. The film holds a 76% approval rating at popular review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 38 reviews, with the consensus: "Though unabashedly crude and juvenile, Caddyshack nevertheless scores with its classic slapstick, unforgettable characters, and endlessly quotable dialogue." Christopher Null gave the film four stars out of five, and wrote, "They don't make 'em like this anymore... The plot wanders around the golf course and involves a half-dozen elements, but if you simply dig the gopher, the caddy, and the Dangerfield, you're not going to be doing half bad."[8] Roger Ebert gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four and wrote, "Caddyshack feels more like a movie that was written rather loosely, so that when shooting began there was freedom - too much freedom - for it to wander off in all directions in search of comic inspiration". Dave Kehr, in his review for the Chicago Reader, wrote, "The first-time director, Harold Ramis, can't hold it together: the picture lurches from style to style (including some ill-placed whimsy with a gopher puppet) and collapses somewhere between sitcom and sketch farce". Nevertheless, the film has slowly gained a massive cult following among those of the younger generation as well as in the golf world. Tiger Woods has said that it is his favorite film, so much so that he played Spackler in an American Express commercial based on the film) and many of the film's quotes have entered the lexicon of pop culture. Ramis notes in the DVD documentary that TV Guide had originally given the film two stars (out of four) when it began showing on cable television in the early 1980s, but over time, the rating had gone up to three stars. He himself says he "can barely watch it. All I see are a bunch of compromises and things that could have been better" such as the poor swings of everyone save O'Keefe. In 2007, Taylor Trade Publishing released The Book of Caddyshack, an illustrated paperback retrospective of the movie, with cast and crew Q&A interviews. The book was written by Scott Martin. Denmark was the only place outside the US/Canada where Caddyshack was a hit. The distributor had cut 20 minutes from the movie to emphasize Bill Murray's role. Honors American Film Institute recognition In 2000, Caddyshack was placed at number 71 on the American Film Institute (AFI) list of the 100 funniest American films. In 2004, the song I'm Alright by Kenny Loggins was nominated for their list of the top 100 songs. In 2005, Murray's line "Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac...It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole!" was ranked at number 92 by the AFI for their list of the top 100 movie quotes from U.S. films. Chase's line "Be the ball." was also nominated. In 2008, the AFI revealed its "10 Top 10" (the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres) and Caddyshack was named the seventh best film in the sports genre. Other recognition Caddyshack is second on Bravo's list of "100 Funniest Movies". Caddyshack restaurants On June 7, 2001, Bill Murray, Brian Doyle-Murray, and their other four brothers opened a themed restaurant inspired by the movie at the World Golf Village, near St. Augustine, Florida. The restaurant is meant to resemble a stodgy country club, much like the fictional Bushwood Country Club, and serves primarily American cuisine. The brothers are all active partners and make occasional appearances at the restaurant. Three more restaurants opened in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Orlando, Florida; and Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida; however, all three have been closed, leaving only the World Golf Village location.

Horse With No Name - America

Mr. Brownstone - GNR

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Oct 30, 2011 -> 04:52 PM) Kickstart my Heart by Motley Crue. Doctor Feelgood

QUOTE (BigEdWalsh @ Oct 30, 2011 -> 11:57 AM) Six of 15 people on a WHITE SOX message board didn't include Eight Men Out on a list of favorite sports movies? I didn't. I consider the Black Sox scandal it to be a black mark to the franchise and the movie is not worth more than one watch. It's like watching Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa or Mark McGwire highlights. Or if they made a Bill Buckner movie and asked Red Sox fans to watch it.

http://www.hulu.com/the-league

13. Eight Men Out (9 of 15 lists - 122 points - highest ranking #2 FlaSoxxJim) Eight Men Out is an American dramatic sports film, released in 1988 and based on the book 8 Men Out, published in 1963 by Eliot Asinof. It was written and directed by John Sayles. The film is a dramatization of Major League Baseball's 1919 Black Sox scandal, in which eight members of the Chicago White Sox conspired with gamblers to intentionally lose the World Series. Much of the movie was filmed at the old Bush Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Plot The 1919 Chicago White Sox are considered the greatest team in baseball and, in fact, one of the greatest ever assembled to that point. However, the team's owner, Charles Comiskey, is a skinflint with little inclination to reward his players for a spectacular season. When a gambling syndicate led by Arnold Rothstein gets wind of the players' discontent, it offers a select group of Sox — including star pitcher Eddie Cicotte — more money to play badly than they would have earned by winning the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. A number of players, like Chick Gandil, Swede Risberg, and Lefty Williams, gladly go along with the scheme. The team's greatest star, Shoeless Joe Jackson, is depicted as being not very bright and not entirely sure what is going on. Buck Weaver, meanwhile, is included with the seven others but insists that he wants nothing to do with the fix. When the best-of-nine series begins, Cicotte deliberately pitches poorly to lose the first game. Williams does likewise in Game 2, while Gandil and Hap Felsch make glaring mistakes on the field. Several of the players become upset, however, when the various gamblers involved fail to pay their promised money up front. Chicago journalists Ring Lardner and Hugh Fullerton grow increasingly suspicious. Meanwhile, the team's manager, Kid Gleason, continues to hear rumors of a fix, but he remains confident that his boys will come through in the end. A third pitcher not in on the scam, Dickey Kerr, wins Game 3 for the Sox, making both gamblers and teammates uncomfortable. Other teammates such as Ray Schalk continue to play hard, while Weaver and Jackson show no visible signs of taking a dive. Cicotte, who won 29 games during the season, loses again in Game 4. With the championship now in jeopardy, Gleason intends to bench him from his next start, but Cicotte begs for another chance. The manager reluctantly agrees and is rewarded with a victory in Game 7. Unpaid by the gamblers, Williams also intends to do his best, but when his wife's life is threatened, he purposely pitches badly to lose the final game. Cincinnati wins the World Series (5 games to 3) to the shock of Sox fans. Even worse, sportswriter Fullerton exposes the strong possibility that this series was not on the level. His findings cause Comiskey and the other owners to appoint a new commissioner of baseball, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, and give him complete authority over the sport. Eight players are indicted and brought to trial. Cicotte, Williams, and Jackson even sign confessions. But in court, while Weaver maintains his innocence, the confessions are mysteriously found to be stolen, and the popular Chicago players are found not guilty. While they celebrate, however, Judge Landis bans all eight from professional baseball for life, citing their failure to reveal being approached by gambling interests in the first place. Weaver is among those exiled from the game. The final scene shows him in the bleachers of a New Jersey minor league ballpark, watching the great Joe Jackson play under an assumed name. Cast Jace Alexander as Dickey Kerr John Anderson as Kenesaw Mountain Landis Gordon Clapp as Ray Schalk John Cusack as Buck Weaver Richard Edson as Billy Maharg Don Harvey as Swede Risberg Bill Irwin as Eddie Collins Clifton James as Charles Comiskey Perry Lang as Fred McMullin Michael Lerner as Arnold Rothstein Christopher Lloyd as Bill Burns John Mahoney as Kid Gleason Michael Mantell as Abe Attell James Read as Lefty Williams Michael Rooker as Chick Gandil John Sayles as Ring Lardner Charlie Sheen as Happy Felsch Danton Stone as Hired Killer David Strathairn as Eddie Cicotte D. B. Sweeney as Shoeless Joe Jackson Studs Terkel as Hugh Fullerton Kevin Tighe as Sport Sullivan Nancy Travis as Williams' Wife Paul Walters as Roy Mitchell James Desmond as Smitty Andy Dominianni as Scoreboard Kid Background Former Chicago Cubs third baseman Ron Santo served as the personal coach for John Cusack, who played Buck Weaver. Santo taught Cusack the basic footwork and moves of the position. In addition, former Chicago White Sox outfielder Ken Berry served as a baseball coach for the cast. In preparing for the role of Shoeless Joe Jackson, D. B. Sweeney, a former Tulane University outfielder, spent a season training with the Class-A Kenosha Twins of the Midwest League. A natural right-handed hitter, Sweeney learned to bat left in the six months prior to filming. This film contains one of the hardest plays for live-action baseball broadcasters to execute.[citation needed] Shoeless Joe Jackson, played by Sweeney, drove a triple into the right-field corner while the camera operator was able to keep the batter-runner and the ball in the camera frame for the duration of play. The camera was positioned on the third-base side of home plate. Several people involved in this film would go on to be involved with Ken Burns' 1994 film miniseries Baseball. Cusack, Lloyd, and Sweeney did several voice-overs, reading recorded reminiscences of various personalities connected with the game. Sayles and Terkel were interviewed on the subject of the 1919 World Series. Sayles also contributed to the section on Roberto Clemente, and Terkel, a historian and a former labor leader, spoke about the movement toward labor freedom in baseball. Terkel also "reprised his role" by reading Hugh Fullerton's columns during the section on the Black Sox. Production During the late summer and early fall of 1987, news media in Indianapolis were buzzing with sightings of the film's actors including Sheen and Cusack. Sayles told the Chicago Tribune that he hired them not because they were rising stars, but because of their ball-playing talent. Sweeney remarked on the chilly Indiana temperatures in an interview with Elle magazine. "It got down to 30, 40 degrees, but John [sayles] would stand there in running shorts, tank tops, sneakers -- sometimes without socks -- and never look cold." The young actor said Sayles appeared to be focused on an "agenda, and that's all he cared about. Looking at him we thought, 'Well, if he's not cold, then we certainly shouldn't be.'" Reports from the set location at Bush Stadium indicated that cast members were letting off steam between scenes. "Actors kidded around, rubbing dirt on each other", the Tribune reported. "... Actors trade jokes, smokes and candy" in the dugout. "'Some of them chewed tobacco at first, but,' noted Bill Irwin, 'Even the guys who were really into it started to chew apricots after a while.'" Sheen made his reasons for taking the role clear. "I'm not in this for cash or my career or my performance", Sheen told the Tribune. "I wanted to take part in this film because I love baseball." The actors' baseball coach Berry told the paper that Sheen's baseball skills were exceptional. Berry said Sheen made a diving back-handed catch in the movie that rivaled the famous catch by Willie Mays in the 1954 World Series. When cloud cover would suddenly change the light during the shooting of a particular baseball scene, Sayles showed "inspirational decisiveness", according to Elle, by changing the scripted game they would be shooting — switching from Game Two of the series to Game Four, for example. "The second assistant director knew nothing about baseball", Sayles told Elle, "and she had to keep track of who was on base. Suddenly we'd change from Game Two to Game Four, and she'd have to shuffle through her papers to learn who was on second, then track the right guys down all over the ballpark." Right-handed Sweeney told Elle that producers considered using an old Hollywood trick to create the illusion that he was hitting lefty. "We could have done it from the right side, then run to third and switched the negative, like they did in The Pride of the Yankees, but we didn't really have enough money for that", Sweeney said. There was a visit to the set by the son of one of the movie's characters. Ring Lardner, Jr., Oscar-winning screenwriter of such films as Woman of the Year and M*A*S*H, came to Bush Stadium to see what the buzz was all about. Lardner's article in American Film magazine reported that Sayles' script depicted much of the story accurately, based on what he knew from his father. But the audience, Lardner wrote, "won't have the satisfaction of knowing exactly why everything worked out the way it did." Lardner also seemed to get a kick out of the production crew's daily headache of trying to make "a few hundred extras look like a World Series crowd of thousands." Tactics to entice Indianapolis residents to come to the stadium to act as film extras were "a flop", Lardner wrote. "The producers offer free entertainment, Bingo with cash prizes, and as much of a stipend ($20 a day) as the budget permits..." Critical reception When the film was first released, the film industry staff at Variety magazine wrote "Perhaps the saddest chapter in the annals of professional American sports is recounted in absorbing fashion in Eight Men Out...The most compelling figures here are pitcher Eddie Cicotte (David Strathairn), a man nearing the end of his career who feels the twin needs to ensure a financial future for his family and take revenge on his boss, and Buck Weaver (John Cusack), an innocent enthusiast who took no cash for the fix but, like the others, was forever banned from baseball." Film critic Roger Ebert was underwhelmed, writing, "Eight Men Out is an oddly unfocused movie made of earth tones, sidelong glances and el[l]iptic conversations. It tells the story of how the stars of the 1919 Chicago White Sox team took payoffs from gamblers to throw the World Series, but if you are not already familiar with that story you're unlikely to understand it after seeing this film." Ebert's television colleague Gene Siskel said "Eight Men Out is fascinating if you are a baseball nut ... the portrayal of the recruiting of the ball players and the tight fisted rule of Comisky is fascinating ... thumbs up." Critic Janet Maslin spoke well of the actors, writing, "Notable in the large and excellent cast of Eight Men Out are D. B. Sweeney, who gives Shoeless Joe Jackson the slow, voluptuous Southern naivete of the young Elvis; Michael Lerner, who plays the formidable gangster Arnold Rothstein with the quietest aplomb; Gordon Clapp as the team's firecracker of a catcher; John Mahoney as the worried manager who senses much more about his players' plans than he would like to, and Michael Rooker as the quintessential bad apple. Charlie Sheen is also good as the team's most suggestible player, the good-natured fellow who isn't sure whether it's worse to be corrupt or be a fool. The story's delightfully colorful villains are played by Christopher Lloyd and Richard Edson (as the halfway-comic duo who make the first assault on the players), Michael Mantell as the chief gangster's extremely undependable right-hand man, and Kevin Tighe as the Bostonian smoothie who coolly declares: 'You know what you feed a dray horse in the morning if you want a day's work out of him? Just enough so he knows he's hungry.' For Mr. Sayles, whose idealism has never been more affecting or apparent than it is in this story of boyish enthusiam gone bad in an all too grown-up world, Eight Men Out represents a home run." The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 86% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on 36 reviews."

14. Brian's Song (1971) (8 of 15 lists - 122 points - highest ranking #5 HickoryHuskers, Tex, PlaySumFnJurny) Brian's Song is a 1971 ABC Movie of the Week that recounts the details of the life of Brian Piccolo (played by James Caan), a Wake Forest University football player stricken with terminal cancer after turning pro, told through his friendship with Chicago Bears running back teammate and Pro Football Hall of Famer Gale Sayers (Billy Dee Williams), who helps him through the difficult struggle. The production was such a success on ABC television (November 30, 1971) that it was later shown in theaters, with a major premiere in Chicago; however, it was soon withdrawn due to a lack of business. Some critics have called the movie among the finest telefilms ever made. The movie is based on Sayers' account of his friendship with Piccolo and coping with Piccolo's illness in Sayers' autobiography, I Am Third. The film was written by veteran screenwriter William Blinn, whose script, one Dallas television critic called, "highly restrained, steering clear of any overt sentimentality [yet conveying] the genuine affection the two men felt so deeply for each other." Although based on a true story, the film did include some fictional scenes. One example was when George Halas (played by Jack Warden) told Gale Sayers that he wanted to bench Brian Piccolo when he suspected that there may be a problem affecting his performance. He later learned of Brian's cancer. In reality, Jim Dooley was the head coach at that time, as Halas had retired from the position following the 1968 season. Cast James Caan as Brian Piccolo Billy Dee Williams as Gale Sayers Jack Warden as Coach George Halas Shelley Fabares as Joy Piccolo Judy Pace as Linda Sayers Bernie Casey as J.C. Caroline David Huddleston as Ed McCaskey Ron Feinberg as Doug Atkins Jack Concannon as Himself Abe Gibron as Himself Ed O'Bradovich as Himself Dick Butkus as Himself Chicago Bears as Themselves Music The musical theme to Brian's Song, "The Hands of Time," was a popular tune during the early 1970s and has become a standard. The music for the film was by Michel Legrand, with lyrics to the song by Marilyn and Alan Bergman. LeGrand's instrumental version of the theme song charted for eight weeks in 1972, peaking at #56.[4] Nashville pianist Floyd Cramer performed a popular version of "The Hands of Time". Awards and nominations The film won an Emmy Award for Best Dramatic Program (1971–72). William Blinn won an Emmy for his teleplay, and Jack Warden won for his performance as Coach Halas. Caan and Williams were both nominated for best leading actor. Remake Thirty years after its original airing, a remake was aired in 2001 on ABC's The Wonderful World of Disney starring Mekhi Phifer as Sayers and Sean Maher as Piccolo.

