Hoosiers

Rating:
Summary: Hoosiers....One of the best basketball movies ever made!
Review: Hoosiers is a wonderful movie about a old basketball coach who applies for a coaching job at Hickory Indiana High School. When the coach reaches Hickory he is met by many parents who are resistant to the change of their boys basketball ball practices....strategies....plays..and so on. The coach is dealt a hand with 6 players....not including Jimmy Chipawook...supposedly one of the best basketball players that ever played in Indiana. Jimmy later joins the team...after he saves the new coaches job. The coach leads the team to the state championship...which they do successfully win. He is finally accepted by the people of Hickory as a wonderful basketball coach.

Rating:
Summary: Yep, this is how it was...
Review: Maybe it's because we're the smallest state west of the Alleghenies or maybe we just have this thing about Indiana, but Hoosiers (and we can't understand why that term is a perjorative for some people) have an inordinate pride in their home state.
So, small wonder that the movie Hoosiers is a staple in every Indiana video collection.
This is your classic David vs. Goliath tale based on a true story that's at the core of Indiana basketball mythology - the magic year back in the early 1950s (can't remember the exact season) in which tiny Milan (pronounced MILE-un, not like the city in Italy) in southern Indiana went all the way to the Indiana State High School Basketball Finals and emerged state champ.
I grew up in small town Indiana in the '50s. The characters, the places, the fervor surrounding the local basketball team are instantly recognizable and dead-on. These are my people and my places and the filmmakers got it exactly right.
The opening scenes showing Gene Hackman driving through the Indiana countryside probably don't mean much to folks from outside Indiana and the midwest, but they almost bring a tear to my eye.
As a side note, there's a little white country church where Hackman pauses to get his bearings. It stood at a crossroads in Boone County just northwest of Indianapolis. It was one of several churches that went up in flames in the late 1990s at the hands of a church arsonist. It's part of the local lore.
As far as the characters go, Hackman did a credible job, but the real star of this film is Dennis Hopper. Barbara Hershey's character is an unwanted digression from the plot line and adds nothing of value to the film.
And how many people realize the heart attack-prone principal of Hickory High, Sheb Wooley, is the guy who had a hit in the late '50s with the novelty record "One-Eyed, One-Horned, Flying Purple People Eater?"
Also, for those with home theater sound systems, the Dolby Surround Sound on the DVD is spectacular. The stereo imaging really makes the picture come alive.
If you like small town stories where the underdog triumphs, this is your kind of movie. You don't have to be from Indiana to love Hoosiers.

Rating:
Summary: Houps Du Jour!
Review: A wonderful and personal movie with Gene Hackman reminding us what he can do with a nice little script. This is because ..you see Hackman isnt acting at all. He is the coach. Hackman is one of those rare gifted actors who can transmit and emotion with his face and no dialogue at all.

He as ably supported by Barbara Hershy and Dennis Hopper.
In this film Hackman produces a wide range of elements, Pathos, anger, resolve, patience et all. For sure its a feel good movie in the last reel..but how you get there is top drawer. !

Rating:
Summary: Hopper and Hackman are terrific
Review: I have never seen a sports movie as good as this one and I have never seen Dennis Hopper in anything that I really liked before. But his performance in this movie is Oscar worthy. He plays the town drunk who has a son on the basketball team who is given a second chance by the new coach (Gene Hackman). The coach is also getting a second chance. He has had a history of hotheadness and winning championships before he comes to this small Indiana town where basketball is everything. It is entertaining, heartwarming and full of great old school basketball. A must see for all basketball and movie fans.

Rating:
Summary: Best sport movie ever made
Review: This movie really does what a sport movie should do---create an exciting competative context in which human struggle and courage can be viewed. The boys on this basketball team don't have many lines, but they really do become important to the viewer because we ache for their success so badly and when it comes, we feel the sweetness of human achievement. Unlike REMEMBER THE TITANS, this movie leaves out any forced politically-correct message as part of the drama, which in my opinion makes it a more watchable movie. The DVD edition is not the greatest, even though the movie is. It lacks extras, interviews, etc. The quality of the print is neither exceptional nor lousy, somewhere in between. If I knew that a collector's edition was coming out, I would have waited to purchase the DVD, but I couldn't wait since the movie itself is so good. In addition, the price is very reasonable!

Rating:
Summary: Must have for any basketball fan
Review: This movie will just blow you away and have you cheering at the end. I cannot imagine any sports fan, or American not owning this movie. This is truly an inspirational film that you should watch before participating in a sports event. When I played basketball in high school my coach showed us this movie to motivate us for the upcoming game the next day. Overall this movie is perfect.

A+

Rating:
Summary: If you like sports and good movies, this is a must watch
Review: This movie is about a high school basketball team in rural Indiana who attempts to win a state championship while facing various odds. Gene Hackman is superb and the scenery is amazing. Makes you feel like youre on the farm yourself. This is simply a well made movie that is a classic in my book

Rating:
Summary: Hoop Dreams
Review: Hoosiers is a great, feel good movie that champions the fact that if you work hard and believe in yourself, anything is possible. Based on a true story, Hoosiers is about an extremely small town Indiana high school boy's basketball team that goes on to win the Indiana high school championship, beating the big city schools along the way. Gene Hackman stars as the coach of the Hickory High team. He is a mysterious stranger, with a dark past. But he knows how to coach basketball and he gets the boys to believe in themselves. Dennis Hopper scored a major comeback triumph in his career (he got a Best Supporting Actor nomination for the role) as the alcoholic assistant coach who is also the father of one of the boys on the team. The movie is full of cliches, but the kids and Mr. Hackman are so good, you can forgive them for it. The speech that Mr. Hackman gives before the big game will send chills up your spine everytime you hear it. Hoosiers is a real winner.

Rating:
Summary: Animal House and this are my favorites movies.
Review: My daughter got her M.B.A. from Indiana University in 1993 and of course we went to a couple of IU games - also visited the Basketball Hall of Fame. My daughter loved Indiana so much she stayed there (I'm from Bucks County, PA but grew up in the Midwest). This is the greatest uplifting movie and the music is wonderful. There is a restaurant in Indy called "Plump's Last Shot" - Jimmy Plump made the shot that Jimmy Chitwood made in the movie and the "Miracle of Milan" is still alive and well. The restaurant has scenes from the making of the movie all over its walls. I have the soundtrack and the video and with March Madness coming up soon I know my TV stations will show it but I watch it several times during the year. A "must-see" and Gene Hackman is probably my favorite actor.

Rating:
Summary: Cinderella comes to Indiana to play basketball!!
Review: Hoosiers is a wonderful movie about a small high school in Indiana who's basketball team beats the odds and goes to the State Finals. It is a wonderful Cinderella story that warms your heart. Gene Hackman plays Norman Dale, the new Hickory High School basketball coach, who teaches the boys on the team the importance of working as a team. He teaches them to respect his authority as coach and teaches the town to respect an outsider.

Dennis Hopper gives an unforgettable performance as the town drunk and the father of one of the players. It is an unforgettable tale that is backed by a wonderful musical score. I recommend this movie to all basketball fans.