Breakinger A Brilliant Conflict

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Seraherrera The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

eric262003 "Everybody's All-American" brought forth a movie that can be seen as both a chick flick in terms of the steaming romantic chemistry between the two leading stars (Dennis Quaid and Jessica Lange) and plenty of football action for the guys to enjoy. The main character of the movie is centered around Gavin "The Gray Ghost" Grey (Dennis Quaid). "Everybody's All-American" succeeds in that the ideas featured had potential to be an extraordinary film, but Hollywood had to water it down immensely. The film scores high points in entertainment, but their welcome goes on too long.Based on a novel by Frank DeFord, the die-hard football fan can see through that this film is based loosely on the life of Billy Cannon. Both Grey and Cannon's stories both seem eerily similar to each other. The film center around Gavin Grey, who plays for the LSU Tigers, leading their team to the 1956 Sugar Bowl Championship. Even though not once, LSU was ever mentioned, but Cannon played for that team at the time.What makes this film enjoyable to watch is that the characters portrayed are both likable and well developed. Quaid shines as the star football running the "Gray Ghost" Gavin Grey. Lange is just adorable as Southern gal Babs. Timothy Hutton was at his very best as history professor Cake, John Goodman is believable as a football player who turns his life to gambling and Carl Lumbly puts in his performance as black football player who later becomes a business tycoon. It's always a great feeling deep inside to see such well developed characters and at the same time each and every one of them have a certain likeness that truly captures the spirit of this movie. By setting this film in the state of Louisiana, we realize that the South really loves their football. The look of the 1950's South captures a feel of nostalgia, though it's questionable if it was entirely accurate.The biggest problem I had with "Everybody's All-American" was that the two best characters were not the leading stars (though they did well), but Prof. Cake (Hutton) and Lawrence (Goodman) were the best of the ensemble, but were sadly underused and I wanted to see more of them. And even though Ghost and Babs have good chemistry between each other, there are several holes between them that make for a gripping relationship. For instance, what does Babs really see in the Gray Ghost and vice versa? We are left clueless as to how and why they are attracted to one another. However, the romantic angle is still a joy to watch.The fine ensemble cast carries the film splendidly, but falls short in terms of comprehension to what they're saying at times which could be due to the overdone technicalities of director Taylor Hackford.Hackford's direction is the weakest link in this film. He's trying to hard to make this movie ultra serious but at the same time, the characters are also clichéd. With newsreels and archive footages they aren't put to good use and is taken way too seriously. You can clearly point out which of the scenes are staged and which ones are actual highlights making it all seem out of place. Even the die-hard football fan will be taken off by this sloppy mess Hackford made.Overall in spite of it's flaws it is still an enjoyable film filled with plenty of football action and romance outside the gridiron.

superbeefinder Every city should have a movie filmed in it every 10-15 years. So much of Baton Rouge that was caught on film in this movie has changed. When Gavin runs out of the stadium and is standing by Mike the Tigers cage for instance. The cage has been replaced by a virtual palace, and Mike the IV is now Mike the V. The west side upper deck in tiger stadium, completely demolished and replaced, and an east side upper deck added. The man emceeing the Magnolia Queen contest has also since passed.Bonus Points: When Cake is standing on "Hallowed Ground" (then an empty lot, now a blockbuster)the sign behind him shows a construction project being planned for that spot. The building on the signs looks an awful lot like the Hilton (now Marriot) in Baton Rouge.

p36mohawk As I recall this movie was panned by the critics and was a box officebomb when it was released in '88 but I consider it one of the best films in recent years and one of the best sports movies of all time.Gavin Grey is a '50s LSU football star who has few interests or talents off the field. He's seen as a shallow. but basiclly decent, product of the 1950s south. He's under no illusion about the fleeting nature of his fame, and the movie avoided the usual cliche of protraying him as a bigoted simpleton or a sanctimonious do-gooder. It takes you through his pro career with the Redskins, a humiliating stint with the Denver Broncos when he's way past his prime, and the final heartbreaking episode with his 1955 teammates at LSU Tiger stadium. In the meantime wife Jessica Lange has found unknown talents as a businesswoman, adding to the pathos of Grey's status as a has-been. Dennis Quaid is superb as Grey, especially when showing him as a middle-aged ex-jock.Everybdy's All American? Everybody connected with this project should be congratulated. I'd like to think that, someday, this film will get the credit it deserves.

curtclevenger This film tells the story of anyone who has looked back on their life with fondness, embarrassment, nostalgia, sorrow, joy, and any other emotion you can think of. Dennis Quaid does some of his finest work as an All American college football player who is a superstar in spite of himself. While he enjoys the spotlight and all that goes with it to a certain extent, he just wants everyone to accept him for who he is. Jessica Lange does her usual stand out job portraying a prototype southern debutante who starts out happy to be her man's woman, but as time goes on discovers herself. Timothy Hutton plays the cousin to Quaid's character and finds himself woven into the lives of the born to be together couple. John Goodman turns in a great performance as a friend and teammate to the "Grey Ghost" that coincides with the beginning of his long running role as the quintessential suburban husband to Roseanne. While this film is entertaining to the sports fan, it also appeals to anyone who wishes they might have done things differently. If the ending doesn't grab you just a little, you're not human.