15. The Bad News Bears (1976) (7 of 15 lists - 122 points - highest ranking #1 FlaSoxxJim) The Bad News Bears is a 1976 comedy film directed by Michael Ritchie. It stars Walter Matthau and Tatum O'Neal. The film was followed by two sequels, The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training in 1977 and The Bad News Bears Go to Japan in 1978, a short-lived 1979-80 CBS television series, and a remake titled Bad News Bears. Also notable was the score by Jerry Fielding, which is an adaptation of the principal themes of Carmen. Plot Morris Buttermaker (Walter Matthau), an alcoholic and former minor-league baseball player, is recruited by a city councilman and attorney who filed a lawsuit against an ultra-competitive Southern California Little League which excluded the least skilled athletes (including his son) from playing. In order to settle the lawsuit, the league agrees to add an additional team - the Bears - which is composed of the worst players. Buttermaker becomes the coach of the unlikely team, which includes (among others) a near-sighted pitcher, an overweight catcher, a foulmouthed shortstop with a Napoleon complex, an outfielder who dreams of emulating his idol Hank Aaron, and a motley collection of other "talent". Shunned by the more competitive teams (and competitive parents), the Bears are the outsiders. They play their opening game, and do not even record an out, giving up 26 runs before Buttermaker forfeits the game. Realizing the team is nearly hopeless, he recruits a couple of unlikely prospects: First up, is sharp-tongued Amanda Whurlizer (Tatum O'Neal), a skilled pitcher (trained by Buttermaker when she was younger) who is the 12-year-old daughter of one of Buttermaker's ex-girlfriends. At first, she tries to convince Buttermaker that she has given up baseball, but then she reveals that she had been practicing "on the sly". Before agreeing to join the team, Amanda makes a number of outlandish demands (such as imported jeans, modeling school, ballet lessons, etc.) as conditions for joining. Upon hearing her demands, Buttermaker asks, "Who do you think you are, Catfish Hunter?" Amanda responds by asking, "Who's he?" Rounding out the team, Buttermaker recruits the "best athlete in the area," who also happens to be the local cigarette-smoking, loan-sharking, Harley-Davidson-riding troublemaker, Kelly Leak (Jackie Earle Haley). With Whurlizer and Leak on board, the team starts gaining more confidence, and the Bears start winning games. Eventually, the unlikely Bears make it to the championship game opposite the top-notch Yankees, who are coached by aggressive, competitive Roy Turner (Vic Morrow). As the game progresses, tensions are ratcheted up as Buttermaker and Turner engage in shouting matches, and the players become more ruthless and competitive against each other. After a heated exchange between Turner's son (and Yankees pitcher) Joey (Brandon Cruz) and the Bears at-bat catcher Engelberg (Gary Lee Cavagnaro), Turner orders his son to walk Engelberg, the only Bears hitter he cannot overcome, despite Joey's wish to give it a try. In response, Joey intentionally throws a wild beanball nearly striking him in the head. Horrified, Turner goes to the mound and slaps his own son. On the next pitch, Engelberg hits a routine ground ball back to Joey who exacts revenge against his father by holding the ball until Engelberg has an inside the park home run. Joey then leaves the game dropping the ball at his father's feet. Buttermaker - realizing that he has become the ultra-competitive Roy Turner - puts the benchwarmers on the field, thus giving everyone a chance to play. After narrowly losing the game 7 to 6, Buttermaker gives the team free rein of his beer cooler, and they spray it all over each other. Although they did not win the championship, they have the satisfaction of trying, knowing that winning is not so important. The condescending Yankees congratulate the Bears telling them although they are still not that good, they have "guts." Tanner, the shortstop, replies by telling the Yankees where they can put their trophy. The other players cheer and yell, "Wait 'til next year!" The movie ends with a photograph of the team. Cast Adults Morris Buttermaker Walter Matthau Coach of the Bears: A drunken, loud, ex-professional baseball pitcher and part-time pool cleaner, who drives a yellow Cadillac convertible; the protagonist Roy Turner Vic Morrow Coach of the Yankees and the antagonist Cleveland Joyce Van Patten League manager Bob Whitewood Ben Piazza City councilman and lawyer who sued the league to allow the Bears (in particular, his son) to play. He convinces (and pays) Buttermaker to coach the team. Kids Regi Tower Scott Firestone Another lightly developed character; has red hair. Plays third, then first base. Wears number 1. Toby Whitewood David Stambaugh An unassuming boy who plays first base. He knows about the other players' personalities and at times speaks for the team. Son of councilman Bob Whitewood. Wears number 2. Kelly Leak Jackie Earle Haley Local troublemaker who smokes and rides a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Also the best athlete in the neighborhood. He alternates between left and center field and has a crush on Amanda. Wears number 3. Timmy Lupus Quinn Smith A "booger-eating spaz;" plays right field and is considered to be the worst player on the team, but surprises everyone in the final game by making a key play to keep the Bears in the game. He is the most quiet and shy player, but showed the odd ability to properly prepare a martini for Coach Buttermaker while the team was assisting the coach with pool cleaning. Wears number 4. Mike Engelberg Gary Lee Cavagnaro An overweight boy who plays catcher; A great hitter, he frequently teases Tanner about his size, his jabs at rival pitcher Joey Turner ignite a rivalry. Wears number 5. Jose Aguilar Jaime Escobedo Miguel's older brother who plays second base; doesn't speak English. Wears number 6. Miguel Aguilar George Gonzales Jose's younger brother; mostly plays right field. He doesn't speak English either; so short that the strike zone is non-existent. Wears number 7. Jimmy Feldman Brett Marx Fairly quiet third baseman with curly blond hair. Wears number 8. Alfred Ogilvie Alfred W. Lutter A bookworm who memorizes baseball statistics. He's mostly a benchwarmer who assists the coach with defensive strategy. A backup outfielder/first baseman. Wears number 9. Rudi Stein David Pollock Nervous relief pitcher with glasses who is a terrible hitter; often asked by Coach Buttermaker to purposely get hit by pitches so he won't try to swing. Also a backup outfielder. Wears number 10. Amanda Whurlizer Tatum O'Neal 12-year-old pitcher who feels insecure about her tomboy image. She is proven to be a good pitcher. Her mother is Buttermaker's ex-girlfriend. Wears number 11. Tanner Boyle Chris Barnes Short-tempered shortstop with a Napoleon complex; after suffering a horrible loss on their first game, he picks a fight with the entire seventh grade from his school (and loses). He tends to curse more than the others, and often insults and bullies Timmy. Wears number 12. Ahmad Abdul-Rahim Erin Blunt An African-American Muslim who plays in the outfield and adores Hank Aaron; strips off his uniform in shame after committing errors, but is convinced to return to the team by Buttermaker. Wears number 44 in honor of his hero. Joey Turner Brandon Cruz The star pitcher for the Yankees (wears number 2 for that team). Coach Roy Turner's son. He has a rivalry with Engleberg and regularly bullies Tanner and Timmy. Allows Engleberg an inside-the-park home run, then quits the team after Roy slaps him in anger over a wild pitch. Production and success The Bad News Bears was filmed in and around Los Angeles, primarily in the San Fernando Valley. The field where they played is in Mason Park on Mason Avenue in Chatsworth, California. In the film, the Bears were sponsored by an actual company, "Chico's Bail Bonds." One scene was filmed in the council chamber at Los Angeles City Hall. The film was notable in its time for the amount of vulgarity (including profanity and ethnic slurs) placed into the mouths of the various child actors who played the principal roles (specifically, a memorable Tanner Boyle, played by Chris Barnes, quoted as calling his teammates en masse "a bunch of Jews, spics, n*****s, pansies, and a booger-eating moron"). Most of the questionable dialogue was used for comic effect. A true product of the mid-70s, it includes a scene that would most likely no longer be allowed in a PG-rated film today: an inebriated Buttermaker drives the players, who are not wearing seatbelts, in an open-top convertible. In his 1976 review, critic Roger Ebert called the film "an unblinking, scathing look at competition in American society." The film inspired two sequels, The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training and The Bad News Bears Go to Japan, a TV series, and a 2005 remake. Saturday Night Live did a parody of the film with Matthau as the guest host called The Bad News Bees with John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd and the rest in their recurring "bee" costumes. This subtly dealt with masturbation which was referred to as "buzzing-off". American Film Institute AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs-nominated AFI's 10 Top 10-nominated sports film AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers-nominated

16. Rocky IV (5 of 15 lists - 96 points - highest ranking #2 Iwritecode) Rocky IV is a 1985 American film written by, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the fourth and most financially successful entry in the Rocky franchise. In the film, Rocky Balboa plans to retire from boxing after regaining his title from Clubber Lang in Rocky III while an unknown amateur boxer from the Soviet Union, Ivan Drago (played by Dolph Lundgren), makes a bid to enter professional boxing. Plot The story opens with a flashback of Rocky's rematch against Clubber Lang, where Rocky defeated Lang to regain his title. Meanwhile, Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), a highly intimidating 6 foot 5 inch, 261 pound Soviet boxer, arrives in America with his wife Ludmilla (Brigitte Nielsen), an Olympic gold medal swimmer, his manager Nicolai Koloff (Michael Pataki), and a team of trainers headed by grizzled Russian coach Igor Rimsky (George Rogan), and the Cuban Manuel Vega (James "Cannonball" Green) to challenge the best U.S. fighters. His manager shows off the hi-tech equipment which aids in improving Drago's performance, demonstrating Drago throwing punches at a machine that measures superhuman level, at 1850 psi. Motivated by patriotism and an innate desire to prove himself, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) challenges Drago to an exhibition bout. During the ensuing press conference, Apollo is accused of being a "has been" by Drago's manager. Livid, Apollo loses his temper, and a melee ensues. It is broken up and Apollo leaves the press conference abruptly vowing to "finish this in the ring" while an unfazed Drago looks on. Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) has reservations, but agrees to train Apollo, who enters the ring in an over-the-top patriotic entrance with James Brown performing Living in America. It soon turns serious though, as Drago beats Apollo mercilessly. Apollo is in dire straits and taking the worst beating of his life as the first round ends. Rocky and Apollo's trainer Duke (Tony Burton) plead with him to give up, but Apollo refuses to do so, and tells Rocky not to stop the fight. The second round doesn't go any better, and despite Duke begging Rocky to throw in the towel, he honors Apollo's wish. This turns out to have fatal consequences as Drago beats Apollo so badly that he dies from his injuries. In the immediate aftermath Drago displays no sense of remorse commenting to the assembled media: "If he dies... he dies." Incensed by Drago's cold indifference, and feeling a deep sense of guilt Rocky decides to avenge Apollo's death by agreeing to relinquish his title and fight Drago in Russia on Christmas Day in an unsanctioned bout. Upon returning home from the press conference Rocky is confronted by Adrian who tells him "you can't win". Rocky than leaves for his flight without her supported by Duke and brother-in-law Paulie (Burt Young) he flies to Krasnoyarsk, Soviet Union to train. To prepare for the fight, Drago uses very high tech equipment with (implied) use of anabolic steroids and a team of trainers and doctors monitoring his every fiber. Rocky, on the other hand uses a very basic, spartan approach: he throws heavy logs, chops down trees, pulls an overloaded snow sleigh, jogs in heavy snow and treacherous icy conditions and climbs a mountain aided only by Duke and Paulie's moral support. When Adrian (Talia Shire) shows up unexpectedly to give Rocky her support after initially refusing to travel to Russia, the two settle their differences with Adrian telling her husband she is with him "no matter what". Rocky's training than takes on an even greater intensity buoyed by the love of his life joining him for the greatest fight of his life. Drago is introduced with an elaborate, patriotic ceremony that puts the Russian crowd squarely on Drago's side, as Rocky is booed by all in attendance. In contrast to his fight with Apollo, Drago immediately goes on the offensive, and Rocky takes a fierce pounding. Rocky comes back toward the end of the second and silences the Russian crowd by landing a strong left hook that cuts Drago just over his left eye. While Drago is visibly shaken, Rocky is fired up and suddenly goes on the offensive, which continues even after the bell rings. While Duke and Paulie cheer Rocky for his heroism, they remind him that Drago is not a machine, but a man. Ironically, Drago comments that Rocky "is not human, he is like a piece of iron" with his own corner reprimanding him for being "weak" in comparison to the "small American." At this point, the fight becomes a fierce battle of wills between the two boxers. Drago, for the most part, holds the upper hand but his confidence drops due to Rocky's seemingly limitless endurance, allowing Rocky to get in under his guard and deliver his own attack. By the fourteenth round, the previously hostile Soviet crowd has been won over by Rocky's determination and is cheering him on. Koloff, fearing retribution from the Soviet General Secretary who resembles Mikhail Gorbachev, goes over to Drago and berates his performance, fiercely urging him to win and shoving his head. Drago snaps and picks up Koloff by the throat with a single hand and throw him to the ground, and adamantly proclaim that he fights only for himself. In the 15th (final) round of the fight, Rocky and Drago trade punch after punch and fight each other to a standstill with Rocky eventually knocking Drago out to the shock of the Soviet General Secretary. A bloody and battered Rocky gives a victory speech, acknowledging the initial and mutual disdain between himself and the once hostile crowd as much as the disdain between Russians and Americans generally, and how they've come to respect and admire each other during the course of the fight which he also says is better than war between their two countries. He finishes by saying that everybody can "change." The General Secretary stands and passionately applauds Rocky and his aides follow suit. Rocky ends his speech by wishing his son a Merry Christmas, and throws his arms into the air in victory as the crowd applauds. Cast Sylvester Stallone - Rocky Balboa Burt Young - Paulie Pennino Talia Shire - Adrian Balboa Carl Weathers - Apollo Creed Brigitte Nielsen - Ludmilla Vobet Drago Dolph Lundgren - Captain Ivan Drago Tony Burton - Tony "Duke" Evers Michael Pataki - Nicoli Koloff Stu Nahan - Commentator #1 (Creed-Drago) Warner Wolf - Commentator #2 (Creed-Drago) R.J. Adams - Sports Announcer Barry Tompkins - American Commentator #1 (Rocky-Drago) Al Bandiero - American Commentator #2 (Rocky-Drago) James Brown - The Godfather of Soul Production Wyoming doubled for the frozen expanse of the Soviet Union. The small farm where Rocky lived and trained was in Jackson Hole, and the Grand Teton National Park was used for filming many of the outdoor sequences in Russia. The PNE Agrodome at Hastings Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, served as the location of Rocky's Soviet bout. Sylvester Stallone has stated that the original punching scenes filmed between him and Dolph Lundgren in the first portion of the fight are completely authentic. Stallone wanted to capture a realistic scene and Lundgren agreed that they would engage in legitimate sparring. One particularly forceful Lundgren punch to Stallone's chest slammed his heart against his breastbone, causing the heart to swell and his breathing to become laboured. Stallone, suffering from labored breathing and a blood pressure over 200, was flown from the set in Canada to St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica and was forced into intensive care for eight days. Stallone later commented that he believed Lundgren had the athletic ability and talent to fight in the professional heavyweight division of boxing. Additionally, Stallone claimed that Lundgren nearly forced Carl Weathers to quit in the middle of filming the Apollo versus Drago exhibition fight. In one take for the Creed-Drago fight scene, Lundgren tossed Weathers into the corner of the boxing ring. Weathers shouted profanities at Lundgren while leaving the ring and announcing that he was quitting the movie and calling his agent. Only after Stallone forced the two actors to reconcile did the movie continue. This event caused a four day work stoppage while Weathers was talked back into the part and Lundgren had to be forced into toning down his aggressiveness. Casting Sportscaster Stu Nahan makes his fourth appearance in the series as commentator for the Apollo/Drago fight. Warner Wolf replaces Bill Baldwin, who died following filming for Rocky III, as co-commentator. For the fight between Rocky and Drago, commentators Barry Tompkins and Al Bandiero portray themselves as USA Network broadcasters. Apollo Creed's wife Mary Anne (Sylvia Meals) made her third and final appearance in the series, the first being Rocky II, although the character was mainly featured in "Rocky II". Stallone's then-wife, Brigitte Nielsen, appeared as Drago's wife, Ludmilla. The Soviet premier in the sky box during the Rocky-Drago match strongly resembles contemporary Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Actor David Lloyd Austin later played Gorbachev in The Naked Gun and played Russian characters in other films. Other media Novelization A novelization was published by Ballantine Books in 1985. Sylvester Stallone was credited as the author. Soundtrack The soundtrack for the movie included "Living in America" by James Brown; the film's music was composed by Vince DiCola (who also composed the soundtrack for The Transformers: The Movie that same year), and also included songs by John Cafferty (featuring Vince DiCola), Survivor, Kenny Loggins, and Robert Tepper. Go West wrote "One Way Street" for the movie by request of Sylvester Stallone. Europe's hit "The Final Countdown", written earlier in the decade by lead singer Joey Tempest, is often falsely stated as being featured in the film - no doubt due to its similarity to DiCola's "Training Montage." However, Europe's track was not released as a single until late 1986. DiCola replaced Bill Conti as the film's composer. Conti, who was too busy with the first two Karate Kid films at the time, would return for Rocky V and Rocky Balboa. Rocky IV is the only film in the series not to feature original music by Conti. However, it does features arrangements of themes composed by Conti from the previous film in the series such as "The Final Bell". Conti's famous piece of music from the Rocky series, "Gonna Fly Now", does not appear at all in Rocky IV (the first time in the series this happened), though a few bars of it are incorporated into DiCola's training montage instrumental. According to singer Peter Cetera, he originally wrote his best-selling solo single "Glory of Love" as the end title for this film, but was passed over by United Artists, and instead used as the theme for The Karate Kid Part II. Release Box office performance Rocky IV made $127.8 million in United States and Canada and $300 million worldwide, the most of any Rocky film. It was the highest-grossing sports film of all time until 2009's The Blind Side which grossed $309 million (albeit unadjusted for inflation). Critical reception The film received a "rotten" 44% approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes, indicating mixed reviews. Dolph Lundgren received acclaim for his performance as Ivan Drago. He won the Marshall Trophy for Best Actor at the Napierville Cinema Festival. Rocky IV also won Germany's Golden Screen Award. Analysis Paulie's Robot, an item that through the years has enjoyed a cult following of its own, was created by the International Robotics Inc. in New York City. The robot's voice was the company's CEO Robert Doornick. The robot is identified by robotic engineers as "SICO" and is/was a member of the Screen Actors Guild and toured with James Brown in the 1980s. Rocky IV has been interpreted as a commentary on the power struggle between technology and humans, illustrated by both Paulie's Robot and the technology utilized by Drago. The infamous robot has also been characterized as a "pleasure-bot" to service the needs of Paulie was also performing the duty of watching Balboa's son while he and Adrian are in Moscow. The film is recognized as being ahead of its time in its demonstration of groundbreaking high-tech sporting equipment, some of which was experimental and twenty years from public use. Rocky IV has been noted as a prime example of propaganda through film, with both the stark culture contrast of Apollo's patriotic showing in Las Vegas and Drago's cold, subdued performance in the USSR and the ubiquitous yet ineffective KGB officers stationed around Balboa's cabin outside Krasnoyarsk. Rocky IV is one of the few sport movies that applies genuine sound effects from actual hits, bonafide training methods created by consultants and a bevy of special effects that in turn creates a film that has grown in popularity. One prominent film critic has noted not only the increase in popularity of the film over the years, but that Stallone felt (much to his chagrin) his creative powers peaked at this chapter of the saga.[14] Stallone has also been quoted as saying the enormous financial success and fan following of Rocky IV once had him envisioning another Rocky movie devoted to Drago and his post-boxing life (although Stallone acknowledged he was in better shape, he was excommunicated from his country), with Balboa's storyline parallel. However, he noted the damage both boxers sustained in the fight made them "incapable of reason" and thus planned Rocky V as a showcase of the results, though the film failed to resolve the saga. Scholars have examined Rocky IV and note the film's strong, yet formulaic structure that emphasizes the power of the individual, particularly an idealistic American. One author has noted the totalitarian regime Ivan Drago represents, his power demonstrated when he topples an arrogant opponent, and his subsequent defeat by the inventive, determined foe. At Comic-Con 2010, Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren accepted the Guinness World Record for the ‘Most Successful Sports Movie Franchise’ for Rocky.

