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Slap Shot (George Roy Hill, 1977)
This is one of the most hilarious films I've ever seen, and what makes it even more significant is that it's truly one of the few mainstream American films to ever attack Americans' ideas that violence is somehow preferable to sex, at least when you are participating in something organized which allegedly has some form of "family values". Paul Newman stars as the aging player-coach of a lousy minor league hockey team, and when it becomes clear that the town's local mill, which employs most of the town's male population, is going to close, it becomes only a matter of time before the team will fold. Newman has to try to keep his team together in the face of little support from the General Manager (the wonderful Strother Martin), and Newman eventually gets a brainstorm to pump his team up by concocting a fake sale of the team from their cold Northern climes to Florida. All this is done while the team adds three brothers to their team which Newman won't play because he thinks they're both too violent and just too "retarded" - the Hanson Brothers.
This only scratches the surface of how wonderful and original Slap Shot is. Newman still has the hots for his ex-wife (Jennifer Warren), but he also has a yen for the young wife (Lindsay Crouse) of his best young player (Micheal Ontkean) who won't "go goon" but also shows little interest in his wife. Then there's the hot wife (Melinda Dillon) of a rival who has "turned lesbian" since her husband abused her, but she still loves to be in bed with Newman. The team is crammed with several memorable characters and then it turns out that all their arch-rivals are great characters too! Did I mention that this film is filled with colorful dialogue (written by Nancy Dowd) which would would probably make a sailor turn red in embarrasment? They just don't make films like this anymore. I mean, Judd Apatow tries, but it's just not quite so funny or so significant. So, does that really mean they don't make 'em like they used to? HA!
This is one of the most hilarious films I've ever seen, and what makes it even more significant is that it's truly one of the few mainstream American films to ever attack Americans' ideas that violence is somehow preferable to sex, at least when you are participating in something organized which allegedly has some form of "family values". Paul Newman stars as the aging player-coach of a lousy minor league hockey team, and when it becomes clear that the town's local mill, which employs most of the town's male population, is going to close, it becomes only a matter of time before the team will fold. Newman has to try to keep his team together in the face of little support from the General Manager (the wonderful Strother Martin), and Newman eventually gets a brainstorm to pump his team up by concocting a fake sale of the team from their cold Northern climes to Florida. All this is done while the team adds three brothers to their team which Newman won't play because he thinks they're both too violent and just too "retarded" - the Hanson Brothers.
This only scratches the surface of how wonderful and original Slap Shot is. Newman still has the hots for his ex-wife (Jennifer Warren), but he also has a yen for the young wife (Lindsay Crouse) of his best young player (Micheal Ontkean) who won't "go goon" but also shows little interest in his wife. Then there's the hot wife (Melinda Dillon) of a rival who has "turned lesbian" since her husband abused her, but she still loves to be in bed with Newman. The team is crammed with several memorable characters and then it turns out that all their arch-rivals are great characters too! Did I mention that this film is filled with colorful dialogue (written by Nancy Dowd) which would would probably make a sailor turn red in embarrasment? They just don't make films like this anymore. I mean, Judd Apatow tries, but it's just not quite so funny or so significant. So, does that really mean they don't make 'em like they used to? HA!