What was there about Robbie Benson? To a lot of fans back then, I guess it was mostly that he was cute. But I always thought he was a very good actor...good in that he seemed "real". This is hardly my favorite Benson movie (I much prefer "Tribute" with Jack Lemmon). But here, Benson is perfect because he seems to be just what the main character is -- a clean cut and remarkably naive small town boy who goes to a powerhouse university on a basketball scholarship. What an eye-opener it is for the boy...and for the viewer as he/she begins to learn how college athletics worked.
When I watched this film again after all these years, I was sad...sad that Benson didn't remain in front of the camera, instead of going behind the camera. There was a lot of potential there, and I think he could have maintained an impressive presence in film.
In the film, Benson's character screws up at the university because in his small town high school he was the star basketball player -- and a bit of a hot dog -- and at university he is just a freshman who is extremely immature. Eventually his hard-nosed coach wants him to resign his scholarship...which he refuses to do. The film works for Benson, but the outstanding performance was by G.D. Spradlin, the sadistic coach who, to a large extent, has mismanaged Benson but in some ways is right about Benson not fitting in with the team. I usually don't like him as an actor, but here he is excellent. The scenes where Benson and the coach have it out are very strong.
The problem with this film is a rather predictable ending. I guess that's the only way it could end. And the ultimate end -- when Benson tells off the coach, well, that is rather weak, seemingly because Benson didn't want to say a bad word. Ah well, otherwise, it was a very good movie.
It was difficult watching this film on TCM because the sound was not synced perfectly with the visuals. Not sure what happened at TCM. They're usually so perfect.
I'm not much on sports movies, but this is a good one!
When I watched this film again after all these years, I was sad...sad that Benson didn't remain in front of the camera, instead of going behind the camera. There was a lot of potential there, and I think he could have maintained an impressive presence in film.
In the film, Benson's character screws up at the university because in his small town high school he was the star basketball player -- and a bit of a hot dog -- and at university he is just a freshman who is extremely immature. Eventually his hard-nosed coach wants him to resign his scholarship...which he refuses to do. The film works for Benson, but the outstanding performance was by G.D. Spradlin, the sadistic coach who, to a large extent, has mismanaged Benson but in some ways is right about Benson not fitting in with the team. I usually don't like him as an actor, but here he is excellent. The scenes where Benson and the coach have it out are very strong.
The problem with this film is a rather predictable ending. I guess that's the only way it could end. And the ultimate end -- when Benson tells off the coach, well, that is rather weak, seemingly because Benson didn't want to say a bad word. Ah well, otherwise, it was a very good movie.
It was difficult watching this film on TCM because the sound was not synced perfectly with the visuals. Not sure what happened at TCM. They're usually so perfect.
I'm not much on sports movies, but this is a good one!