17. The Rookie (6 of 15 lists - 93 points - highest ranking #4 Iwritecode) The Rookie is a 2002 drama sports film directed by John Lee Hancock. It is based on the true story of Jim Morris, who had a brief, but famous Major League Baseball career in 1999. The film stars Dennis Quaid, Rachel Griffiths, Jay Hernandez, and Brian Cox. Plot Jim Morris is the son of a career Navy man, who moves the family to a small Texas town. The lack of a baseball league there for youngsters inhibits the young left-handed pitcher's progress and an injured shoulder ends any shot at a professional career. Years later in 1999, Morris, married with three children, is a high school science teacher as well as head baseball coach. His team from Big Lake finds it impossible to hit his pitching when he throws batting practice. Hoping for some degree of mutual motivation, his struggling players offer him this agreement: if they win the district championship to reach the state playoffs, he must attend a tryout camp for Major League Baseball. The team makes it, forcing Jimmy to keep his end of the bargain. When he does, the professional scouts discover his ability to repeatedly throw a baseball at 98 miles per hour, a feat that fewer than 10 professional baseball players at the time could accomplish. Despite his advanced age (35), Morris is offered a chance to pitch with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization. He is reluctant to go, though, because of his responsibilities to his family. His father discourages Jimmy further, more or less telling him it is time to accept reality and put aside impossible dreams. He is initially assigned to the minor league Class AA Orlando Rays (now the Montgomery Biscuits) but quickly moves up to the AAA Durham Bulls. Concerned for his family due to mounting bills (the pay in the minor leagues being low) and unhappy that some of the organization's younger prospects view him as a publicity stunt, Jimmy decides to give it up and come home. But his wife Lorri talks him out of it. One day, during the September roster expansions, he is called up to the Major Leagues by the Devil Rays, thrilling his young son Hunter in particular. His proud family, including his father, and his high school players come to Arlington, Texas, to see his first game. A brief epilogue explains that Jim Morris spent two seasons in the big leagues. Cast Dennis Quaid as Jim Morris Rachel Griffiths as Lorri Brian Cox as Jim Sr. Angus T. Jones as Hunter Angelo Spizzirri as Joel De La Garza (Owls catcher) Jay Hernandez as Joaquin 'Wack' Campos Rick Gonzalez as Rudy Bonilla (Owls pitcher) Reception The movie received generally favorable reviews with Metacritic giving it a 72 out of 100 based on 31 reviews. Real life differences The film has Morris making his debut against the Texas Rangers, striking out Royce Clayton on three pitches, with the last strike coming on a full swing. In reality, Morris struck out Clayton on four pitches. The third swing was a foul ball, but because the filmmakers were working on a very tight schedule--the scene was shot at the actual Ballpark at Arlington, following an actual game, with much of the crowd still in the stands--it was determined in advance that there wouldn't be time to institute the numerous safety precautions necessary to protect actors, crew, and equipment from a flying baseball. The initial plan was to replace the foul ball with a ball (a pitch outside the strike zone, at which the batter does not swing), but it was later decided that the scene played better with only three pitches. The film portrays Morris as a resident of Big Lake, but he never actually lived in the town. During his time teaching at Reagan County High School, he lived in San Angelo and commuted to work daily. The film shows Morris teaching chemistry, and a broadcaster calls him a chemistry teacher. In reality, he taught physical science. The scene with the radar sign, which was copied by ESPN in a commercial with Bobby Valentine taking the part of Morris, never actually happened. In the film, the school that Morris teaches at is named Big Lake High School; in real life, the school is in the town of Big Lake but its actual name is Reagan County High School. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Texas Rangers uniforms worn in the movie are incorrect for the era in which the film takes place. This was a deliberate choice by the filmmakers. By using the 2001 uniforms, rather than the period-accurate 1999 uniforms, the filmmakers were able to film second unit footage of an actual game between the Texas Rangers and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and intercut that footage with footage of the actors wearing the same uniforms. The bullpen in which Jim warms up prior to his first major league appearance against the Texas Rangers is actually the Rangers' bullpen; the visitors' bullpen at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington is much less visible. In the film, when Jim is called up to the majors, a teammate named Brooks is called up with him. In real life, Steve Cox was the player called up with Jim. Brooks was a fictional character created for the movie. Alex Rodriguez appeared as a member of the Texas Rangers, but in 1999, he was really a member of the Seattle Mariners. Filming locations The Rookie was filmed almost entirely in North and Central Texas. Apart from scenes filmed at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, locations included the following: The city of Thorndale, Texas, was used predominantly in the opening half of the film as the small town of Big Lake. Thorndale High School's interior, exterior parts of the building and baseball field were used for Big Lake High School's campus. Thorndale's Main Street and downtown area was also used extensively in the film. Neighboring Thrall High School in Thrall, Texas, was dressed for several differing scenes, including scenes of several different "away" baseball games filmed on the school's field. Thrall's then-recently completed football stadium stood in as Big Lake's. Thrall's old football field, dressing rooms and recreation pavilion were dressed as an oil refinery's outlay in a deleted scene viewable on the DVD's special features. A scene shot in front of a motel supposedly in Florida was actually filmed in front of what is now a Best Western in Taylor, Texas. Most of the population portrayed in this movie of Big Lake, Texas were fictional. Only the baseball team and those directly connected were based on real people.

18. Happy Gilmore (5 of 15 lists - 92 points - highest ranking #6 knightni) Happy Gilmore is a 1996 sports comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan and produced by Robert Simonds for Universal Studios. It stars Adam Sandler as the title character, an unsuccessful ice hockey player who discovers a talent for golf. The screenplay was written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy. This film was the first of several collaborations between Sandler and Dugan. Plot Happy Gilmore (Adam Sandler) is an aspiring ice hockey player who possesses a powerful and dangerous slapshot that his late father taught him as a child. However, Happy also possesses an overaggressive streak and lack of skating ability that preclude him from joining every team he tries out for. His grandmother (Frances Bay), who raised him after his father died, has not paid her taxes for many years. As such, she owes $270,000 to the IRS, and the house that Happy's grandfather "built with his bare hands" is about to be seized. Gilmore has only 3 months to come up with the money or else the house would be sold. Grandma Gilmore is forced to temporarily move into a retirement home run by the retirement home's unpleasant and cruel manager, Hal (Ben Stiller in an uncredited role). While repossessing Grandma's furniture, a pair of movers challenge Happy to hit golf balls, and his unorthodox hockey slapshot hits 400 yards three times, winning $40 as a result. This gives Happy the idea to go to the driving range to hustle golfers with his swing. When former golf star and current club pro Chubbs Peterson (Carl Weathers), whose pro golf career ended when his hand was bitten off by an alligator, sees Happy's shot, he convinces Happy to enter a local tournament by telling him he can make the money to buy back his grandmother's house. Happy wins the tournament and earns a spot on the Pro Golf Tour (fictionalized golf tour based on the PGA Tour). Chubbs advises Happy to hold off on joining the tour, so that Chubbs can make him a better all-around golfer and it will take Happy six months for the training. Against Chubbs' advice, Happy joins the tour immediately after learning he can make enough money to buy back Grandma's house. Chubbs was not aware that Happy enter the tour to get enough money to get his Grandma's house back and Happy had 3 months to come up with the money. On the tour, Happy makes an instant enemy of pretentious and arrogant star pro Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald), who sees Happy as a detriment to golf and tries to thwart any attempt to steal his thunder. In addition, Happy discovers that although he has a powerful drive, his putting is terrible, and his violent outbursts and lack of golf etiquette cause him problems, which gives Shooter an opening to ask Doug Thompson (Dugan), the commissioner of the tour, to expel Happy. Happy's antics are garnering the tour's highest television ratings, youthful sponsors and bringing more fans into tournaments, and Shooter's request is denied. To help Happy cool down and start acting more professionally, tour PR head Virginia Venit (Julie Bowen) is assigned to him by the tour. In addition to a relationship forming between the two and Happy tells Virginia the truth why he enter the tour in the first place and he asked her not to tell anyone about it which she agrees. Happy begins to develop a cooler head while continuing to improve in tournaments much to the chagrin of Shooter, who decides to take matters into his own hands and hire Donald, a mentally unbalanced fan of Shooter's (Joe Flaherty) to heckle Happy at the next tournament, the Pepsi Pro-Am, a tournament where tour pros team up with celebrities. At the tournament, where Happy is paired with Bob Barker, then host/executive producer of the long-running CBS Daytime game show, The Price Is Right, Donald starts distracting and intimidating him by shouting out, "Jackass!", when he's taking his swing. He takes Happy's focus off his game so much that he plays terribly. Exasperated at Happy's poor performance, Barker even begins heckling him before they break into a full-scale brawl, which Barker wins and is also enough to have Happy suspended from the tour and fined $25,000. All is not lost as Happy secures an endorsement deal with Subway, which gives him enough money to buy back Grandma's house and pay the fine. However, Happy discovers that the house is to be sold at an auction – something he did not know before. As a result, Happy is unable to make a high enough bid to win the auction. Happy then becomes infuriated as he sees that Shooter is now the owner of Grandma's house. Despite their rivalry, Shooter is willing to let Happy have the house back, but on one condition – that he quit the pro tour. Happy immediately agrees to quit but is talked out of it by Virginia, who tells him Grandma would rather see him succeed at life than have the house. Happy then decides to make a bet with his rival based on the upcoming Tour Championship – if Happy places higher than Shooter, he gets the house back, but if Happy finishes behind Shooter he'll leave the tour; Shooter agrees. Although Virginia is confident Happy will win, Happy isn't as sure and seeks the help of Chubbs. Happy finally admits his own mistakes and agrees to finally work with Chubbs. Together they head to a miniature golf course so Happy can improve his putting, which he does. For Happy's improved success, Chubbs gives Happy his slightly modified putter as a present to use for the tournament. As a token of his gratitude, Happy returns the favor to Chubbs: the head of the alligator that took his hand (which Happy had killed in an earlier tournament while retrieving his ball). The gift does not have the intent Happy planned on, as Chubbs is startled by it and stumbles back, causing him to fall out an open window to his death. Determined to win the tournament for Chubbs, Happy goes head-to-head with Shooter. Shooter is stunned that Happy has been keeping up with him, and by the end of the third day of the tournament, Happy is leading Shooter. Determined to win the tournament, which he has never done, Shooter once again calls on Donald. The next day Shooter's plan comes into action, as Donald hits Happy with a Volkswagen Beetle, which he proceeds to ram into a television tower at the 18th hole. Happy is moderately injured and has lost the ability to hit the long drive and as such drops from the lead and trails Shooter by several shots heading into the final holes. However, after applying a lesson from Chubbs, and receiving an important morale boost from Grandma, who had come to watch the tournament, he is able to refocus and ties for the lead going to the 18th hole. After Shooter makes his shot for par, the TV tower collapses and blocks Happy's putt for birdie. Happy is forced to take his shot with the tower in the way, and once again uses what Chubbs taught him to make a trick shot to win The Tour Championship and the house. Shooter is then beat up by Happy's old boss, Mr. Larson (Richard Kiel), and an angry mob of spectators, after he steals the gold jacket from Doug and Happy in a fit of hysteria following Happy's victory. The film closes with Happy being congratulated by the two-handed ghost of Chubbs, Abraham Lincoln, and the alligator. Cast Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore, a young man who lives life wanting to be a professional ice hockey player. Due to his grandmother not paying her taxes, her house becomes repossessed. Happy intends to get the house back and starts playing golf in order to do so. He is the main protagonist. Christopher McDonald as Shooter McGavin, an arrogant, cocky golfer who is the best on the Pro Golf Tour (fictionalized golf tour based on the PGA Tour). After Happy joins, he becomes jealous of the attention Happy receives, and shows his dislike of Happy being on the tour. He is the main antagonist. Julie Bowen as Virginia Venit, a Public Relations Director for the PGT. She eventually becomes Happy Gilmore's love interest. Frances Bay as Grandma Gilmore; she took Happy Gilmore in as a child when his mother left him and his father died. She is adored by Happy, who would do anything to keep her happy. Carl Weathers as Chubbs Peterson, a pro golfer who was forced to retire early when his hand was bitten off by an alligator. He encourages Happy to take up golf and coaches him. Allen Covert as Otto, a hobo who becomes Happy's caddy. Kevin Nealon as Gary Potter, the eccentric PGT pro Happy plays with in his first tournament. Happy eventually beats him up due to his "bad advice". Richard Kiel as Mr. Larson, Happy's towering former boss, who was shot in the head with a nail gun by Happy and later became one of his former employee's biggest fans. Dennis Dugan as Doug Thompson, the commissioner of the Pro Golf Tour. Dennis is also the director of this movie. Joe Flaherty as Unruly Fan; known only as Donald, this fan of Shooter's is recruited by Shooter to heckle Happy at the Pro-AM, frequently calling him a jackass. He later hits Happy with his car at the Tour Championship. Lee Trevino as Himself; appears in five scenes, usually to express disbelief at something that has happened. He only has one line in the whole film, letting Shooter know that Grizzly Adams had a beard. Bob Barker as Himself, Happy's celebrity golf partner at the Pro-AM. Verne Lundquist as Himself, the main announcer for all of the tournaments shown. Mark Lye as Himself, appears as himself in one scene with Happy and Shooter. Ben Stiller (uncredited) as Hal, the retirement home manager that Grandma Gilmore moves to, and uses the residents for slave labor. Reception Critical response Happy Gilmore received mostly mixed reviews from critics. On the film ranking website Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a score of 59% based on 51 reviews, as of 8 May 2011; the site's consensus states: "Those who enjoy Adam Sandler's schtick will find plenty to love in this gleefully juvenile take on professional golf; those who don't, however, will find it unfunny and forgettable." Brian Lowry of Variety stated that "The general tone nevertheless makes it difficult to elevate the gags beyond an occasional chuckle". Lowry only noted a few scenes he found inspired, including the fight scene with Bob Barker and when Happy attempts to find his "Happy Place" which was described as "Felliniesque". Roger Ebert gave the film one and a half stars out of four, stating that Adam Sandler's character "doesn't have a pleasing personality: He seems angry even when he's not supposed to be, and his habit of pounding everyone he dislikes is tiring in a PG-13 movie". Ebert also noted the film's product placement stating that he "probably missed a few, but I counted Diet Pepsi, Pepsi, Pepsi Max, Subway sandwich shops, Budweiser (in bottles, cans, and Bud-dispensing helmets), Michelob, Visa cards, Bell Atlantic, AT&T, Sizzler, Wilson, Golf Digest, the ESPN sports network, and Top-Flite golf balls". Box office Happy Gilmore was a respectable box office hit, ranking #2 at the box office on its debut weekend with $8.5 million in revenue. In total, it made $41 million worldwide, with $38 million of that domestic. Awards Won MTV Movie Awards: Best Fight Adam Sandler vs. Bob Barker http://youtu.be/TNzUDygsBE4

