‘The Replacements’ Funny, If Nothing Else

Mon., Aug. 21, 2000

Theresa Carpine, Ferris

There haven’t been many movies this summer that really made me laugh. And while “The Replacements” (Rated PG-13) didn’t do anything else, it did give me several fits of laughter.

Pro football players have gone on strike and instead of canceling the rest of the season, the owners decide to bring in replacement players.

Gene Hackman is brought in to coach the rag-tag team consisting of a sumo wrestler, a convict, a deaf tight end and a chain-smoking kicker. But the only player who can bring the fictional Washington Sentinels to victory is Shane Falco (Keanu Reeves), a former quarterback with an infamous loss at the ‘96 Sugar Bowl. Can these bar-fighting, line-dancing, misfit players really win? Do you really have to ask?

The plot has been recycled a thousand times, even the catch-phrases come from other movies. There’s the overwhelming defeat, the players’ personal victories and the big game finale. The football scenes lasted a bit too long for my taste, but I’m sure they were perfect for many people. Oh! And let’s not forget the typical love interest with the smart-but-sassy cheerleader.

Speaking of cheerleaders, I have a question. During a football strike, why were replacement cheerleaders needed? Do they all have to be ex-strippers? That’s probably why the football sequences felt so long, as each play in the game was intercut with shots of a striptease.

The movie had little going for it aside from Hackman, who is always great. But the jokes had their moments and they did make me laugh, and that’s really all a film like this should do.

Grade: B

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