Winners want the ball when the game is on the line...

Rating: Null/10 (7 May 2003)

Good movie. It is an obvious knock-off of Scott Bakula's "Necessary Roughness" but it has some original elements to distinguish itself. If you are a football fan that is waiting between the Pro Bowl and the Draft, this is good entertainment to fill the time.
The premise to the movie: The NFL is on strike, and replacement players are brought in to finish the season. The names of the real life football franchises were changed to, what I suspect, avoid litigation from the NFL. The Washington Sentinels hire one of their former head coaches (Gene Hackman) to field a team of replacement players and make them winners. Interestingly enough, John Madden and Pat Summerall play the commentators, and they do a pretty good job. The writers had a flair for coming up with their lines to be consistent with how these two usually banter with each other during a game.
Hackman puts together a roster of either NFL has-beens or never was's. His crown jewel is a QB by the name of Shane Falco, played by Keanu Reeves.

Some of these lines are directly ripped off from "Unnecessary Roughness", yet they find their places just the same.
I liked how Falco gained his following during the span over a few games. And gained the respect of his teammates. Definitely a feel-good movie. The romantic plotline is good too, although it is quite obvious from the get go.
The addition of getting replacement cheerleaders using strippers is entertaining too, some hilarious moments here.
Enjoy!