19. Raging Bull (5 of 15 lists - 90 points - highest ranking #2 PlaySumFnJurny) Raging Bull is a 1980 American biographical sports drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, and adapted by Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin from the Jake La Motta memoir Raging Bull: My Story. It stars Robert De Niro as Jake LaMotta, a middleweight boxer whose sadomasochistic rage, sexual jealousy, and animalistic appetite exceeded the boundaries of the prizefight ring, and destroyed his relationship with his wife and family. Also featured in the film are Joe Pesci as Joey, La Motta's well-intentioned brother and manager who tries to help Jake battle his inner demons; and Cathy Moriarty as his abused wife. The film features supporting roles from Nicholas Colasanto, Theresa Saldana, and Frank Vincent. Scorsese was partially convinced by De Niro to develop the project, though he eventually came to relate to La Motta's story. Schrader re-wrote Martin's first screenplay, and Scorsese and De Niro together made uncredited contributions thereafter. Pesci was an unknown actor prior to the film, as was Moriarty, who was suggested for her role by Pesci. During principal photography, each of the boxing scenes was choreographed for a specific visual style and De Niro gained approximately 60 pounds (27 kg) to portray La Motta in his early post-boxing years. Scorsese was exacting in the process of editing and mixing the film, expecting it to be his last major feature. After receiving mixed initial reviews (and criticism due to its violent content), it went on to garner a high critical reputation and is now widely regarded among the greatest films ever made, including by Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, renowned British motion picture historian Leslie Halliwell, the American Film Institute, Time magazine, The New York Times, Variety, Entertainment Weekly, Empire magazine, Total Film, Film 4, BFI's Sight and Sound and AMC's FilmSite. It was listed in the National Film Registry in 1990, its first year of eligibility. Plot In 1964, an aging, overweight Jake LaMotta (Robert De Niro) practices a comedy routine. A flashback to 1941 shows his first loss in a major boxing match, against Jimmy Reeves. Jake's brother Joey LaMotta (Joe Pesci) later discusses a potential shot for the middleweight title with one of his Mafia connections, Salvy Batts (Frank Vincent). Some time thereafter, Jake spots a 15-year-old girl named Vickie (Cathy Moriarty) at an open-air swimming pool in his Bronx neighborhood. He eventually pursues a relationship with her, even though he is already married. Jake defeats Sugar Ray Robinson once in 1943 and has another win three weeks later. Despite the fact that Jake dominated Robinson during the bout, the judges surprisingly rule in favor of Robinson and Joey feels he won only because he was enlisting into the US Army the following week. Jake is married to Vickie by 1947. As Jake's fears grow about Vickie having feelings for other men, particularly Tony Janiro, the opponent for his forthcoming fight, he shows off his sexual jealousy when he defeats Janiro in front of the local Mob boss, Tommy Como (Nicholas Colasanto) and Vickie. As Joey discusses the victory with journalists at the Copacabana, he is distracted by seeing Vickie approach a table with Salvy and his crew. Joey speaks with Vickie, who says she is giving up on his brother. Blaming Salvy, Joey viciously attacks him in a fight that spills outside of the club. Como later orders them to apologize, and has Joey tell Jake that if he wants a chance at the championship title, which he has control over, he will have to take a dive first. In a match against Billy Fox, Jake does not even bother to put up a fight. He is suspended shortly thereafter from the board on suspicion of throwing the fight, though he realizes the error of his judgment when it is too late. Despite the suspension, he eventually wins the middleweight championship title against Marcel Cerdan in 1949. A year later, Jake asks Joey if he fought with Salvy at the Copacabana because of Vickie. Jake then asks if Joey had an affair with her; Joey refuses to answer, insults Jake, and decides to leave. Jake directly asks Vickie about the affair and she sarcastically states that she had sex with the entire neighborhood (including his brother, Salvy, and Tommy Como) after he breaks down the bathroom door where she briefly hides from him. Jake angrily walks to Joey's house and brutally beats him up in front of Vickie and Joey's wife and children. After defending his championship belt in a brutal fifteen round bout against Laurent Dauthuille in 1950, he makes a call to his brother after the fight, but when Joey assumes Salvy is on the other end and starts insulting and cursing at him, Jake says nothing and hangs up. Estranged from Joey, Jake's career begins to decline slowly and he eventually loses his title to Sugar Ray Robinson in their final encounter in 1951. By 1956, Jake and his family have moved to Miami. After staying out all night at his new nightclub there, Vickie tells him she wants a divorce (which she has been planning since his retirement). He is later arrested for introducing under-age girls (posing as 21-year-olds) to men and serves a jail sentence in 1957 after failing to raise enough bribe money by taking the jewels out of his championship belt instead of selling the belt itself. In his jail cell, Jake pounds the walls, sorrowfully questioning his misfortune and crying in despair. Upon returning to New York City in 1958, he happens upon his estranged brother Joey, who forgives him but is elusive. Going back to the beginning sequence, Jake refers to the "I coulda' have been a contender" scene from the 1954 movie On the Waterfront starring Marlon Brando complaining that his brother should have been there for him but is also keen enough to give himself some slack. After a stage hand informs him that the auditorium where he is about to perform is crowded, Jake starts to chant "I'm the boss" while shadowboxing. The film ends with a Biblical quote. This quote was a reference to Martin Scorsese's film professor, Haig Manoogian, to whom the film was dedicated. The man died just before the film was released. Scorsese credits Manoogian with helping him "to see", "So, for the second time, [the Pharisees] summoned the man who had been blind and said: 'Speak the truth before God. We know this fellow is a sinner.' 'Whether or not he is a sinner, I do not know.' the man replied. 'All I know is this: once I was blind and now I can see.' John IX. 24-26 the New English Bible" Cast Robert De Niro as Jake LaMotta Cathy Moriarty as Vickie Thailer LaMotta Joe Pesci as Joey LaMotta Nicholas Colasanto as Tommy Como Theresa Saldana as Lenora LaMotta (Joey's wife) Frank Vincent as Salvy "Batts" Mario Gallo as Mario Frank Adonis as Patsy Production Development Raging Bull came about when De Niro read the autobiography upon which the film is based on the set of The Godfather Part II. Although disappointed by the book's writing style, he became fascinated by the character of Jake LaMotta when he showed the book to Martin Scorsese on the set of Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore as a means hopefully to consider the project. Scorsese repeatedly turned down his offers by resisting the director's chair, claiming he had no idea what Raging Bull was about, even though he did read some chapters of the text. The book was then passed onto Mardick Martin, the film's eventual co-screenwriter, who said "the trouble is the damn thing has been done a hundred times before — a fighter who has trouble with his brother and his wife and the mob is after him". The book was even shown to producer Irwin Winkler by De Niro, who was willing to assist only if Scorsese agreed. After nearly dying from a drug overdose, Scorsese agreed to make the film for De Niro's sake, not only to save his own life but also to save what remained of his career. Scorsese knew that he could relate to the story of Jake LaMotta as a way to redeem himself; he saw the role being portrayed as an everyman for whom "the ring becomes an allegory of life," making the project a very personal one for him. Preparation for the film began with Scorsese shooting some 8mm color footage featuring De Niro boxing in a ring. One night when the footage was being shown to De Niro, Michael Chapman, and his friend and mentor, the English director Michael Powell, Powell pointed out that color of the gloves at the time would have only been maroon, oxblood, or even black. Scorsese decided to use this as one of the reasons to film Raging Bull in black and white. Other reasons would be to distinguish the film from other color films around the time and to acknowledge the problem of fading color film stock - an issue Scorsese recognized. Scorsese even went to two matches at the Madison Square Garden to aid his research, picking up on minor but essential details such as the blood sponge and latterly, the blood on the ropes (which would later be used in the film). Screenplay Under the guidance of Winkler, Mardik Martin was asked to start writing the screenplay. According to De Niro, under no circumstances would United Artists accept Mardik Martin's script. The story was based on the vision of journalist Peter Hamill of a 1930s and 1940s style, when boxing was known as "the great dark prince of sports". De Niro was unimpressed when he finished reading the first draft, however. Taxi Driver screenwriter Paul Schrader was swiftly brought in to re-write the script around August 1978. Some of the changes that Schrader made to the script saw a re-write of the scene with the uncooked steak and inclusion of LaMotta seen masturbating in a Florida cell. The character of LaMotta's brother, Joey, was finally added, previously absent from Martin's script. United Artists saw a massive improvement on the quality of the script. However, its chief executives, Steven Bach and David Field, met up with Scorsese, De Niro, and producer Irwin Winkler in November 1978 to say they were worried that the content would be X-rated material and have no chance of finding an audience. According to Scorsese, the script was left to him and De Niro, and they spent two and a half weeks on the island of Saint Martin, extensively re-building the content of the film. The most significant change would be the entire scene when LaMotta fixes his television and then accuses his wife of having an affair. Other changes included the removal of Jake and Joey's father; the reduction of organized crime's role in the story and a major re-write of LaMotta's fight with Tony Janiro. They were even responsible for the end sequence where LaMotta is all alone in his dressing room quoting the "I could have been a contender" scene from On the Waterfront. An extract of Richard III had been pondered but Michael Powell thought it would be a bad decision within the context of a film that was American. According to Steven Bach, the first two screenwriters (Mardick Martin and Paul Schrader) would receive credit but since there was no payment to the writer's guild on the script, De Niro and Scorsese's work would remain uncredited. Casting One of Scorsese's trademarks was casting many actors and actresses new to the profession, which on this occasion there would be no exception. De Niro, who was already committed to play Jake LaMotta, began to help Scorsese track down unfamiliar names to play his on-screen brother, Joey, and wife, Vickie. The role of Joey LaMotta was the first to be cast. De Niro was watching a low budget television film called The Death Collector when he saw the part of a young career criminal played by Joe Pesci (then an unknown and struggling actor) as an ideal candidate. Prior to receiving a call from De Niro and Scorsese for the proposal to star in the film, Pesci had not worked in film for four years and was running an Italian restaurant in New Jersey. Pesci initially claimed that it would have to be a good role for him to consider it, and he later accepted the part. The role of Vickie LaMotta, Jake's second wife, would have interest across the board, but Pesci who suggested the actress, Cathy Moriarty, from a picture he once saw at a New Jersey disco. Both De Niro and Scorsese believed that Moriarty could portray the role after meeting with her on several occasions and noticing her husky voice and physical maturity. The duo had to prove to the Screen Actors Guild that she was right for the role when Cis Corman showed 10 comparing pictures of both Moriarty and the real Vickie LaMotta for proof she had a resemblance. Moriarty was then asked to take a screen test which she managed—partly aided with some improvised lines from De Niro — after some confusion wondering why the crew were filming her take. Joe Pesci also persuaded his former show-biz pal and co-star in The Death Collector, Frank Vincent to try for the role of Salvy Batts. Following a successful audition and screen test, Vincent received the call to say he had received the part. Charles Scorsese, the director's father, made his film debut as Tommy Como's cousin, Charlie. While in the midst of practicing a Bronx accent and preparing for his role, De Niro met both LaMotta and his ex-wife, Vikki on separate occasions. Vikki, who lived in Florida, would tell stories about her life with her former husband and also show old home movies (that would later inspire a similar sequence to be done for the film). Jake LaMotta, on the other hand, would serve as his trainer accompanied by Al Silvani as coach at the Gramercy club in New York getting him into shape. The actor found that boxing came naturally to him; he entered as a middleweight boxer, winning two of his three fights in a Brooklyn ring dubbed "young LaMotta" by the commentator. According to Jake LaMotta, he felt that De Niro was one of his top 20 best middleweight boxers of all time. Principal photography According to production mixer, Michael Evje, the film began shooting at the Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium on April 16, 1979. Grips hung huge curtains of black duvetyne on all four sides of the ring area to contain the artificial smoke used extensively for visual effect. On May 7, the production moved to the Culver City Studio, Stage 3, and filmed there until the middle of June. Scorsese made it clear during filming that he did not appreciate the traditional way in films to show fights from the spectators' view. He insisted that one camera operated by the Director of Photography, Michael Chapman would be placed inside the ring as he would play the role of an opponent keeping out of the way of other fighters so that we could see the emotions of the fighters, including those of Jake. The precise moves of the boxers would be done as dance routines from the information of a book about dance instructors in the mode of Arthur Murray. A punching bag which sat in the middle of the ring was used by De Niro between takes before aggressively coming straight on to do the next scene. The initial five-week schedule for the shooting of the boxing scenes took longer than expected, putting Scorsese under pressure. According to Scorsese, production of the film was then closed down for around four months with the entire crew being paid, so De Niro could go on a binge eating trip around Northern Italy and France. When he did come back to the United States, his weight increased from 145 to 215 pounds (66 to 97 kg). The scenes with the heftier Jake LaMotta — which include announcing his retirement from boxing and LaMotta ending up in a Florida cell — were completed while approaching Christmas 1979 within seven to eight weeks so as not to aggravate the health issues which were already affecting De Niro's posture, breathing, and talking. According to production sound mixer, Michael Evje, Jake's nightclub sequence was filmed in a closed-down San Pedro club on December 3. The jail cell head-banging scene was shot on a constructed set with De Niro asking for minimal crew to be present - there wasn't even a boom operator. The final sequence where Jake LaMotta is sitting in front of his mirror was filmed on the last day of shooting taking 19 takes, with only the thirteenth one being used for the film. Scorsese wanted to have an atmosphere that would be so cold that the words would have an impact as he tries to come to terms with his relationship with his brother. Post-production The editing of Raging Bull began when production was temporarily put on hold and was completed in 1980. Scorsese worked with the editor, Thelma Schoonmaker, to achieve a final cut of the film. Their main decision was to ditch Schrader's idea of LaMotta's nightclub act intervening with the flashback of his youth and instead just follow along the lines of a single flashback where only scenes of LaMotta practicing his stand-up would be left "bookending" the film. A sound mix arranged by Frank Warner was a delicate process taking six months. According to Scorsese, the sound on Raging Bull was difficult because each punch, camera shot, and flash bulb would be different. Also, there was the issue of trying to balance the quality between scenes featuring dialogue and those involving boxing (which were done in Dolby). Raging Bull went through a test screening in front of a small audience including the chief executives of United Artists, Steven Bach and Andy Albeck. The screening was shown at the MGM screening room in New York around July 1980. Later, Albeck praised Scorsese by calling him a "true artist". According to the producer, Irwin Winkler, matters were made worse when United Artists decided not to distribute the film but no other studios were interested when they attempted to sell the rights. Scorsese made no secret that Raging Bull would be his "Hollywood swan song" and he took unusual care of its rights during post-production. This caused some friction with Irwin Winkler, who accused Scorsese of doing the editing process "inch by inch". Scorsese threatened to remove his credit from the film if he was not allowed to sort a reel which obscured the name of a whisky brand known as "Cutty Sark" which was heard in a scene. The work was completed only four days shy of the premiere. Reception Box office The brew of violence and anger, combined with the lack of a proper advertising campaign, led to the film having a modest box office intake of $23 million. Scorsese became concerned for his future career and worried that producers and studios might refuse to finance his films. According to Box Office Mojo, the film grossed $23,383,987 in domestic theaters. Critical reception Raging Bull first premiered in New York on December 19, 1980 to mixed reviews. Jack Kroll of Newsweek called Raging Bull "the best movie of the year" Vincent Canby of The New York Times said that Scorsese "has made his most ambitious film as well as his finest" and went on to praise Moriarty's debut performance as "either she is one of the film finds of the decade or Mr. Scorsese is Svengali. Perhaps both." Time praised De Niro's performance since "much of Raging Bull exists because of the possibilities it offers De Niro to display his own explosive art". Steven Jenkins from the British Film Institute's (BFI) magazine, Monthly Film Journal said "Raging Bull may prove to be Scorsese's finest achievement to date". Many critics however were repelled by the film's violence and its unsympathetic central character. For example, Kathleen Carroll from The New York Daily News criticized the character of Jake LaMotta as "one of the most repugnant characters in the history of the movies"; she also faulted Scorsese because the movie "totally ignores [LaMotta's] reform school background, offering no explanation to his anti-social behavior". Top ten lists 1st - Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune 2nd - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times 1st - Films101.com: Sticking to the Best Movies 8th - Cahiers du Cinema Greatest Films of 1980 - American Movie Classics Awards Raging Bull was nominated for eight Academy Awards (including Best Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actress, Supporting Actor, Cinematography, Sound (Donald O. Mitchell, Bill Nicholson, David J. Kimball and Les Lazarowitz), and Editing) at the 1980 Academy Awards. The Oscars were held the day after President Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr., who did it as an attempt to impress Jodie Foster, who played a child prostitute in another of Scorsese's famous films, Taxi Driver. Out of fear of being attacked, Scorsese went to the ceremony with FBI bodyguards disguised as guests who escorted him out before the announcement of the Academy Award for Best Picture was made - the winner being Ordinary People. Nevertheless, the film managed to pick up two awards for Best Actor (De Niro) and Best Editing (Schoonmaker). The Los Angeles Film Critics Association voted Raging Bull the best film of 1980 and best actor for De Niro. The National Board of Review also voted best actor for De Niro and best supporting actor to Pesci. The Golden Globes awarded another best actor award for De Niro and National Society of Film Critics gave best cinematography to Chapman. The Berlin Film Festival chose Raging Bull to open the festival in 1981. Legacy By the end of the 1980s, Raging Bull had cemented its reputation as a modern classic. It was voted the best film of the 1980s in numerous critics' polls and is regularly pointed to as both Scorsese's best film and one of the finest American movies ever made. Several prominent critics, among them Roger Ebert, declared the film to be an instant classic and the consummation of Scorsese's earlier promise. Ebert proclaimed it the best film of the 1980s, and one of the ten greatest films of all time. The film has been deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1990. The film currently holds a 98% "Certified Fresh" rating on the review aggregate website with an average rating of 9.1/10 Rotten Tomatoes. The similarly themed Metacritic rates the movie 92/100 ("universal acclaim"). Raging Bull was listed by Time magazine as one of the All-TIME 100 Movies. Variety magazine ranked the film number 39 on their list of the 50 greatest movies. Raging Bull was fifth on Entertainment Weekly's list of the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time. The film tied with The Bicycle Thief and Vertigo at number 6 on Sight and Sound's 2002 poll of the greatest movies ever. When Sight & Sound's directors' and critics' lists are combined, Raging Bull gets most points of all movies that has been produced since 1974. In 2002, Film 4 held a poll of the 100 Greatest Movies, on which Raging Bull was voted in at number 20. Halliwell's Film Guide, a British film guide, placed Raging Bull seventh in a poll naming their selection for the "Top 1,000 Movies". In 2008, Empire magazine held a poll of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time, taking votes from 10,000 readers, 150 film makers and 50 film critics: Raging Bull was placed at number 11. It was also placed on a similar list of 1000 movies by The New York Times. In 2010, Total Film selected the film as one of The 100 Greatest Movies of All Time. FilmSite.org, a subsidiary of American Movie Classics, placed Raging Bull on their list of the 100 greatest movies. Additionally, Films101.com ranked the film as the 16th best movie of all time (a list of the 9,335 most notable). American Film Institute recognition AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies - #24 AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills - #51 AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) - #4 AFI's 10 Top 10 - #1 Sports Soundtrack Martin Scorsese decided to assemble a soundtrack made of music that was popular at the time using his personal collection of 78s. With the help of Robbie Robertson the songs were carefully chosen so they would be the ones that one would hear on the radio, at the pool or in bars and clubs reflecting the mood of that particular era. Some lyrics from songs would be slipped into some dialogue. The Intermezzo from Cavalleria rusticana by Italian composer Pietro Mascagni would serve as the main theme to Raging Bull after a successful try-out by Scorsese and the editor, Thelma Schoonmaker over the film's opening titles. Two other Mascagni pieces were used in the film: the Barcarolle from Silvano, and the Intermezzo from Guglielmo Ratcliff. A two-CD soundtrack was released in 2005, long after the film was released, because of earlier difficulties receiving permissions for many of the songs, which Scorsese selected from his childhood memories growing up in New York. Sequel In 2006, Variety reported that Sunset Pictures was developing a sequel entitled Raging Bull II: Continuing the Story of Jake LaMotta. It is still in the early stages of production and chronicles Jake's early life, as told in the sequel novel of the same name. According to the Internet Movie Database, the film is to be directed by Martin Guigui and is rumored to star William Forsythe as Jake LaMotta.

