Pain heals, chicks dig scars, glory lasts forever

Rating: Null/10 (15 September 2014)

The grandchild of "The Longest Yard" (1974), "Bad News Bears" (1976) and "Slap Shot" (1977), "The Replacements" (2000) stars Keanu Reeves as a member of the Washington Sentinels, a failing Amerian football team. Filled with misfits, mavericks and rejects, this team is led by Jimmy McGinty (Gene Hackman). No points for guessing how this story unfolds.
Though formulaic, "The Replacements" is fast, funny and never pretends to be anything other than popcorn. Reeves, likable as a dim-witted underdog, would star in "Hardball" a year later, another sports comedy. Brooke Langton co-stars as gratuitous eye-candy.
7.9/10 – See "All The Right Moves" and "North Dallas Forty".