The Replacements
There are a lot of logical inconsistencies in “The Replacements,” a 2000 football comedy inspired by the 1987 NFL strike, where, for four games, the players went on strike, but the season commenced with non-union players. Case in point: did the NFL have to bring in new cheerleaders as well as players? And did any coaches get replaced for the strike? I was 10 at the time, so I wasn’t really paying THAT much attention to the details– all I really cared about was being able to still watch my beloved Cleveland Browns, whether they were the players I knew or not. I do know that the strike happened early in the season, not at the end like here, but I understand why that change was made for plot purposes.
Still, no one has ever accused “The Replacements,” written by Vince McKewin and directed by Howard Deutch, of being a realistic portrayal of that period of NFL history, and you’re not going to hear me do so. I just enjoy the movie as a silly football comedy. The fact that it’s got that underdog sports movie thing going on, which I always have a weakness for, only ensures that, to a certain extent, I’ll enjoy it. And that I do.
The film focuses less on the politics of the strike, and more on the players asked to fill in for superstars, and how they try to make their big chance count. Leading the way is Gene Hackman as head coach Jimmy McGinty and Keanu Reeves as Shane Falco, a college star quarterback who washed out in the pros, and hasn’t lived down a disastrous Sugar Bowl game his senior year. Their team consists of misfits, but they’ve got some talent, and they put together a good run by the time the strike ends. The question is, what will happen when the Washington Sentinels’s star QB (an arrogant prick played by Brett Cullen) comes back, and tries to take Falco’s place in the huddle? I bet you can guess the answer to that.
The film deals in countless cliches, and too many “inspirational” moments to count, but for a sports movie sucker, it’s a fun time anyway. It helps that Hackman and Reeves do a good job making me care about these guys. Reeves, in particular, really anchors the film. He gets a bad rap as an actor for his sometimes blank stares, and sometimes it’s justified, but this is a good use of the actor. I believe Falco as someone who can lead this team, because I believe he’s been as low as he can go emotionally, and I believe he’s ready to take advantage of the chance he’s been given. Of course, it may just be that I’m susceptible to this genre’s cliches, and “The Replacements,” though hardly a great sports film, plays with them effectively. No wonder I still enjoy it after all these years.