20. Miracle (7 of 15 lists - 86 points - highest ranking #6 dasox24) Miracle is a 2004 American biographical sports film about the United States men's hockey team, led by head coach Herb Brooks, that won the gold medal in the 1980 Winter Olympics. The USA team's victory over the heavily favored Soviet team in the medal round was dubbed the Miracle on Ice. Miracle was directed by Gavin O'Connor and written by Eric Guggenheim. Plot summary The movie chronicles the journey of the 1980 US Olympic Mens ice hockey team. Then University of Minnesota head coach Herb Brooks (played by Kurt Russell) interviews with the United States Olympic Committee, discussing his philosophy on how to beat the Soviet team, calling for changes to the practice schedule and strategy. Brooks meets his assistant coach Craig Patrick at the tryouts in Colorado Springs. However, Brooks selects a preliminary roster of 26—later to be cut to a final roster of 20—indifferent of the tryouts and the preferences of senior USOC hockey officials. He convinces Walter Bush (Sean McCann), the executive director of the committee, that he has their best interests at heart. Bush agrees to take the heat from the committee, saying, "I'll back you up on this one." During the initial practice, tempers flare as forward Rob McClanahan and defenseman Jack O'Callahan get into a fight based on an old college rivalry. Brooks bluntly tells the players that they are to let go of old rivalries and start becoming a team. He then calls for introductions, in which each player states his name, his hometown, and for whom he plays. The coach starts the team on an exhausting conditioning drill (which became known as "Herbies"), in which the team sprints together back and forth across the ice, over and over. During an exhibition game against the Norwegian National Team in Oslo that ends in a 3–3 tie, Brooks notices the players are distracted by pretty girls in the stands and not playing up to their potential. After the game, in a wrenching scene, he makes them run "Herbies" far into the night, asking the team who it was that they played for. Finally exhausted, forward Mike Eruzione responds with the answer that Herb had wanted all along, "I play for the United States of America!" and the drill is over. The team plays the Soviets in an exhibition game at Madison Square Garden. The Russians manhandle the young American team, winning by a score of 10-3. During the game, O'Callahan receives an injury that could keep him out of the entire Olympics, and starting goaltender Jim Craig is told he may be benched in favor of back-up goalie Steve Janaszak. Craig ends up retaining his starting job when the coach brings him to realize that he hasn't been giving his very best. As the Olympic tournament begins, the Americans trail Sweden 2-1 in the first game. Brooks fires up the team during the break by slamming a table out of his way and accusing injured McClanahan of quitting (Doc had said his injury wouldn't get worse if he played on it.) McClanahan ends up playing despite his pain, and the inspired American team came through as Bill Baker scores a goal in the final minute for a dramatic 2-2 tie. They follow that up with a 7-3 win over heavily favored Czechoslovakia, then victories over Norway, Romania and West Germany to earn a spot in the medal round. The Americans are considered overwhelming underdogs to the Soviets in the first medal round game. The game begins and following a slash which doesn't get called a penalty, the Russians score the first goal. Then O'Callahan, having healed enough from his injury, enters the game for the first time. He makes an immediate impact by knocking down Vladimir Krutov on a play that leads to a goal by Buzz Schneider. Following another Soviet goal the first period winds down. In the final seconds the Soviet goalie Vladislav Tretiak stops a long shot by Dave Christian, but Mark Johnson gets the rebound and scores with less than one second left in the period - the clock shows 00:00. During the first intermission the Soviet coach replaces Tretiak with backup Vladimir Myshkin. In the second period the Soviets score a goal to go up 3–2. Early in the final period the Soviet team is called for a penalty, giving the Americans a man advantage. Johnson scores his second goal of the game just as the penalty is about to expire. Later Eruzione enters the game and scores to give the US a 4-3 lead. The entire team skates onto the ice as the crowd celebrates. Now, however, the US team goes into a defensive mode, as the Soviet team becomes increasingly aggressive to score in the final ten minutes. After a long, intense and suspenseful 10 minutes, the clock ticked down the final few seconds, in which commentator Al Michaels said his now famous words, "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" The Americans held off the Soviets, and completed one of the biggest upsets in sports history. As the team proudly celebrates on the ice with the roaring crowd, an obviously emotional, shaken and proud Herb leaves the rink to a small, quiet room to have a few seconds of quiet with himself, to take in what he and the team had just accomplished. Two days later, the team would then go on to defeat Finland to win the gold medal. The movie ends with Brooks staring out over his team with pride as the entire team crowds together on the gold medal platform. Cast Actor Role Kurt Russell Herb Brooks Patricia Clarkson Patti Brooks Noah Emmerich Craig Patrick Sean McCann Walter Bush Kenneth Welsh Doc Nagobads Eddie Cahill Jim Craig Patrick O'Brien Demsey Mike Eruzione Michael Mantenuto Jack O'Callahan Nathan West Rob McClanahan Kenneth Mitchell Ralph Cox Eric Peter-Kaiser Mark Johnson Bobby Hanson Dave Silk Joseph Cure Mike Ramsey Billy Schneider Buzz Schneider Nate Miller John Harrington Chris Koch Mark Pavelich Kris Wilson Phil Verchota Stephen Kovalcik Dave Christian Sam Skoryna Steve Janaszak Pete Duffy Bob Suter Nick Postle Bill Baker Casey Burnette Ken Morrow Scott Johnson Steve Christoff Trevor Alto Neal Broten Joe Hemsworth Mark Wells Robbie MacGregor Eric Strobel Awards Best Sports Movie, ESPY Award (2004) Release The movie grossed $19,377,577 on its opening weekend, February 8, on 2,605 screens. It subsequently closed with a worldwide gross of $64,445,708. Reception The movie received a 68 on Metacritic showing "generally favorable reviews" and an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite a lower rating by critics, the average user score on Metacritic is 8.4 signifying "universal acclaim". Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times stated that the movie "does a yeoman's job of recycling the day-old dough that passes for its story." Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times referred to the movie as "a classically well-made studio entertainment that, like The Rookie of a few years back, has the knack of being moving without shamelessly overdoing a sure thing." Miracle is currently standing as the best sports movie of all time in the ongoing poll at Sports In Movies.

21. The Hustler (5 of 15 lists - 86 points - highest ranking #4 ZoomSlowik) The Hustler is a 1961 American drama film directed by Robert Rossen from the 1959 novel of the same name he and Sidney Carroll adapted for the screen. It tells the story of small-time pool hustler "Fast Eddie" Felson and his desire to prove himself the best player in the country by beating legendary pool player "Minnesota Fats." After initially losing to Fats and getting involved with unscrupulous manager Bert Gordon, Eddie returns to beat Fats, but only after paying a terrible personal price. The film was shot on location in New York City. It stars Paul Newman as Eddie Felson, Jackie Gleason as Minnesota Fats, Piper Laurie as Sarah, and George C. Scott as Bert. The Hustler was a major critical and popular success, gaining a reputation as a modern classic. Its exploration of winning, losing, and character garnered a number of major awards; it is also credited with helping to spark a resurgence in the popularity of pool. A real pool hustler was inspired to adopt the name of Gleason's character, Minnesota Fats, and to use the association with the film in his search for celebrity. Plot Small-time pool hustler "Fast Eddie" Felson travels cross-country with his partner Charlie to challenge the legendary player "Minnesota Fats". Arriving at Ames, Fats's home pool hall, Eddie declares he will win $10,000 that night. Fats arrives and he and Eddie agree to play for $200 a game. After initially falling behind, Eddie surges back to being $1,000 ahead and suggests raising the bet to $1,000 a game; Fats agrees. He sends out a runner, Preacher, to Johnny's Bar, ostensibly for a bottle of whiskey, but really to get professional gambler Bert Gordon to the hall. Eddie gets ahead $11,000 and Charlie tries to convince him to quit, but Eddie insists the game will end only when Fats says it is over. Fats agrees to continue after Bert labels Eddie a "loser." After 25 hours and an entire bottle of bourbon, Eddie is ahead over $18,000, but loses it all along with all but $200 of his original stake. At their hotel later, Eddie leaves half of the remaining stake with a sleeping Charlie and leaves. Eddie stashes his belongings at the local bus terminal, where he meets Sarah Packard, an alcoholic "college girl" who walks with a limp. He meets her again at a bar. They go back to her place but she refuses to let him in, saying he is "too hungry." Eddie moves into a rooming house and starts hustling for small stakes. He finds Sarah again and this time she takes him in, but with reservations. Charlie finds Eddie at Sarah's and tries to persuade him to go back out on the road. Eddie refuses and Charlie figures out he plans to challenge Fats again. Eddie realizes that Charlie held out his percentage and becomes enraged, believing that with that money he could have rebounded to beat Fats. Eddie dismisses Charlie as a scared old man and tells him to "go lie down and die" by himself. At Johnny's Bar, Eddie finds a poker game where Bert is sitting and Eddie loses $20. After the game, Bert tells Eddie that he has talent as a pool player but no character. He figures that Eddie will need at least $3,000 to challenge Fats again. Bert calls him a "born loser" but nevertheless offers to stake him in return for 75% of his winnings but Eddie refuses. Eddie hustles a local pool shark, who breaks Eddie's thumbs. Sarah cares for him and tells him she loves him, but he cannot say the words in return. When his thumbs heal, Eddie agrees to Bert's terms, deciding that a "twenty-five percent slice of something big is better than a hundred percent slice of nothing." Bert, Eddie and Sarah travel to Louisville for the Kentucky Derby, where Bert arranges a match for Eddie against a wealthy local socialite named Findley. The game turns out to be billiards, not pool. Eddie loses badly and Bert refuses to keep staking him. Sarah pleads with Eddie to leave with her, saying that the world he is living in and its inhabitants are "perverted, twisted and crippled"; he refuses. Seeing Eddie's anger, Bert agrees to let the match continue at $1,000 a game. Eddie comes back to win $12,000. He collects his $3,000 share and decides to walk back to the hotel. Bert arrives first and subjects Sarah to a humiliating sexual encounter. After, she scrawls "PERVERTED", "TWISTED", and "CRIPPLED" in lipstick on the bathroom mirror. Eddie arrives back at the hotel to learn that she has killed herself. Eddie returns to challenge Fats again, putting up his entire $3,000 stake on a single game. After declaring he now has character, Eddie wins game after game, beating Fats so badly that Fats is forced to quit. Bert demands a share of Eddie's winnings and threatens Eddie over the issue, but Eddie, invoking the memory of Sarah, shames Bert into giving up his claim. Eddie asserts Bert is ultimately the loser for having no love other than money. Bert warns Eddie never to walk into a big-time pool hall again. Cast Paul Newman as Eddie Felson Jackie Gleason as Minnesota Fats Piper Laurie as Sarah Packard George C. Scott as Bert Gordon Myron McCormick as Charlie Murray Hamilton as Findley Stefan Gierasch as Preacher Pool champion Willie Mosconi has a cameo appearance as Willie, who holds the stakes for Eddie and Fats's games. Boxing champion Jake LaMotta also has a cameo as a bartender. Production The Tevis novel had been optioned several times, including by Frank Sinatra, but attempts to adapt it for the screen were unsuccessful. Director Rossen's daughter Carol Rossen speculates that previous adaptations focused too much on the pool aspects of the story and not enough on the human interaction. Rossen, who had hustled pool himself as a youth and who had made an abortive attempt to write a pool-themed play called Corner Pocket, optioned the book and teamed with Sidney Carroll to produce the script. According to Bobby Darin's agent, Martin Baum, Paul Newman's agent turned down the part of Fast Eddie. Newman was originally unavailable to play Fast Eddie regardless, being committed to star opposite Elizabeth Taylor in the film Two for the Seesaw. Rossen offered Darin the part after seeing him on The Mike Wallace Interview. When Taylor was forced to drop out of Seesaw because of shooting overruns on Cleopatra, Newman was freed up to take the role, which he accepted after reading just half of the script. No one associated with the production officially notified Darin or his representatives that he had been replaced; they found out from a member of the public at a charity horse race. Rossen filmed The Hustler over six weeks, entirely in New York City. Much of the action was filmed at two now-defunct pool halls, McGirr's and Ames Billiard Academy. Other shooting locations included a townhouse on East 82nd Street, which served as the Louisville home of Murray Hamilton's character Findley, and the Manhattan Greyhound bus terminal. The film crew built a dining area that was so realistic that confused passengers sat there and waited to place their orders. Willie Mosconi served as technical advisor on the film and shot a number of the trick shots in place of the actors (except for Gleason whose shots were his own and filmed in wide-angle to show the actor and the shot in the same frames). Rossen, in pursuit of the style he termed "neo-neo-realistic", hired actual street thugs, enrolled them in the Screen Actors Guild and used them as extras. Scenes that were included in the shooting script but did not make it into the final film include a scene at Ames pool hall establishing that Eddie is on his way to town (originally slated to be the first scene of the film) and a longer scene of Preacher talking to Bert at Johnny's Bar which establishes Preacher is a junkie. Early shooting put more focus on the pool playing, but during filming Rossen made the decision to place more emphasis on the love story between Newman and Laurie's characters. Despite the change in emphasis, Rossen still used the various pool games to show the strengthening of Eddie's character and the evolution of his relationship to Bert and Sarah, through the positioning of the characters in the frame. For example, when Eddie is playing Findley, Eddie is positioned below Bert in a two shot but above Findley while still below Bert in a three shot. When Sarah enters the room, she is below Eddie in two shot while in a three shot Eddie is still below Bert. When Eddie is kneeling over Sarah's body, Bert again appears above him but Eddie attacks Bert, ending up on top of him. Eddie finally appears above Bert in two shot when Eddie returns to beat Fats. Themes The Hustler is fundamentally a story of what it means to be a human being, couched within the context of winning and losing. Describing the film, Robert Rossen said: "My protagonist, Fast Eddie, wants to become a great pool player, but the film is really about the obstacles he encounters in attempting to fulfill himself as a human being. He attains self-awareness only after a terrible personal tragedy which he has caused — and then he wins his pool game." Roger Ebert concurs with this assessment, citing The Hustler as "one of the few American movies in which the hero wins by surrendering, by accepting reality instead of his dreams." Film and theatre historian Ethan Mordden has identified The Hustler as one of a handful of films from the early 1960s that re-defined the relationship of films to their audiences. This new relationship, he writes, is "one of challenge rather than flattery, of doubt rather than certainty." No film of the 1950s, Mordden asserts, "took such a brutal, clear look at the ego-affirmation of the one-on-one contest, at the inhumanity of the winner or the castrated vulnerability of the loser." Although some have suggested the resemblance of this film to classic film noir, Mordden rejects the comparison based on Rossen's ultra-realistic style, also noting that the film lacks noir's "Treacherous Woman or its relish in discovering crime among the bourgeoisie, hungry bank clerks and lusty wives." Mordden does note that while Fast Eddie "has a slight fifties ring", the character "makes a decisive break with the extraordinarily feeling tough guys of the 'rebel' era ... ut he does end up seeking out his emotions" and telling Bert that he is a loser because he's dead inside. Reception Critical The Hustler had its world premiere in Washington, D.C. on September 25, 1961. Prior to the premiere, Richard Burton hosted a midnight screening of the film for the casts of the season's Broadway shows, which generated a great deal of positive word of mouth. Initially reluctant to publicize the film, 20th Century Fox responded by stepping up its promotional activities. The film was well-received by critics, although with the occasional caveat. Variety praised the performances of the entire main cast but felt that the "sordid aspects" of the story prevented the film from achieving the "goal of being pure entertainment." Variety also felt the film was far too long. Stanley Kauffmann, writing for The New Republic, concurred in part with this assessment. Kauffmann strongly praised the principal cast, calling Newman "first-rate" and writing that Scott's was "his most credible performance to date." Laurie, he writes, gives her part "movingly anguished touches" (although he also mildly criticizes her for over-reliance on Method acting). While he found that the script "strains hard to give an air of menace and criminality to the pool hall" and also declares it "full of pseudo-meaning", Kauffmann lauds Rossen's "sure, economical" direction, especially in regard to Gleason who, he says, does not so much act as "[pose] for a number of pictures which are well arranged by Rossen. It is the best use of a manikin by a director since Kazan photographed Burl Ives as Big Daddy." The New York Times, despite finding that the film "strays a bit" and that the romance between Newman and Laurie's characters "seems a mite far-fetched", nonetheless found that The Hustler "speaks powerfully in a universal language that spellbinds and reveals bitter truths." Awards The Hustler received nine Academy Award nominations. The film won two, for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White (Harry Horner and Gene Callahan) and Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (Eugen Schüfftan). The film was also nominated for Best Picture and Newman was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Gleason and Scott were both nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role; Scott refused the nomination. Laurie was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Rossen received nominations for Best Director and, with Carroll, for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. Newman was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. Gleason and Scott were each nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Scott was also nominated as Best New Star of the Year. At the 1962 BAFTA Awards, The Hustler tied with the Soviet film Ballad of a Soldier for Best Film from Any Source. Newman won for Best Foreign Actor and Piper Laurie was nominated for Best Foreign Actress. Gleason was honored as Best Supporting Actor by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures and the film was named among the Board's ten best films of 1961. Rossen was named Best Director by the New York Film Critics Circle Awards and Rossen and Carroll shared the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written Drama. Legacy In the decades since its release, The Hustler has cemented its reputation as a classic. Roger Ebert, echoing earlier praise for the performances, direction, and cinematography and adding laurels for editor Dede Allen, cites the film as "one of those films where scenes have such psychic weight that they grow in our memories." He further cites Fast Eddie Felson as one of "only a handful of movie characters so real that the audience refers to them as touchstones." TV Guide calls the film a "dark stunner" offering "a grim world whose only bright spot is the top of the pool table, yet [with] characters [who] maintain a shabby nobility and grace." The four leads are again lavishly praised for their performances and the film is summed up as "not to be missed." Paul Newman reprised his role as Fast Eddie Felson in the 1986 film The Color of Money, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. A number of observers and critics have suggested that this Oscar was in belated recognition for his performance in The Hustler. In 1997, the Library of Congress selected The Hustler for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Carroll and Rossen's screenplay was selected by the Writers Guild of America in 2006 as the 96th best motion picture screenplay of all time. In June 2008, AFI released its "Ten top Ten"—the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. The Hustler was acknowledged as the sixth best film in the sports genre. The Hustler is credited with sparking a resurgence in the popularity of pool in the United States, which had been on the decline for decades. The film also brought recognition to Willie Mosconi, who, despite having won multiple world championships, was virtually unknown to the general public. Perhaps the greatest beneficiary of the film's popularity was a real-life pool hustler named Rudolf Wanderone. Mosconi claimed in an interview at the time of the film's release that the character of Minnesota Fats was based on Wanderone, who at the time was known as "New York Fatty". Wanderone immediately adopted the Minnesota Fats nickname and parlayed his association with the film into book and television deals and other ventures. Author Walter Tevis denied for the rest of his life that Wanderone had played any role in the creation of the character. Other players would claim, with greater or lesser degrees of credibility, to have served as models for Fast Eddie, including Ronnie Allen, Ed Taylor, Ed Parker, and Eddie Pelkey.

