"THE REPLACEMENTS"
(2000) (Keanu Reeves, Gene Hackman) (PG-13)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Moderate	Mild	Heavy	None	Mild
Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Moderate	None	None	Mild	Heavy
Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Heavy	Moderate	None	Mild	Moderate

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QUICK TAKE:

Comedy: During a professional football league strike, a veteran coach tries to get his ragtag group of replacement players ready for the last four games of the season.

PLOT:

Needing to win three of their last four games of the regular season to make the professional football league playoffs, the Washington Sentinels seem to have a good chance, especially considering that their quarterback, Eddie Martel (BRETT CULLEN), is one of the best in the league. Yet, a players' strike suddenly has team owner Edward O'Neil (JACK WARDEN) scrambling for options.

As such, he hires veteran coach Jimmy McGinty (GENE HACKMAN) to round up a team of replacement players to finish out those last four games. Although initially reluctant, McGinty eventually agrees and sets out after his first choice for quarterback, Shane Falco (KEANU REEVES), a one-time college sensation who disappeared after a debacle at the Sugar Bowl several years earlier.

Falco, who makes a living scraping barnacles off others' boats, is also reluctant, but sensing one last shot at the big time, he also agrees. Among his new teammates is Clifford Franklin (ORLANDO JONES), a fast but butterfingered receiver; Daniel Bateman (JON FAVREAU), a near psychotic and extremely intense cop; Nigel Gruff (RHYS IFANS) a chain-smoking Welsh soccer player; and Earl Wilkinson, a.k.a. "Smith" (MICHAEL JACE), who's been serving time in a Maryland prison.

Then there's born-again Christian Walter Cochran (TROY WINBUSH); music industry bodyguards, Jamal (FAIZON LOVE) and Andre Jackson (MICHAEL "BEAR" TALIFERRO); Jumbo Fumiko (ACE YONAMINE), a former sumo wrestler, and Brian Murphy (DAVID DENMAN), a sensational tight end who happens to be deaf.

With little time to prepare and practice, let alone build any sort of team chemistry, the ragtag group of players must overcome their differences, the taunting and threats from the striking pro players, and the distractions posed by head cheerleader, Annabelle Farrell (BROOKE LANGTON), and her squad of stripper-turned cheerleaders, all as they try to win their games and make it to the playoffs.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?

If they're into pro football or are fans of someone in the cast, it's a good bet that they might, although this film will probably be most attractive to male teenagers.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13

For some crude sexual humor and language.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:

KEANU REEVES plays a former college quarterback who reluctantly agrees to be a replacement player during a pro football strike. A generally easygoing guy, he uses some profanity, gets into a fight, and possibly sleeps with Annabelle, all while leading his team to victory.

GENE HACKMAN plays his coach who uses some profanity while trying to instruct and inspire his team to win.

BROOKE LANGTON plays the head cheerleader who also works in a bar and possibly sleeps with Falco.

ORLANDO JONES plays a talkative and fast receiver who, unfortunately, isn't very good at catching the ball.

JON FAVREAU plays an intense and seemingly near psychotic cop who similarly becomes a replacement player and proceeds to rough up players on both his and opposing teams.

RHYS IFANS plays a Welsh soccer player who joins the team as their place kicker, smokes a lot, makes disparaging remarks about others and nearly throws a game due to threats from his creditors.

FAIZON LOVE and MICHAEL "BEAR" TALIFERRO play two music industry bodyguards who also make disparaging remarks about others, with one briefly using his gun to shoot a striking player's car.

ACE YONAMINE plays a sumo wrestler who briefly uses strong profanity after joining the team.

TROY WINBUSH plays the team's born again Christian player.

DAVID DENMAN plays a deaf tight end.

MICHAEL JACE plays a convict who's been temporarily released from prison to play on the team and occasionally acts menacingly toward others.

JACK WARDEN plays the team's greedy owner who's reportedly dying and cusses some.

BRETT CULLEN plays an arrogant professional quarterback who constantly taunts and harasses Falco and the others for crossing the picket line and/or not having any talent (in his opinion).

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

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Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

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OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

Here's a quick summary concerning the content found in this PG-13 rated sports comedy. Profanity is rated as heavy due to at least 1 use of the "f" word, while many other expletives and colorful phrases also occur. The "Sex/Nudity" category earns a similar rating due to various shots of strippers-turned cheerleaders who do suggestive and sensuous dance routines (in skimpy outfits), an implied sexual encounter, and a woman making a hand/mouth gesture for male oral sex. Some men's bare butts are briefly seen and some sexually related dialogue is present.

Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, some fighting and football-related violence are present, and some related (including one scene involving handgun) and unrelated behavior occurs that could be imitated by impressionable viewers. One character smokes throughout much of the film, while he and others drink in various scenes.

