Hoosiers

My top choice, Drive, He Said, wasn’t available for free streaming and neither were any of the other good 70s options. Thus we move ahead to the 80s, and a movie I would have paid for because of how long I’ve wanted to see it. On top of that it’s free on YouTube anyway.

I did watch part of Hoosiers in 8th grade P.E. class but instead of finishing it we had to go back to doing P.E. after the first day. As if I didn’t need another reason to hate Bernardo Yorba Middle School. 😡

On the bright side, Hoosiers were worth the wait. The movie so beautifully captures the Indiana scenery that you see why the Midwest is called “The Heartland Of America”. Moreover, the score is luscious, the direction and editing are sharp and keep you interested the whole time, the screenplay has a lot of moving, authentic dialogue, and the performances are top-notch. Gene Hackman, as a no-nonsense coach with skeletons in his closet, and Barbara Hershey, as a wholesome country woman, are two of the standouts. Although the movie doesn’t bring much unique to the plot, what it does is so well-told that this is a classic sports film.

Plus there is something fairly unique; I haven’t mentioned the movie’s best part. Dennis Hopper, as “Shooter”, the father of one of the players, is amazing. Shooter has wrecked his life due to alcoholism but coaching basketball can give him another chance. Can he pull himself together though? As the phrase goes, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

While his fellow Easy Rider mastermind Peter Fonda never had another achievement comparable to that film, Hopper spent over a decade as one of Hollywood’s absolute top character actors (although he was in Super Mario Bros. LOL). That started in 1986, when he had one of the best one-two punches of any actor in history between Hoosiers and Blue Velvet, and it was this movie that got him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. Equally deserving of its nomination was the movie’s score.

Bottom Line: Classic.

Up Next: Masterpiece.

Questions? Comments? Feel free to write below.