22. Kingpin (5 of 15 lists - 70 points - highest ranking #5 pittshoganerkoff) Kingpin is a 1996 slapstick comedy film directed by the Farrelly brothers and starring Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Vanessa Angel, and Bill Murray. It was filmed in and around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as a stand-in for Scranton, Amish country and even Reno, Nevada. Plot Roy Munson (Woody Harrelson) is a bowling prodigy who wins the 1979 Iowa state amateur championship and plans to leave his tiny (fictional) hometown of Ocelot, Iowa to go on the Professional Bowlers Tour. He wins his first tournament, defeating an established pro named Ernie McCracken (Bill Murray). Soon after, McCracken convinces Munson to help him con some bowlers. The con goes badly, and the bowlers they swindle cut off Munson's hand in revenge. In present day, a down-and-out Munson sports a prosthetic hook covered with a fake rubber hand and sells bowling alley supplies for a living, with little success. Roy resides in a seedy apartment building in Scranton, Pennsylvania where an unpleasant landlady (Lin Shaye) is constantly after him to pay overdue rent. On a sales call, Munson catches sight of an Amish man, Ishmael Boorg (Randy Quaid), rolling a respectable game. Munson tries to convince Ishmael to turn pro, with him acting as manager. Ishmael declines the offer as he has little interest in worldly affairs – bowling is his only vice. After having unwanted sex with his repulsive landlady in lieu of rent, Roy sees a headline on a bowling magazine advertising a $1,000,000 winner-take-all tournament in Reno, Nevada. Posing as an Amish man, Roy visits the Boorg family home to try and convince Ishmael to enter the tournament. Ishmael reluctantly agrees when he receives news that the Amish community will lose their land unless a $500,000 payment can be raised. Roy discovers that Ishmael isn't as skilled as he first thought, as Ishmael's self-proclaimed 270 average is based on a 15-frame game, instead of the standard 10 frames – based on the notion that the Amish are obligated by tradition to do everything "half-again" as much as everyone else. A disgruntled Roy decides to take Ishmael home, but Ishmael convinces Roy to give him another chance and take him to Reno. Roy reluctantly agrees and after some coaching along the way Ishmael's game steadily improves. During the road trip, Roy introduces Ishmael to worldly vices. The pair wind up at a mansion owned by a hoodlum named Stanley whom they plan to hustle. When Stanley discovers their ploy, he threatens them with violence, but his girlfriend Claudia (Vanessa Angel), tired of Stanley's abuse, helps the pair escape and they all continue on the road to Reno. When Claudia disapproves of Roy's exploitation of Ishmael, Roy tries to abandon her but she thwarts his plan and they begin to fight, at which point Ishmael abandons them both. As they search for him, they make a stop in Ocelot, and Claudia's attitude towards Roy softens when she learns that he was too ashamed of his failure to return home even for his father's funeral. They finally reunite with Ishmael and make their way to Reno. At a Reno hotel, Roy runs into McCracken, who is now a bowling celebrity entered in the $1,000,000 tournament. McCracken insults Roy, and infuriates Ishmael to the point where he takes a swing at him. McCracken ducks and Ishmael hits a wall and breaks his hand, leaving him unable to bowl. To make matters worse, Stanley tracks Claudia to Reno, steals the trio's bankroll and forces Claudia to leave with him. Hurt and confused by Claudia's apparent abandonment, Ishmael tries to convince Roy that they still have a chance to win the $1,000,000 – if Roy will bowl. Roy finally agrees and enters the tournament, rolling the ball with his prosthetic rubber hand. Despite all odds, Roy has a Cinderella run through the tournament, defeating both pro bowlers Mark Roth and Randy Pedersen on his way to face McCracken in the final. The two competitors are evenly matched heading into the final frame, until Ishmael's brother arrives and orders Ishmael to return home with him immediately. Distracted by his friend's sudden absence, Roy rolls the most difficult of splits (7-10 split) but is miraculously able to convert it, thereby forcing McCracken to roll three strikes to beat him. McCracken ultimately does so, and wins the tournament. Roy returns to his seedy apartment where he is surprised by an unexpected visitor at his door. Claudia has returned with the bankroll she had taken from Stanley, now doubled since Stanley bet against Roy in the final. She proposes the cash be split three-ways between Roy, Ishmael and herself, but instead Roy produces a $500,000 check he has received from Trojan condoms for an endorsement deal – thanks to his fake hand which earned him the nickname "Rubber Man" during the ESPN-televised tournament. Roy pointedly states that the money is going to be split "one-way". The story ends with Roy sitting together with Claudia in the Boorg household after giving the $500,000 to the Amish so their community can be saved. Roy has also covered for Ishmael's indiscretions on the road and portrays him as a hero to his family. As the credits roll, Roy and Claudia happily drive away together. Cast Woody Harrelson (Will Rothhaar, young) as Roy Munson Randy Quaid as Ishmael Vanessa Angel as Claudia Bill Murray as Ernie McCracken Chris Elliott as The Gambler William Jordan as Mr. Boorg Richard Tyson as Stiffy's owner Lin Shaye as Landlady Zen Gesner as Thomas Prudence Wright Holmes as Mrs. Boorg Steve Tyler as Gas Station Attendant Rob Moran as Stanley Osmanski Danny Greene as Calvert Munson Willie Garson as Purse snatcher Reception The film received mixed to moderately positive reviews from critics; Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 51% based on 35 reviews, with an average rating of 5.8 out of 10. Roger Ebert had one of the more noteworthy positive reviews, giving it 3.5 out of 4 stars. Gene Siskel enthusiastically endorsed the film, putting it on his list of the ten best films of the year. The film is ranked #67 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies".

23. Friday Night Lights (3 of 15 lists - 64 points - highest ranking #1 BigSqwert) Friday Night Lights is a 2004 drama film which documents the coach and players of a high school football team and the Texas city of Odessa that supports and is obsessed with them. The book on which it was based, Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream, was authored by H. G. Bissinger and follows the story of the 1988 Permian High School Panthers football team as they made a run towards the state championship. A television series of the same name premiered on October 3, 2006 on NBC. This movie ranked number 37 on Entertainment Weekly's list of the Best High School Movies. Plot Bissinger followed the team for the entire 1988 season, which culminated in a loss in the State finals against Carter High School from Dallas, who eventually went on to win the championship game but would have their title stripped for playing an ineligible player. However, the book also deals with — or alludes to — a number of secondary political and social issues existing in Odessa, all of which share ties to the Permian Panthers football team. These include socioeconomic disparity; racism; segregation (and desegregation); and poverty. The coach, Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton), is constantly in the hot seat. Tied to the successes and failure of the coach and the team in general are the conflicts the players struggle with on and off the gridiron. The coach overuses his star player and running back James "Boobie" Miles (Derek Luke) who gets seriously injured (Miles tore his ACL, missed the playoffs, and had a limp for the rest of his life). When this happens, sports radios are flooded with calls for his resignation. Miles' once-arrogant attitude vanishes as he sees his once promising chance of playing big-time college football disappear and starts to question his future after he notices his not-so promising academic standing. Quarterback Mike Winchell (Lucas Black) struggles with being able to play consistently. Fullback Don Billingsley (Garrett Hedlund) has a rocky relationship with his father (Tim McGraw), who won a state championship at Permian and carries on a feud with his son for not performing on the level he'd like to see, despite the fact that Don doesn't do anything to light his father's temper. Third-string running back Chris Comer (Lee Thompson Young), who takes the spot of Miles after his injury, attempts to get rid of his fear of being hit and getting injured, especially when the player who last occupied his spot suffered a season ending injury. His obsession with fame and recognition also comes at a high price that he is at first not ready to play. Safety Brian Chavez (Jay Hernandez) is easily the smartest player on the team, and the most confident in his future after high school football. One of the themes of the movie depicts the coach as a father-type figure for the players. Coach Gaines triumphs and struggles with winning football games and connecting with his players a number of times during their tremulous season. His job depends on the Panthers making the playoffs, and his team is in a three-way tie with two other teams at the end of the regular season. Under Texas rules for ties, the tiebreaker is a coin-toss. Permian gets a spot. They make it to the finals, where they narrowly lose against a powerhouse Dallas high school team. The movie ends with the coach removing the departing seniors from the depth chart on his wall. Notably, the depth chart has "Case" at quarterback. This refers to Permian's real-life backup quarterback in 1988, Stoney Case, who would go on to lead Permian, along with Chris Comer, to the 5A state title the following year, and still later made it to the NFL. The final scene consists of Winchell throwing a football to a bunch of pee-wees playing pick-up football before leaving with Billingsley and Chavez. Cast Billy Bob Thornton as Coach Gary Gaines Lucas Black as Mike Winchell Garrett Hedlund as Don Billingsley Derek Luke as James "Boobie" Miles Jay Hernandez as Brian Chavez Lee Jackson III as Ivory Christian Lee Thompson Young as Chris Comer Tim McGraw as Charles Billingsley Connie Britton as Sharon Gaines Amber Heard as Maria Julius Tennon as Coach Freddie James Differences between the movie and actual events Regular season The film shows Boobie Miles injuring his knee against the Marshall Bulldogs in the first game of the regular season. However, his knee was injured in a pre-season scrimmage against the Palo Duro Dons in Amarillo. In the movie, the top-ranked Permian Panthers defeated the hapless Marshall Bulldogs in a non-district game, the game is the season opener, and played on a Friday night in Odessa. In real life, the third-ranked Marshall Mavericks (whose colors are red and white, not purple and gold) defeated fourth-ranked Permian 13–12, and was Permian's second game of the season, and played at Maverick Stadium in Marshall on a Saturday afternoon.. The playoffs In the movie, the three-way tie for the district lead was between Permian, Midland Lee, and Abilene Cooper. In reality, however, Midland High was in Cooper's position but did not make the playoffs just like Cooper. Permian's first opponent in the playoffs was Amarillo Tascosa (31–7) and not Dallas Jesuit as in the movie. In fact, in 1988 Texas public schools (such as Permian, Carter, and Amarillo High) and private schools (such as Jesuit) competed in separate leagues with separate playoffs. Jesuit was not allowed to join the previously all-public school University Interscholastic League until 2003, starting football competition in 2004. Permian did play Dallas Jesuit in Odessa during the regular season in 1988, winning 48–2. Following the postseason victory over Tascosa, Permian defeated El Paso Andress 41-13, Irving Nimitz 48-7 and Arlington Lamar 21-7 before losing 14-9 to Dallas Carter in the semifinals at University of Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin. Converse Judson High School was the team that played Dallas Carter in 1988 for the 5A state championship, Judson lost to Carter but was later awarded the state title due to Carter having ineligible players. Cameo roles Chicago Bears wide receiver Roy Williams (a Permian alumnus) has a cameo in the movie, ironically, as an assistant coach for Midland Lee (Permian's arch-rival). Former Denver Broncos cornerback Ty Law plays a wide receiver for Dallas Carter, the team Permian plays in the movie's state championship game (as noted earlier, the real Permian-Carter game was a semifinal). He wears jersey #2, his last name is Graf, and he eventually catches a one-handed touchdown pass. The real James "Boobie" Miles plays a Permian assistant coach in the film. Although he has no lines, he is seen several times. In the locker room scene at halftime of the state championship game, he is seen standing next to the fictional "Boobie" Miles as Coach Gaines gives his speech. Soundtrack Main article: Friday Night Lights (soundtrack) The soundtrack for the film predominantly features post-rock band Explosions in the Sky. Music by Daniel Lanois and rock band Bad Company are also included. Other songs in the film are "Just Got Paid" by ZZ Top, during the montage of the Panthers' road to the finals; the pump up song that is featured as the team runs through the tunnel in the game against Dallas Carter is "New Noise" by the seminal Swedish punk band Refused. Also, during the start of the third quarter during the Championship game, the song "I Wanna Be Your Dog" by The Stooges is used. Critical reception Reviews of the film were highly positive. The film received an 82% "Certified Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 164 reviews, and a score of 70/100 on Metacritic, based on 35 reviews. While the residents of Odessa held a negative reception of the book, the residents anticipated the release of the film.

