Ifans and Cullen were terrific!

Rating: Null/10 (12 August 2000)

I went to see this movie with some reservations, as I don't follow football but needed a good laugh. It was definitely worth it. Keanu Reeves was fine, but the real stars of the movie were Gene Hackman, Rhys Ifans, Brooke Langton and Brett Cullen. Hackman was very comfortable and familiar in this role, and Ifans was hilarious. I hadn't seen Langton since her Chicago Hope days but she worked well with Reeves and gave some depth to a scarcely-written character. Brett Cullen played against type as the arrogant quarterback who goes on strike, and really steals the movie. He's much better known for playing the good guy, as he did in SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT and APOLLO 13, and seems to relish the chance to get nasty here. His "interview" in the opening moments of the film is hilarious, and he just gets better from there. His performance alone is worth the price of admission. One caution about this film - take the PG13 rating seriously (language, nudity) and leave the kids home.