Celtic Pride
This movie will appeal to any middle-aged Bostonian who has green and white running through their veins. This underappreciated comedy gem successfully mocks Boston's unrelenting, excessive devotion to the Celtics. Nothing is off limits for the supporters of their favorite club. And two ardent supporters, Mike O'Hara and Jimmy Flaherty, illustrate that idea (played by Daniel Stern and Dan Aykroyd, respectively). The Utah Jazz, led by top player Louis Scott, are competing against the Boston Celtics in the Finals (acted by Damon Wayans). The two ardent supporters grow desperate as Scott's play is totally destroying the Celtics. The brilliant performance by Scott prompts O'Hara and Flaherty to kidnap the top player in the hopes that they can "hang onto him" until the Finals are done.
Blue Chips
The bad and ugly aspects of collegiate basketball are expertly portrayed in Blue Chips. The narrative centers on Coach Pete Bell (played by Nick Nolte), a traditional coach of the sport who despises the shady "booster activities" that go place behind the scenes. He maintained a very clean program as a result, keeping all enhancers away from his athletes. An internal conflict between his own ethics and the pull of winning at all costs ate away at him when his once-famous program hit hard times. Bell eventually sacrificed his personal beliefs and caved in to the dishonest "friends of the program." In essence, he became into the very thing he despised most: a coach who was unfaithful and dishonest, giving in to temptations and erring from his own moral code. In my perspective, this overlooked movie well depicts the external pressures that can have an impact on a collegiate athletic team.
Coach Carter
How many times have you, to be completely honest, tapped your head and yelled, "Delilah, Delilah," to set up a play when you and your buddies have played pick-up basketball in the past? Coach Carter is an engrossing movie that epitomizes the idea of an underdog overcoming all odds in the face of hardship on both a personal and a communal level. Samuel L. Jackson plays a coach who emphasizes academics, discipline, and morals in addition to basketball and sets out to impart life lessons. His Richmond, Virginia, team works together to overcome all of the challenging obstacles that each team member is facing, and as a result, the team succeeds. Coach Carter is undoubtedly one of the best films on high school sports, and it really does pull at your heartstrings.
Space Jam
Three words to sum up this masterpiece of cinema? An enduring masterpiece. I'm 22 years old, yet I still adore this film. I recently watched it because I have it on DVD.
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