24. Little Giants (4 of 15 lists - 54 points - highest ranking #8 dasox24) Little Giants is a 1994 family comedy film, starring Rick Moranis and Ed O'Neill as brothers in a small Ohio town, coaching rival Pee-Wee Football teams. Danny O'Shea (Rick Moranis) has always lived in the shadow of his older brother, Kevin (Ed O'Neill), an Irish American Heisman Trophy winner and a local football hero. The brothers live in their hometown of Urbania, Ohio and Kevin coaches the local "Pee-Wee Cowboys" football team. Despite being the best player, Danny's tomboy daughter Becky (Shawna Waldron), nicknamed Icebox, is cut during try outs because she is a girl. After being ridiculed by the other players who made the team, she convinces her dad to coach a new pee-wee team named "The Little Giants". At first Danny is reluctant to do so, but later accepts in an attempt to show Urbania that Kevin is not invincible, and that there is another O'Shea in town capable of winning. Kevin mockingly reminds him of the "one town, one team" rule and with the help of the locals, they decide to have a playoff game to determine the lone team that will represent Urbania. Among Becky and the other children that did not make Kevin's team, Danny also gathers other children that have never been given a chance. One such player is Junior Floyd (Devon Sawa), a strong armed quarterback and son to Danny's childhood sweetheart, Patty Floyd (Susanna Thompson). Becky slowly develops a crush on him and struggles with her new found feelings as a girl. Local townsfolk fan the flames of the rivalry between the brothers by reporting to both Danny and Kevin that a new star player, Spike Hammersmith (Sam Horrigan), has just moved to Urbania. Danny succeeds at recruiting him by tricking his overzealous father, Mike (Brian Haley), that he is the famous "Coach O'Shea", but this is a problem as Spike proves to be rude, arrogant, and refuses to play on a team with a girl. The deception is later discovered and he switches over to Kevin's more well-structured Cowboys. Kevin also encourages his own daughter, Debbie (Courtney Peldon), to be a cheerleader and later convinces Becky that a quarterback will want to date a girl, not a teammate. Realizing it is her best chance to win over Junior, she decides to quit the team and pursue cheerleading. Just as Danny's "Little Giants" start to lose hope, a bus arrives carrying John Madden, Emmitt Smith, Bruce Smith, Tim Brown, and Steve Emtman. The NFL stars teach and inspire the young players into believing they can win. On the day of the game, Kevin chastises Danny into making an impulsive bet. If Danny wins, he gets Kevin's Chevrolet dealership; if Kevin wins, he gets Danny's gas station. Facing a 21-point halftime deficit, the Giants are lifted when Danny asks them to individually recall a time when they had a proud accomplishment and reassures them that all it takes is "one time" to beat the Cowboys. With this, the Giants begin to make a big comeback with a series of outstanding and unexpected plays. Realizing that Junior is the main threat to them, Spike, under orders from Mike, injures him by spearing him with his helmet after the whistle, which even Kevin considers disgraceful, unsportsmanlike conduct. Witnessing from the sidelines, an enraged Becky does the right thing, drops her pompoms and suits up for the game. She immediately makes an impact when she forces a fumble after a jarring hit on Spike. Other Giants make touchdowns in tandem with overcoming personal problems, such as one player overcoming his fear of dropping passes and making a completion, or another one running towards the goal line when his little-seen dad has come to watch him play. In the game's closing seconds with the score tied at 21 all, the Giants make a goal line stand on 4th down and stop Spike. With time remaining for one final play, their offense step back onto the field and use a trick play Nubie calls "The Annexation of Puerto Rico". Kevin shouts out the actual name of the play as it occurs, shouting "Fumblerooski, Fumblerooski!" The play takes up all 99 yards using three different ball carriers towards a Giants touchdown. Afterwards, Danny says that rather than have the Giants solely represent Urbania, he will merge the Cowboys into them and that both he and Kevin can coach the team. He and Patty rekindle their childhood romance and he agrees not to hold Kevin to the pre-game bet on the condition that the Urbania water tower be changed from "Home of Kevin O'Shea" to "Home of The O'Shea Brothers", reflecting a much earlier promise of Kevin to Danny from their childhood that one day both their names would be on it. Cast Rick Moranis as Danny O'Shea Ed O'Neill as Kevin O'Shea Shawna Waldron as Becky "Icebox" O'Shea Susanna Thompson as Patty Floyd Devon Sawa as Junior Floyd Brian Haley as Mike Hammersmith Sam Horrigan as Spike Hammersmith Frank Carl Fisher Jr. as Patterson Mary Ellen Trainor as Karen O'Shea Courtney Peldon as Debbie O'Shea Alexa Vega as Priscilla O'Shea Todd Bosley as Jake Berman Matthew McCurley as Nubie Joey Simmirin as Sean Murphy Jon Paul Steuer as Johnny Vennaro Troy Simmons as Hanon Marcus Toji as Marcus Cameos John Madden: Former NFL Coach for the Oakland Raiders and former commentator for NBC Sunday Night Football. Madden is also well known for his popular football video game franchise entitled John Madden Football. A Pro Football Hall of Famer. Emmitt Smith: Former NFL running back for the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals. The all time leading rusher in NFL history, and also scored over 100 touchdowns. A Pro Football Hall of Famer. Bruce Smith: Former NFL defensive end for the Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins. The all-time leading sacker with 200 quarterback sacks. A Pro Football Hall of Famer. Tim Brown: Former NFL wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Steve Emtman: Former NFL defensive lineman for the Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, and Washington Redskins. Box office The film had a low budget, and was able to recoup with $20 million earned in box office sales. Real life inspiration On September 18, 2010, in an overtime victory, the Michigan State University Spartans defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in football 34-31 by using a trick play that was inspired by the movie Little Giants. Instead of attempting a 46-yard field goal to send the game into a second overtime, Michigan State scored a touchdown on a fake field goal pass from holder Aaron Bates to tight end Charlie Gantt, and the Spartans stunned Notre Dame before a sellout crowd of 78,411 fans at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. During the on the field post game interview on national television with the ABC/ESPN network, Michigan State Coach, Mark Dantonio said “By the way, that play is called ‘Little Giants’.” Aaron Bates who threw the winning pass said, "We knew Notre Dame wasn’t expecting it. That was the last thing anyone was expecting. Coach D likes 'Little Giants.' I think that’s the only movie he has ever watched."

btb!

25. The Mighty Ducks (4 of 15 lists - 52 points - highest ranking #6 farmteam) The Mighty Ducks is the first film in The Mighty Ducks trilogy, produced by Avnet–Kerner Productions and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and originally released on October 2, 1992. In the UK and Australia, the film was titled Champions. UK video/DVD releases are now titled The Mighty Ducks Are the Champions, reflecting both titles. Plot Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez) is a successful Minneapolis defense attorney, whose truculent courtroom antics have earned him no respect among his peers. After being arrested for drunken driving, Bombay is sentenced to community service by coaching the local "District 5" PeeWee hockey team. Bombay has a history with the sport, although his memories are far from pleasant: he blew a penalty shot, costing his team the title and disappointing his hyper-competitive coach, Jack Reilly (Lane Smith). In fact, the movie later shows Reilly with Bombay looking at his string of championship banners and disgustingly saying that the runner-up banner should be taken down. When Bombay meets the team, he realizes the kids have no practice facility, equipment or ability to go with it. The team's first game with Bombay at the helm is against Bombay's old team: the Hawks, the team from the snooty suburb of Edina. Reilly is still head coach and remains bitter about Gordon's shortcoming in that fateful game. District 5 gets pummeled and after Bombay berates the team for not listening to him the players challenge his authority. Meanwhile, Bombay discovers his old mentor and family friend Hans (Joss Ackland) who owns a nearby sporting goods store was in attendance. While visiting him, Bombay recalls that he quit playing hockey after losing his father four months before the championship game. Hans encourages him to rekindle his childhood passion. Bombay approaches his boss, Gerald Ducksworth (Josef Sommer) to sponsor the team, which Ducksworth reluctantly agrees. The result is a complete makeover for the team, both in look (as they can now buy professional equipment) and in skill (as Bombay has more time to teach the kids hockey fundamentals). Now playing as the "Ducks", they fight to a tie in the next game and recruit three new players: figure-skating siblings Tommy (Danny Tamberelli) and Tammy Duncan (Jane Plank) and slap shot specialist and enforcer Fulton Reed (Elden Henson). The potential of Ducks player Charlie Conway (Joshua Jackson) catches Bombay's eye and he takes him under his wing. Bombay learns that star player for the Hawks, Adam Banks (Vincent Larusso), actually resides in the Ducks' district boundaries and threatens Reilly into transferring Banks to the Ducks. After hearing an out of context quote about them, the Ducks players lose faith in Bombay and revert to their old habits. Ducksworth makes a deal with Reilly about the Hawks keeping Banks, however Bombay refuses since it would be against fair-play, which Ducksworth berated him about when he started his community service. Left with either the choice of letting his team down or get fired from his job, Bombay takes the latter. Bombay manages to win back the Ducks' trust and Adam Banks proves to be a valuable asset. The Ducks manage to make it to the championship against the Hawks. Despite the Hawks' heavy attacks taking Banks out of the game, the Ducks manage to score a tie and earn a penalty shot in the final seconds of the game. Bombay encourages Charlie to take the shot, reassuring him that even if he fails it will be allright. Charlie manages to score a goal using a technique Gordon taught him. The movie ends with Bombay boarding a bus headed to a minor-league tryout. Although he seems daunted at the prospect of going up against younger players, he receives the same words of encouragement and advice from the Ducks he had given them, promising he will return next season to defend their title. Cast Emilio Estevez as Gordon Bombay Joss Ackland as Hans Lane Smith as Coach Jack Reilly Heidi Kling as Casey Conway Josef Sommer as Mr. Gerald Ducksworth Joshua Jackson as Charlie Conway Elden Henson as Fulton Reed Shaun Weiss as Greg Goldberg M.C. Gainey as Lewis Matt Doherty as Les Averman Brandon Adams as Jesse Hall J.D. Daniels as Peter Mark Aaron Schwartz as Dave Karp Garette Ratliff Henson as Guy Germaine Marguerite Moreau as Connie Moreau Danny Tamberelli as Tommy Duncan Jane Plank as Tammy Duncan Jussie Smollett as Terry Hall Vincent A. Larusso as Adam Banks Michael Ooms as McGill Casey Garven as Larson Hal Fort Atkinson III as Phillip Banks Basil McRae as Himself Mike Modano as Himself John Beasley as Mr. Hall Brock Pierce as Gordon Bombay - 10 years old Robert Pall as Gordon's Father John Paul Gamoke as Mr. Tolbert Steven Brill as Frank Huddy Reception While reviews from critics were very mixed, the film became a surprising success. It grossed $50,752,337 in the U.S. alone (not counting inflation). The film's success inspired two sequels, an animated TV series, and an NHL team was named after the first film. While both sequels box-office totals didn't match the first movie, they were still financially successful.

26. The Longest Yard (1974) (3 of 15 lists - 52 points - highest ranking #6 ZoomSlowik) The Longest Yard is a 1974 American comedy sports-drama film about inmates at a prison who play American football against their guards. Burt Reynolds portrayed Paul "Wrecking" Crewe in the original, and the coach Nate Scarborough in the 2005 remake. The 1974 original was also the basis for the 2001 movie Mean Machine (a shortened version of the title used for the original's UK release), starring Vinnie Jones as Danny Meehan, based on the character of Paul Crewe, and featuring association football instead of American football. Green Bay Packers legend Ray Nitschke appeared in the 1974 version as did the country legend George Jones. The protagonist is Paul "Wrecking" Crewe (Burt Reynolds), former star pro football quarterback living with his wealthy girlfriend (Anitra Ford) in Palm Beach, Florida. After a fight with her, he gets drunk and "steals" her expensive Citroën SM automobile. He is surprised when a fleet of police cars follow him. Briefly evading them, he exits the vehicle and sends it off a dock into the bay. He is caught and sentenced to 18 months in prison. Crewe has difficulty getting along with the guards as well as with his fellow inmates. The convicts despise him because he was dismissed from the National Football League for point shaving. The sadistic, power-hungry warden Rudolph Hazen (Eddie Albert), a football fanatic who manages a semi-pro team made up of the prison's guards (most of whom are big and fast enough to play professionally), wants Crewe to help coach the team. Responding to pressure from the guards' leader and coach, Captain Wilhelm Knauer (Ed Lauter), Crewe refuses. He is harassed by the guards and given backbreaking work as punishment. Crewe relents and agrees to form a prisoner team to play the guards' team in an exhibition "tune-up" game. Crewe finds that most of the inmates have no football experience, and it seems extremely doubtful that they could seriously take on the guards. Adding to Crewe's problems, the black inmates refuse to play. Crewe eventually builds trust amongst key members of the prison community. Promising them that they can inflict excessive injuries on their opponents, he manages to form a team capable of playing the guards. The team includes the most dangerous and violent prisoners. Among the most impressive are Samson (Richard Kiel), a 7-foot-tall (2.1 m) former professional weightlifter, and Connie Shokner (Robert Tessier), a fearsome serial killer and martial arts expert. With the help of the clever Caretaker (James Hampton), veteran former professional player Nate Scarborough (Michael Conrad), "Granny" Granville (Harry Caesar), long-term prisoner Pop (John Steadman) — who remains in prison far past his original sentence for having struck Warden Hazen when the warden was just a rookie guard — and the warden's amorous secretary (Bernadette Peters), Crewe molds the prisoners into a smoothly working football team named the "Mean Machine". Before the game, an arsonist named Unger (Charles Tyner) schemes to kill Crewe by setting off an incendiary device in his cell. Caretaker is killed in the blaze in Crewe's cell after he goes there to retrieve X-rays for Crewe, who is sitting in Caretaker's cell with Nate. As the game starts, the "Mean Machine" does well, and at halftime the game is close, with the guards leading, 15-13. Cornering Crewe in the locker room, Hazen berates him for trying to win the game and tells Crewe that he has Unger in custody and that he is willing to testify that Crewe was an accessory to Caretaker's murder unless Crewe loses the game to the guards by at least 21 points. Crewe reluctantly and angrily agrees, but obtains a promise from Hazen that if he cooperates, the other prisoners will not be harmed. However, Hazen tells Captain Knauer to order his players to "inflict as much physical punishment on the prisoners as humanly possible" as soon as they are ahead by 21 points. Crewe quickly makes several deliberate mistakes putting the "Mean Machine" down by more than three touchdowns, 35-13, then takes himself out of the game. With the prisoners demoralized, the guards then take out their anger on the prisoners, causing several injuries. At this point, a depressed Crewe asks Pop if it had been worth it — trading the opportunity to punch the warden in exchange for a life sentence he didn't deserve. Pop states that, for himself at least, it was, and Crewe goes back into the game with a renewed sense of purpose. At first, the prisoners are angry with Crewe and provide him with no protection or co-operation, but he convinces them of his change of mind, and with the help of two quick touchdowns followed by a drop kick field goal, gets the "Mean Machine" back into the game, trailing by only five points, 35-30. Nate, despite his bad knee, goes into the game to score one of the touchdowns, and, after doing so, is immediately cut down at the knees by guard Bogdanski (Ray Nitschke), crippling him. However, by this time the prisoners have rallied and their spirit cannot be broken as they have turned the tables on the guards in terms of the violence, including a clothesline from Samson that apparently breaks a guard's neck, while Crewe deliberately and repeatedly throws the ball as hard as possible at Bogdanski's genitals. Driving downfield for the game-winning score, a running play up the middle is stuffed and Crewe calls the team's final timeout with seven seconds remaining in the game and the prisoners with the ball on the guards' one-yard line - the "longest yard" of the title. Crewe walks off the field to the sideline and his teammates begin to follow. Crewe gathers them together for a last moment of reflection and steeling of their resolve. In a long slow-motion sequence, Crewe takes the final snap, dodges several defenders in the backfield and hurdles yet others into the end zone. Scoring the winning touchdown with no time left, the "Mean Machine" wins, 36-35. As the prisoners and the crowd celebrate, Warden Hazen is furious. Crewe walks across the field in what appears to be an attempt to mingle with the crowd and escape. Hazen sees this and orders Knauer to shoot Crewe by yelling "Shoot him! Kill him!". A very tense few moments ensue as Knauer trains his rifle on Crewe and repeately yells, "Crewe! Crewe!" as Crewe continues to walk away. A moment before possibly being shot, Crewe bends over and picks up the game ball and begins to walk back towards Hazen. Realizing that he was ordered to shoot a man who was simply retrieving a ball, Knauer disgustedly looks at the warden and says, "Game ball". Crewe then arrives back to Hazen, hands him the game ball and tells him to "Stick this in your trophy case." Background A number of the actors had previously played professional football. Mike Henry (Rasmussen) played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Los Angeles Rams. Joe Kapp (Walking Boss) played quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. Ray Nitschke (Bogdanski) was a middle linebacker for the Green Bay Packers who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978, four years after the movie was released, and Pervis Atkins (Mawabe) played for the Los Angeles Rams, the Washington Redskins and the Oakland Raiders. Also appearing as prisoners is Ernie Wheelwright, who played with the New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints, and Ray Ogden, who played with the St. Louis Cardinals, the New Orleans Saints, the Atlanta Falcons and the Chicago Bears. Sonny Sixkiller (who played Indian) was a collegiate star as a quarterback for the University of Washington Huskies from 1970-1972. Burt Reynolds himself had played college football for Florida State University. Awards The film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) in 1975. Popular culture There is a restaurant and bar in the City of Toronto that is named after the film. In the Adult Swim program Sealab 2021, the new captain Tornado Shanks schedules a football game between Sealab and the prison guards of the Marianas Trench Maximum Security Prison for Criminally Insane Robots; the warden of the prison and coach of the guards is Warden Hazen, a nod to the film.

