Monday Night Mayhem

Rating:
Summary: One of the best sports movies out there
Review: I recently witnessed ESPN's "20 Greatest Sports Movies of the Last 25 Years" going back to 1979. This film was not on that list for obvious reasons -- it portrays a warts and all image of Monday Night Football, showing Howard Cosell's drunkenness in Philadelphia to Chet Forte's gambling addiction. It even shows Cosell (portrayed by the outstanding character actor John Turturro) taking off his toupe in one scene. So ESPN, being an ABC holding, could certainly never embarrass its ownership by giving credence to this movie. But you should give credence to it at your earliest opportunity. TNT was monumentally criticized for this production and seems to have responded by no longer programming it. That is a gigantic mistake, in my view, for this is one of the most truthful movies about professional football since "North Dallas Forty", the Pete Gent book made into a feature film about the Dallas Cowboys of the 1970s. There is one direct parallel between the films -- Don Meredith. He was portrayed in both movies as something of a buffoon. Was he? I don't know. But watching this movie over and over when it first came out was one of the most fun-filled events of my autumn 2002. Apparently I'm going to have to buy the DVD to watch it again. Fortunately, I see someone is selling it for less than $6. Bravo Amazon.com!

Rating:
Summary: One of the best sports movies out there
Review: I recently witnessed ESPN's "25 Greatest Sports Movies of the Last 25 Years" going back to 1979. This film was not on that list for obvious reasons -- it portrays a warts and all image of Monday Night Football, showing Howard Cosell's drunkenness in Philadelphia to Chet Forte's gambling addiction to the insensitive way Roone Arledge replaced Keith Jackson with Frank Gifford after one season calling "Monday Night Football".

It even shows Cosell (portrayed by the outstanding character actor John Turturro) taking off his toupee in one scene. In another scene, Cosell boils over after talking head Gifford continues to refer to Dallas Cowboys safety Dennis Thurman as Thurman Munson.

"Didn't Thurman Munson die in 1979," Cosell asks a producer after Gifford goofs another call during a broadcast. "So how is he making all these tackles?!"

So ESPN's "25 best sports films" could not embarrass its ownership (ABC) by giving credence to this movie. But you should give credence to it at your earliest opportunity. It is by turns informative, entertaining, funny and melancholy. It has all the ingredients of real life and television that make both so interesting.

TNT was praised and criticized for this production and seems to have responded by no longer programming it. That is a pity for this is one of the most truthful movies about professional football since "North Dallas Forty", the Pete Gent book made into a feature film about the Dallas Cowboys of the 1970s.

There is one direct parallel between the films -- Don Meredith. He was portrayed in both movies as something of a buffoon. Was he? I don't know. But watching this movie over and over when it first came out was one of the most fun-filled events of my autumn 2002. If you enjoy sports films, this one should be in your library.

Rating:
Summary: Monday Night Football!
Review: This is a great movie. After seeing it, one doesn't get the sense that it was made for cable (TNT originally aired it.... More than once!) John Tuturro plays Howard Cosell, and does a great job. The only minor issue is that it seems he was too young to portray Cosell, especially by the early '80s when the real Cosell looked quite a bit older. The voice, mannerisms, and dramatizations are worthy of noting as a great performance. Eli Wallach and John Heard were the best in this film. They were cast perfectly. Portrayals of Meredith and Gifford weren't bad. The man playing Pete Rozelle was adequate, but not memorable.
It did a great job telling the story of how MNF was born. Roone Alredge from ABC truly revolutionized the game by adding flare, more cameras, more angles, and the three-man booth.
One problem is that film lacks real game footage that was true to the era (1970-85.) There seem to be re-creations of the games and their moments, and the uniforms are a bit "off" during some of the game highlights. (For example, take a close look at the Joe Namath shot.) Also, there are a few moments that were supposed to be taking place in the 1970s but some of the extras looked too present-era to pull this off.
Overall, an excellent film. Football fans should definitely see this. MNF is still one of the greatest additions to the field of sports and entertainment.