The Replacements

Director: Howard Deutch (2000)

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Gene Hackman, Brooke Langton, Orlando Jones, Faizon Love, Jon Favreau, Rhys Ifans, Art LaFleur, Brett Cullen, Jack Warden, John Madden, Pat Summerall

This film is loosely based on the1987 NFLPA Strike, where many players refused to play after week 2 of the NFL season. In the film the Washington Sentinels has lost almost all their key players, so what is head coach, Jimmy McGinty (played by Gene Hackman), who knows a thing or two on how to be a coach on film…. just have well, we will just have round up some replacement players, toot sweet... First off, a quarterback: Coach McGinty remembered a young a very gifted freshman quarterback from Ohio State named Shane Falco whose head coach had him start a game he was not ready to play in and was beaten up so badly, he quit school and became a boat cleaner. McGinty found Falco and convinced him to try out for the team. When Shane got to the tryouts, he introduced a lion’s den of misfits, who all just wanted one last chance to play again. Shane made the cut as did real characters, including kicker Nigel Gruff, who runs a pub in town and drinks too much of his own product’. “Bateman”, played by Jon Favreau, a Psycho who really wants the ball and Annabelle Farrell, the head cheerleader, played by Brook Langton, who catches Shane’s attention and her heart. After a couple weeks of practice, Shane and his new teammates bond and start playing some decent football, raising the ire of the striking players, who try to make their lives as miserable as they can, but Shane and the team keep playing and winning. Eventually the strike is about to end so Shane and his replacement teammates have one last game to play, and they give it their all.

Fun Fact:

The real Redskins won the Super Bowl in 1988. None of the replacement players got Super Bowl Champion Rings, but after 15 years of lobbying The NFL gave the replacement players their rings.