27. The Wrestler (2 of 15 lists - 47 points - highest ranked #1 Buehrle>Wood) The Wrestler is a 2008 drama directed by Darren Aronofsky, written by Robert D. Siegel and starring Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood. Production began in January 2008 and Fox Searchlight Pictures acquired rights to distribute the film in the U.S.; it was released in a limited capacity on December 17, 2008 and was released nationwide on January 23, 2009. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on April 21, 2009 in the United States. It was released in the United Kingdom on June 1, 2009. Aronofsky considers The Wrestler to be a companion piece to his 2010 film, Black Swan, as both films feature a character with a demanding art. Rourke plays an aging professional wrestler who continues to wrestle matches in an attempt to cling on to his 1980s heyday despite his failing health, while also trying to mend his relationship with his estranged daughter and find romance with a stripper. The film received universal critical acclaim and won the Golden Lion Award in the 2008 Venice Film Festival in August, where it premiered. Film critic Roger Ebert wrote it as one of the year's best films, while Rotten Tomatoes reported that 98% of critics gave the film positive reviews. For his role, Mickey Rourke went on to receive a BAFTA award, a Golden Globe award, an Independent Spirit Award and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Tomei also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance. Plot Robin Ramzinski (Mickey Rourke), better known by his ring name Randy "The Ram" Robinson, is a professional wrestler who became a celebrity in the 1980s. Twenty years later, he is now past his prime. Randy wrestles on weekends for independent promotions in New Jersey. A regular at a strip club, he befriends a stripper, Cassidy (Marisa Tomei). Though she is very beautiful, she is getting too old for her job, much like Randy. After winning a local match, Randy agrees to a proposed 20th anniversary rematch against his most notable opponent, "The Ayatollah" (Ernest Miller). Randy intensifies his training, which includes steroid injections. At his next show, he wrestles in a hardcore match. After the match, Randy suffers a heart attack backstage. After he receives coronary artery bypass surgery, his doctor tells him that his heart can no longer handle the stress of wrestling. He retires and begins working a 9–5 shift behind the deli counter at the supermarket with a demeaning manager, Wayne (Todd Barry), who mocks Randy's wrestling background. At Cassidy's suggestion, Randy visits his estranged daughter, Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood), whom he abandoned when she was a child. Now an adult, she rebuffs him. While helping Randy buy a gift for Stephanie, Cassidy reveals that she has a son. Randy makes romantic advances on her, which she rejects on the grounds of her job. Randy gives the gifts to his daughter and apologizes. The two bond over a visit to a beachfront boardwalk and they agree to meet for dinner on the coming Saturday. Randy goes to Cassidy's strip club to thank her, but she once more rejects him, resulting in an angry exchange. Upset, Randy goes to see a wrestling match and finds solace in his wrestling friends. When he goes to a bar with them, he gets drunk, snorts cocaine and has sex with a woman in the bar's bathroom. He sleeps the entire next day and misses his dinner with Stephanie. He goes to her house to apologize, but she angrily cries and says that she never wants to see him again. At the deli counter, a patron recognizes him as "The Ram", though Randy denies being the wrestler. Agitated, Randy cuts his thumb on the deli slicer machine and goes on a rampage in the store, before quitting. With nothing else left, he decides to return to wrestling. He reschedules the 20th anniversary rematch with The Ayatollah and turns down Cassidy's attempts at reconciliation, who warns him of his heart condition. He explains to her that he belongs in the ring with the fans who truly love him, unlike the rest of the world. As he wrestles, Randy begins to feel chest pain and becomes unsteady. The Ayatollah notes this and urges him to initiate the pin. However, Randy begins his signature finishing move, a diving head butt called the "Ram Jam". He climbs the top rope and stands up. In tears, he salutes the crowd and leaps. Cast Rourke's performance in the film gave renewed interest to his career. Mickey Rourke as Robin Ramzinski / Randy "The Ram" Robinson Marisa Tomei as Pam / Cassidy Evan Rachel Wood as Stephanie Mark Margolis as Lenny Todd Barry as Wayne Judah Friedlander as Scott Ernest Miller as Bob / "The Ayatollah" Ajay Naidu as Medic Wass Stevens as Nick John D'Leo as Adam Gregg Bello as Larry Professional wrestlers who appeared in the film include: Rob Eckos, Ron "The Truth" Killings, Necro Butcher, Nick Berk, The Blue Meanie, Sabian, Nate Hatred, L.A. Smooth, Jay Lethal, Jim Powers, Claudio Castagnoli, Larry Sweeney, Romeo Roselli, John Zandig, Chuck Taylor and Nigel McGuinness. Production The Wrestler was written by Robert D. Siegel, a former writer for The Onion and entered development at director Darren Aronofsky's Protozoa Pictures. Actor Nicolas Cage entered negotiations in October 2007 to star as Randy. The following month Cage left the project, and Mickey Rourke replaced him in the lead role. According to Aronofsky, Cage pulled out of the movie because Aronofsky wanted Rourke as the lead character. Aronofsky stated that Cage was "a complete gentleman, and he understood that my heart was with Mickey and he stepped aside. I have so much respect for Nic Cage as an actor and I think it really could have worked with Nic but, you know, Nic was incredibly supportive of Mickey and he is old friends with Mickey and really wanted to help with this opportunity, so he pulled himself out of the race." The roughly 40-day shoot began in January 2008, with filming taking place throughout New Jersey in Elizabeth, Hasbrouck Heights, Garfield, Asbury Park, Linden, Rahway, Roselle Park, Dover, a supermarket in Bayonne where Rourke served and improvised with real customers, and in New York. Scenes were also shot at The Arena in Philadelphia. Afa Anoa'i, a former professional wrestler, was hired to train Rourke for his role. Anoa'i brought his two main trainers, Jon Trosky and Tom Farra, to work with Rourke for eight weeks. Both trainers also have parts in the movie. One scene features a fictional Nintendo Entertainment System video game called Wrestle Jam '88. It starred the characters of Robinson and The Ayatollah. Aronofsky requested a fully functioning game for the actors to play with, with programmer Randall Furino and the film's title designer Kristyn Hume creating a playable demo with a working interface and AI routines that also featured 1980s era-appropriate graphics and music. To add more realism, the locker room scenes were improvised for Rourke and others to look as if they were actually socializing. Some of the deli scenes were improvised because Aronofsky was actually filming Rourke working there. Music Unlike Aronofsky's previous films—which featured original scores by Clint Mansell—The Wrestler has a soundtrack of pre-recorded pop music, most of it hair metal acts such as Ratt. Clint Mansell, the composer for Aronofsky's previous films, π, Requiem for a Dream, and The Fountain, reprised his role as composer for The Wrestler. Slash played the guitars on the score. A new Bruce Springsteen song, also titled "The Wrestler", plays over the film's closing credits. Springsteen wrote the song while on tour in Europe after receiving a letter and a copy of the script from Rourke. The Guns N' Roses song "Sweet Child o' Mine" is played during Randy's ring entrance at the end of the film. In his Golden Globe acceptance speech, Rourke mentioned that Axl Rose donated the song for free due to the budget, and the film's closing credits thank Rose for this. Rourke had used the same song as his intro music during his stint as a boxer in the mid-90s. Randy even mocks one of Axl Rose's biggest rivals in the popular music scene of the early 1990s: Kurt Cobain. Also featured in the film are two Ratt songs ("Round and Round" and "I'm Insane"), the Quiet Riot song "Metal Health" (which is Randy's entrance song except for the last match), the FireHouse song "Don't Walk Away", the Slaughter song "Dangerous", the Scorpions song "Animal Magnetism", "Balls to the Wall" by Accept, "Soundtrack to a War" by Rhino Bucket and the Cinderella song "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)." The two Ratt tunes are actually recordings by Rat Attack, a project featuring Ratt lead singer Stephen Pearcy and guitarists George Lynch (Dokken) and Tracii Guns (L.A. Guns). The Madonna song "Jump" is played in the bar scene. The Birdman and Lil Wayne song "Stuntin' Like My Daddy" can be heard in the strip club. Also in the movie is a song called "Let Your Freak Out" by independent Toronto singer/songwriter Deesha which can be heard during the strip club scene where Marisa Tomei's character is having an emotional conversation with Mickey Rourke's character. In the Toronto International Film Festival interview conducted by James Rocchi, Aronofsky credited the 1957 Charles Mingus song "The Clown," an instrumental piece with a poem read over the music about a clown who accidentally discovers the bloodlust of the crowds and eventually kills himself in performance, as a major source of inspiration for the movie. Aronofsky also said the brief reprise of Senator and Presidential-candidate John McCain's "Bomb bomb Iran" to the tune of The Beach Boys' "Barbara Ann" in the movie evolved as improvisation on the set. The Ayatollah wrestling character's persona had developed more than 20 years before but, in part through this musical moment and its connection with the character, came to still feel appropriate to Aronofsky in 2008. Mickey Rourke appeared at WrestleMania XXV to promote The Wrestler. Promotion Though initially critical of the film, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) helped promote it through an on-screen angle (a fictional storyline used in wrestling). This involved the heel Chris Jericho criticizing legendary retired wrestlers such as Ric Flair, whom he felt were embarrassing themselves, as well as Mickey Rourke for his portrayal in The Wrestler. At the 15th Screen Actors Guild Awards, Rourke announced he would be competing at WrestleMania XXV, specifically targeting Jericho. The announcement led to a confrontation between the two on Larry King Live, which showed signs of second thoughts from Rourke. On January 28, it was announced through Rourke's spokesperson that the actor would not compete at the event, and he was soon after announced instead as a guest. Rourke was also invited to the 2009 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony the night before WrestleMania. The angle culminated the following night where Jericho faced Ricky Steamboat, Roddy Piper, and Jimmy Snuka in a handicap match. After his victory, Jericho dismantled Flair and challenged Rourke, who finally entered the ring and punched him out. Flair then congratulated Rourke. Reception The Wrestler has received universal critical acclaim. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 98% of critics gave the film positive write-ups based upon a sample of 211, and gave it a golden tomato for best drama of 2008. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film has received an average score of 81, based on 36 reviews, signifying "universal acclaim". Alonso Duralde, of MSNBC, said, "Rourke's work transcends mere stunt-casting; his performance is a howl of pain that seems to come from a very real place." Todd McCarthy, of Variety, said, "Rourke creates a galvanizing, humorous, deeply moving portrait that instantly takes its place among the great, iconic screen performances." Ben Mankiewicz, from At the Movies, said, "To put it simply, this is the best film I've seen this year." Le Monde praised the film for melding European film style with an American plot, and stated that “Mickey Rourke’s performance in ‘The Wrestler’ is a continuous celebration of the burdens and splendors of the profession of performance.” (one other French movie critic, Philippe Azoury, praised its portrayal of "the American heartland" as what he viewed as a bleak wasteland).) Although The Wrestler was not technically in Roger Ebert's "Best Films" list, he includes a note at the bottom of his review: "'The Wrestler' is one of the year's best films. It wasn't on my 'best films' list for complicated and boring reasons." Roddy Piper was one of several professional wrestlers to voice his approval for the film and was later featured on a DVD extra commenting on its authenticity. Professional wrestling industry reception Prominent wrestling figures have commented on the movie. Aronofsky remarked during an NPR interview on WWE chairman Vince McMahon's feelings on The Wrestler: “ Vince McMahon saw the film and he called both me and Mickey (Rourke) and he was really, really touched by it. It happened a week ago. We were very nervous wondering what he would think, but he really, really felt the film was special. Having his support meant a lot to us, especially Mickey. ” WWE Hall of Famer Bret "The Hitman" Hart, who was a multi-time world champion in both WWE and WCW, enjoyed The Wrestler and applauded Rourke's "clairvoyant" performance, but called the film a "dark misinterpretation" of the business. He asserted: "Randy “The Ram” Robinson was a main-eventer who sold out Madison Square Garden. So was I... Although the film speaks superbly to the speed bumps all pro wrestlers navigate, I’m happy to report most of us don’t swerve off the road quite so severely." WWE play-by-play commentator Jim Ross called it a "really strong, dramatic film that depicts how people who are obsessed with their own lives and their careers can self-destruct". Former WWE and TNA world heavyweight champion Mick Foley enjoyed the film, saying: "Within five [minutes], I had completely forgotten I was looking at Mickey Rourke. That guy on the screen simply was Randy 'the Ram' Robinson." WWE Hall of Famer "Rowdy" Roddy Piper was said to have been highly emotional after watching a screening of the movie. Aronofsky said of Piper: "He loved it. He broke down and cried in Mickey's arms, so he was psyched that this story was finally told." Insights on the film from Roddy Piper and other former pro wrestlers can be seen in Fox Searchlight Pictures's "Wrestler Round Table", which was included in the Blu-ray version of the film. Top ten lists The film appeared on many critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2008. 1st – Matt Cale, Ruthless Reviews 1st – Ben Mankiewicz, At the Movies 1st – Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out 1st – Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly 2nd – Marc Doyle, Metacritic 2nd – Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle 3rd – Anthony Lane, The New Yorker 3rd – Marc Savlov, The Austin Chronicle 3rd – Peter Vonder Haar, Film Threat 4th – Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times 4th – Ben Lyons, At the Movies 4th – David Denby, The New Yorker 5th – James Berardinelli, ReelViews 5th – Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle 6th – Ty Burr, The Boston Globe 7th – David Ansen, Newsweek 7th – Ray Bennett, The Hollywood Reporter 7th – V.A. Musetto, New York Post 8th – Premiere 8th – Nathan Rabin, The A.V. Club 9th – Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News 9th – Josh Rosenblatt, The Austin Chronicle 10th – Dana Stevens, Slate 10th – Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal 10th – Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News The Ayatollah is a "bad guy" character who bears no real similarity to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The film's release came at a time of hostility in Iran – United States relations and a matter of months after a similar controversy over the film 300. Controversy The Wrestler has been condemned as an "anti-Iranian" film in many Iran newspapers and websites, in response to a scene in which Mickey Rourke violently breaks a pole bearing an Iranian flag in half across his knee. Borna News, a state-run Iranian newspaper, also criticized the heel (bad-guy) wrestler character "The Ayatollah", who is portrayed as a villain wearing Arabic clothings Keffiyeh and Bisht creating a deliberate amalgam of Iranians and Arabs among the audience. On the wrestling ring he wears a skimpy leotard in the pattern of an Iranian flag with the alef character, representing the first letter of the word Ayatollah. Some Iranian newspapers avoided mentioning the character, presumably to avoid offending Iran's clerical rulers. In March 2009, Javad Shamaqdari, cultural adviser to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, demanded an apology from a delegation of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences actors and producers visiting Iran for what he characterized as negative and unfair portrayals of the Islamic republic in The Wrestler and other Hollywood films. The Iranian gimmick is a reference to the now legendary rivalry between Hulk Hogan and The Iron Sheik during the mid-1980s. Accolades Award Category Winner/Nominee Won Academy Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Mickey Rourke No Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Marisa Tomei BAFTA Film Awards Best Leading Actor Mickey Rourke Yes Best Supporting Actress Marisa Tomei No Boston Society of Film Critics Best Actor Mickey Rourke Yes Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Song Bruce Springsteen Yes Best Picture No Best Actor Mickey Rourke Best Supporting Actress Marisa Tomei Central Ohio Film Critics Best Actor Mickey Rourke Yes Best Supporting Actress Marisa Tomei Chicago Film Critics Association Best Actor Mickey Rourke Yes Chlotrudis Awards Best Actor Mickey Rourke No Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Best Actor Mickey Rourke 2nd Best Supporting Actress Marisa Tomei 3rd David di Donatello Awards Best Foreign Film Darren Aronofsky No Detroit Film Critics Society Best Actor Mickey Rourke Yes Best Supporting Actress Marisa Tomei Best Film No Best Director Darren Aronofsky ESPY Awards Best Sports Movie Darren Aronofsky No Florida Film Critics Circle Best Actor Mickey Rourke Yes Best Supporting Actress Marisa Tomei Golden Globes Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama Mickey Rourke Yes Best Original Song - Motion Picture Bruce Springsteen Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture Marisa Tomei No Independent Spirit Awards Best Feature Darren Aronofsky Scott Franklin Yes Best Male Lead Mickey Rourke Best Cinematography Maryse Alberti International Cinephile Society Best Actor Mickey Rourke Yes Best Supporting Actress Marisa Tomei No Iowa Film Critics Awards Best Actor Mickey Rourke Yes Kansas City Film Critics Circle Best Director Darren Aronofsky Yes Best Actor Mickey Rourke Best Original Screenplay Robert D. Siegel Las Vegas Film Critics Society Best Supporting Actress Marisa Tomei No London Film Critics Circle Film of the Year Yes Actor of the Year Mickey Rourke Director of the Year Darren Aronofsky No MTV Movie Awards Best Song from a Movie Bruce Springsteen No National Society of Film Critics Best Actor Mickey Rourke 2nd Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Best Actor Mickey Rourke Yes Best Supporting Actress Marisa Tomei Best Original Screenplay Robert D. Siegel Online Film Critics Society Best Actor Mickey Rourke Yes Best Supporting Actress Marisa Tomei Best Picture No Best Director Darren Aronofsky Best Original Screenplay Robert D. Siegel Phoenix Film Critics Society Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Marisa Tomei Yes Best Original Song Bruce Springsteen San Diego Film Critics Society Best Actor Mickey Rourke Yes Best Supporting Actress Marisa Tomei San Francisco Film Critics Society Best Actor Mickey Rourke Yes Best Supporting Actress Marisa Tomei Satellite Awards Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama Mickey Rourke No Best Original Song Bruce Springsteen Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Mickey Rourke No Toronto Film Critics Association Best Performance, Male Mickey Rourke Yes Utah Film Critics Association Best Actor Mickey Rourke Yes Best Supporting Actress Evan Rachel Wood 2nd Venice Film Festival Golden Lion Darren Aronofsky Yes Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Best Actor Mickey Rourke Yes Writers Guild of America Best Original Screenplay Robert D. Siegel No See also Terry Funk, professional wrestler whose real life shares major traits with the character of "Randy Robinson" Beyond the Mat, a 1999 documentary featuring Mick Foley, Terry Funk, and Jake Roberts. They deal with and talk about experience with drug addiction, marital infidelity, estranged children, skid-row hardcore matches, blading, "career-ending" injuries, several retirement bouts, etc.