Beyond that, there's a brief vomiting scene, some brief bleeding and the topic of unions, strikes and those who cross picket lines. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for anyone in your home who wishes to see this picture, we suggest that you take a closer look at our more detailed content listings for specific examples of what occurs in the film.

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ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE

O'Neil has a drink and then he and McGinty have drinks.

Nigel has a drink, as do others in a pub.

Falco has a beer.

Falco asks Annabelle if she wants a beer, but she declines his offer.

A woman with O'Neill drinks champagne during a game.

Falco and his teammates have drinks in a bar.

We see that Annabelle works in a bar and later twice escorts some older regulars out, one of whom appears somewhat intoxicated. She and Falco then have some beer.

Nigel holds a beer.

O'Neil has a drink.

People drink in a bar.

Nigel and others drink in a club/bar. Nigel and Falco then drink shots as everyone drinks a toast to Falco.

Annabelle has some wine in front of her as she waits for Falco to show up.

Some people in the owner's box have wine.

BLOOD/GORE

Jumbo vomits on the football field, causing Clifford to vomit (we see it hit his shoe).

Bateman has a cut on the bridge of his nose during a game and has blood running down either side of his nose.

Murphy has a tiny bit of a bloody lip after a barroom brawl, and Falco has some large bruises on his arm and some on his face (from the brawl and/or the previous day's game).

Bateman has more blood on his nose/face from the same cut as earlier described.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE

We see someone trying to steal an item from a store.

Some may see the replacement players as having both for crossing picket lines, while others will see the striking players and their attitudes toward the replacement players as having both types of attitudes (especially since they repeatedly harass Falco and constantly overturn his truck in the parking lot).

Martel tells Falco, "You're not a has-been, you're a never was."

Nigel makes various disparaging remarks about his teammates, and the Jackson brothers joke about not being able to tell Japanese from Chinese people apart and that Japanese and Chinese are all the same (to Jumbo who's Japanese). One of them then calls Nigel a "Mick" (although he's Welsh and not Irish).

Some of the strikers have set up a wire that trips Bateman as he runs out onto the field, causing him to knock down some cheerleaders.

Martel makes fun of Murphy because he's deaf (wondering about him and the Special Olympics).

The coach puts "stickum" on Clifford's hands so that he can finally catch the ball. When Clifford questions that (since it's illegal), McGinty mockingly asks if they'll be sent to football jail.

O'Neil reneges on his promise to McGinty and makes the decision to substitute some other players for the last game.

Martel continues to have a bad and condescending attitude toward Falco.

Falco stands up Annabelle who patiently waits for him to show for dinner.

When McGinty tells Falco, "It's nasty out there" (referring to the rough conditions in a game), Falco replies, "That's why girls don't play."

A player nearly throws the game on purpose (due to pressure from his vengeful creditors).

FRIGHTENING SCENES

None.

GUNS/WEAPONS

Handgun: Carried by one of the Jackson brothers and later used to shoot the windshield and window out of Martel's expensive sports car (after he and others taunted Falco and overturned his truck).

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR

Phrases: "Get the f*ck out of here," "What a p*ssy," "D*ckhead," "You look like sh*t," "Horsesh*t," "Bullsh*t," "Jack sh*t," "I don't give a sh*t," "You've got sh*t for brains," "That's some deep sh*t," "Holy sh*t," "Screw around," "Jeez," "Bitchy," "Bollocks," "Piss off," "Wankers," "Look at this mama jama," "What the hell is this?" "Bitch," "Beats the hells out of me," "Screwed" (nonsexual), "Dumb ass," "Balls" (testicles), "Kick some ass," "It looks like hell," "Let's haul ass," "What the hell?" "Piss," "To hell with them," "You guys kicked ass," "Shut up," "Give 'em hell," "Bloody hell," "Idiot," "What the hell was that?" "Punk" and "Chicks" (women).

The professional players throw eggs at a bus carrying the replacement players.

Nigel gives the striking players "the finger."

Jumbo gives Nigel the "f you" sign (putting one hand into the elbow crease of the other arm that then bends upwards). Later, a fan makes this same gesture.

Martel and his buddies repeatedly turn over Falco's truck (eventually causing one of the Jackson brothers to shoot his gun into Martel's car).

While driving Falco back home, Annabelle drives crazily, rapidly switching lanes, driving on the wrong side of the road, zipping through traffic, etc.

Jumbo stuffs many hardboiled eggs into his mouth at the same time.

Some of the strikers have set up a wire that trips Bateman as he runs out onto the field, causing him to knock down some cheerleaders.

Nigel licks his fingers and then playfully rubs them across his clothed nipples.

JUMP SCENES

None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)

None.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)

Various songs had lyrics that couldn't be understood (for various reasons), but one song, Donna Summer's "Bad Girls" is about hookers.

