"'Replacements'--Don't Quit Your Day Job"
by Scott Mantz

"The Replacements"
Keanu Reeves, Gene Hackman
Directed by Howard Deutch

"Reeves calls the shots in 'The Replacements'"

Everybody loves to root for the underdog--especially in Hollywood. Just look at some of the better sports movies to come out of the studio pipeline in the last few decades. Hockey broke out of the penalty box with "Slap Shot," while baseball hit a home run with both "The Bad News Bears" and "Major League." Now football takes to the field, but instead of blitzing for the end zone, it heads back to the showers. While "The Replacements" is filled with plenty of crowd pleasing moments, it is plagued by lame dialogue, predictable schmaltziness, and wasted talent. Think "Any Given Sunday" written as a Hallmark card, and you get the idea.

It's been a few years since Shane Falco (Keanu Reeves) blew his big chance at the Sugar Bowl, and it's an experience he'd like to forget. He now spends his days drinking beer, cleaning boats, and dreaming about what might have bee n. Well, thanks to a sudden football strike, his dream is about to become a reality. The Washington Sentinels are eager to recruit replacement players to keep the fans happy (and keep the money rolling in), and Coach McGinty (Gene Hackman) wants Falco to be his main man. The second-rate Sentinels sure have their work cut out for them--they have to win the next 3 out of 4 games in order to make the playoffs. Between pressure from the real players, a budding romance with a kind-hearted cheerleader (Brooke Langton), and the chance to finally redeem himself, it's safe to say that Falco has a lot on his mind. Ya think he'll rise to the occasion?

"The Replacements" bears a striking resemblance to "Major League," but it's too bad it's not as good. Tom Berrenger's burned-out catcher has been replaced by Keanu Reeve's humiliated quarterback. The laughs that came with the misfits who made up the Cleveland Indians come few and far between with the misfits who make up the Sentinels. Where "Major League" used each player's personality to complement each other, "The Replacements" uses them to solidify racial stereotypes in an unflattering--and often offensive--way. One player is a grossly overweight Japanese sumo wrestler, while some of the black players are either gun-toting gangbangers or ex-cons.

The film doesn't waste any time getting started, but therein lies the problem. Gene Hackman is anxious to recruit Reeves (for reasons only to him), and the film skips over some much-needed character development. The action shifts to the field, where the players have just a few days to practice before their first big game. The training scenario provides for some funny moments, but for the most part, it's just silly (and be warned--you might want to consider watching the film on an empty stomach). There's no doubt how the film is going to end, but getting there is so predictable that it isn't as much fun as it should be.

Gene Hackman has always been a strong screen presence, but by not developing his character, he is kept from being the pillar of strength that he usually is. It goes without saying that Keanu Reeves is no Al Pacino, but he seems to do just fine with roles that don't require a lot of range (like this one). Every effort is made to make him look good, and his fans are sure to embrace his role (especially after his success with last year's "The Matrix"). Brooke Langton plays Reeve's inevitable romantic interest, but she looks like she'd rather be sitting on the sidelines instead of jumping around in her skin-tight cheerleading outfit. Jon Favreau (Mikey from "Swingers") is so far over the top as the cop-turned-linebacker that you wish he'd switch back to decaf, while Rhys Ifans injects only some of the charm that he gave to last year's "Notting Hill."

"The Replacements" may not score a touchdown, but once it gets past the goofy basic-training scenario, it makes all the right moves and kicks a field goal as a genuine crowd pleaser. It's always inspiring to see a gang of lovable misfits rise above unbeatable odds to claim victory, but as far as originality is concerned, the film ends up more like an incomplete pass.

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