Cheesy and Predictable.....but fun

Rating: 7/10 (15 December 2000)

So what if I had the entire plot of the movie figured out before I even had the box at the checkout counter at the local video store. Who cares if every line of dialogue was as cliche as it gets. This movie is still fun, enjoyable and worth a few laughs even though it won't win any awards for originality.
In an age filled with unnecessarily crude and often violent comedies, this relatively wholesome football movie is a welcome and refreshing change. I have no problem admitting that I enjoyed this movie and found myself submitting to laughter on several occasions.
This is not to say that the movie is without faults. I have never been a big fan of Keanu Reeves' work, and here he did nothing to gain my approval. This actor has to be the most wooden and uninspired performer of my generation. He injected such little emotion into his character that it appeared someone was holing a gun to his head to make this film. The rest of the cast worked well together with the characters played by Jon Favreau and Rhys Ifans turning in quite amusing performances.

And let's not even get started on all the glaring football errors. I watched the film with a devout football follower and every 2 minutes he was yelling something at the screen about 5 yard penalties and players removing their helmets in the huddle. Even I, a novice fan, know that the pro season doesn't finish on Thanksgiving Thursday. And what kind of football fans cheer the replacement players and boo their returning star quarterback....I don't think so! Not even Hollywood can make that one fly. The film would have fell together more effectively if screenwriter McKewin had more than just a passing knowledge of the game.
In spite of its' faults, and the large serving of cheese, this film is surprisingly watchable and worthy of a rental on a night when there's nothing good on the tube.