Necessary Roughness (1991)

So why review a 21 year old movie? Easy. Good movies have no expiration date, and this is certainly one of them. At the time, the NCAA was going through all sorts of problems with player bribes, payoffs, faked grades, violations from steroids to hookers to cars for the players. This movie was brave enough to face these problems and gives an accurate picture of trying to build a football team from a bunch of wanna be's and never were's. Scott Bakula is perfect in the role, neither attempting to affect a fake Texas drawl nor over playing the role. Hector Elizondo and Robert Loggia, two veteran actors who could easily dominate the film, instead add their considerable talents to make the film believable. Several great touches are added, including Rob Schneider as the announcer for the games, and the appearance of a prison team arranged by Dean Elias (Larry Miller, the schmuck you love to hate) adds an extreme and interesting comic scene. Dick Butkus, Earl Campbell, Roger Craig, Ben Davidson, Tony Dorsett, Evander Holyfield, Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Jim Kelly, Jerry Rice, Hershel Walker, and Randy White are the prison football players, and if you have to ask who they are, you need to head over to the NFL Hall of Fame (Except for Evander Holyfield, former Heavyweight Champion of the World). The film is cohesive, the language is minimal, and the violence is limited to the football field, practice, and a slight altercation between two teams at Billy Bob's. Collectible if you are a fan of good sports movies, and definitely a great film for the family on a Saturday night.

First of all, I'm going to say that this is definitely not American Cinema at its finest. Better movies have been made, better comedies have been made, better football movies have been made. With all that said...I just can't help liking this movie. The acting is decent, with assistant coach Riggendorf (Robert Loggia) being the funniest character. The halftime speech at the climactic "big game" makes me laugh out loud every time. If you're the "hoity-toity" movie critic type who appreciates nothing outside of Oscar-worthy pictures, why are you watching a football movie anyway? If you know how to have a good time watching a movie, and laugh at the eccentricities and vulnerabilities of realistic characters, "Necessary Roughness" is more than worth a look! 7/10

After the college football team is cracked down on by the dean for poor grades, the coach is forced to sign on some unconventional players (a 34-year old man, a teacher and a samurai) to play Iran Man football.With Scott Bakula being the star of the film, this movie is very much like "The Natural" with Robert Redford. Like Redford, Bakula was pushed out of sports 16 years ago and returns to be a star in his later years when everyone thinks he is past his prime. Yes, 16 years in both films. I could say it was like "The Replacements" but that seems almost too easy.A lot of things about the film are really stupid. Using Kathy Ireland as a kicker was just an excuse to put a hot girl in a locker room. Having a teacher coincidentally be a woman with a crush on Bakula from his high school years is a stretch. And in general, the movie served no point... the team has no chance of winning, so the best they can hope for is to not be skunked.Bakula is a great actor, but very dated in this film with his goofy jean jacket. Sinbad was Sinbad, and not the one from "Houseguest" but the unfunny one from the 1980s. Kathy Ireland was a better actress than I expected. The best actor? Strangely, Rob Schneider, who is probably known best for his dumb characters from Saturday Night Live and subsequent bad movies. In this, a young Schneider plays an announcer who is lovable and funny... comparable to Bob Uecker from "Major League".This film was okay, but I have no interest in seeing it again and if you choose to watch it, you don't have my blessing.

No doubts about it. Come on you got to love this movie. Sinbad? More like Sin Awsome!!!!! This movie will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you happy, it will make you sad, and most importantly it will make you rewind the tape so that you can watch it again cause it rocks so hard!!! GO NHL 94 CLUB!!!!! WOOO! 10 out of 10