PROFANITY

At least 1 "f" word (with another incomplete "mother..."), 36 "s" words, 2 slang terms for/using male genitals ("d*ck"), 1 slang term using female genitals ("p*ssy"), 25 hells, 14 asses (5 used with "hole"), 11 S.O.B.s, 7 damns, 2 bollocks, 1 crap, 1 wanker, 3 uses each of "G-damn" and "Jesus Christ," 2 each of "God," "Jesus" and "Oh my God" and 1 use of "Oh God" as exclamations.

SEX/NUDITY

While trying out for the cheerleading squad, a buxom young woman playfully holds/handles her clothed breasts during her cheer. Others occasionally turn around and lift up their skirts, showing off their butts in their cheerleader outfits (that are high-cut), and the camera occasionally focuses directly on that part of their bodies.

A professional stripper/exotic dancer who tries out for the cheerleading squad shows cleavage.

During the first game, we see various cheerleaders (all but Annabelle being an exotic dancer/stripper) in skimpy outfits (that show cleavage and have high-cut bottoms).

Annabelle shows cleavage.

During a game, the strippers/cheerleaders start doing provocative dances and poses (including two of them doing a sensuous, implied lesbian act. Others sensuously run their hands along their own clothed bodies, while one stands up against another's butt as the second woman completely bends over (and the first then spanks the second). This, of course, distracts every male in the stadium who stops and watches, eyes and mouth agape.

As Falco and Annabelle passionately make out, commentators John Madden and Pat Summerall deliver some play-by-play color commentary (that has a double, but not explicit meaning) that ends with them shouting, "Falco scores!" (although we don't know if that's referring just to the fact that he finally got to kiss her, or that he "scored" with her later on, since the scene ends there with them making out and then quickly segues into the commentators calling a football game involving Falco).

After copious amounts of the gooey "stickum" is applied to both of his hands, Clifford complains that it looks like he helped "jack off" an elephant.

We see several of the replacement player's bare butts as they "moon" others. Clifford then flirts with a female reporter in the locker room and stands in a somewhat suggestive pose wearing just a towel. We then see Nigel standing in just his jockey underwear, his hand cupping the bulge in the front of them.

Murphy uses some sign language to communicate with one of the stripper/cheerleaders across a crowded room and the cheerleader responds by making the gesture for her performing oral sex on him (holding an imaginary penis in her hand and pretending to move it in and out of her mouth). Right after that, Nigel exclaims, "Look at this!" as he hold his hands down at his crotch (our view of that is blocked) and several women look there (but we don't know if he's exposing himself or not).

The cheerleaders do some more sensuous dancing in their skimpy cheerleading outfits (that are very high cut) as the camera often cuts to them during the last game.

SMOKING

Nigel smokes quite often during the film, while some people smoke in a pub. In addition, O'Neil asks for a cigarette from McGinty, but he says that he's quit (although he later smokes once).

TENSE FAMILY SCENES

None.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT

The real NFL strike of 1987.

Unions, strikes and those who cross picket lines.

Whether a governor would allow a state prisoner to be released to play as a replacement player on a pro football team.

When McGinty tells Falco, "It's nasty out there" (referring to the rough conditions in a game), Falco replies, "That's why girls don't play."

VIOLENCE

In a flashback, we see Bateman (a cop) head-butt a suspect and dunk in his head in some water, and then hit another person with some sort of pole (all while on duty).

A thug holds Nigel by the throat, threatening him if he doesn't pay what he owes.

The professional players throw eggs at a bus carrying the replacement players (one of the pro players also hits a window with his fist/arm, shattering the window). As they walk past the threatening strikers, Clifford hits one of them with his bag.

Martel and his buddies repeatedly turn over Falco's truck.

Various instances of hard-hitting football violence occurs, particularly when Bateman repeatedly sacks Falco as hard as he can.

Smith holds a regular dinner knife to Clifford's cheek when he gets tired of him.

Some of the strikers have set up a wire that trips Bateman as he runs out onto the field, causing him to knock down some cheerleaders.

Jumbo and one of the Jackson brothers get into a pushing fight in the middle of the huddle and when a punch is thrown, it's Falco who's hit (although he's wearing his helmet).

Martel punches Falco, and after a pause, Falco punches him back starting a barroom brawl between the replacement and striking players. Various people on both sides are punched, one is thrown against a window, Nigel kicks one guy in the crotch and then the face, and a replacement player violently slides a pro player down the top of the bar.

After Martel and his buddies turn over Falco's truck again, one of the Jackson brothers pulls out his gun and fires many shots into Martel's car.

Falco throws a ball to purposefully hit an opposing player and a big, but brief fight breaks out on the field.

Tired of Clifford flirting with a reporter and acting all inflated, Bateman walks by and pushes him back against the wall of his locker area.

A player reportedly breaks his arm.

Reviewed July 26, 2000 / Posted August 11, 2000

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