- 1991movierewind
Episode #28: Necessary Roughness
Listen to Episode 28 of the Podcast here while you enjoy the show notes.
SUMMARY - In Necessary Roughness, the Texas State University football team has been dismantled by NCAA regulations and virtually all the players are ineligible. A hard-nosed coach is brought in to build a team from existing non-athletic students while the dean continues his efforts to eliminate the program altogether.
Screenplay by Rick Natkin and David Fuller; Directed by Stan Dragoti, and released on September 27, 1991.
FILM DISCUSSION
It's hard not to compare this movie to "Major League" based on the surface level info. Cover art that has a ball with attitude flying out of the stadium....
…incompetent goofballs that are making up the team instead of actual athletes trained in the sport already...
…and the overly old player coming in to mentor and lead the team.
Oh and the obvious villain working from the inside to sabotage the operation.
We almost forgot to mention that you also get the wacky announcer. Although Rob Schneider was a great choice for the time, he didn't have any memorable lines or moments. Probably needed a partner to riff off of.
Then again, this cast is already huge. Too big. And too much time is spent with the coaches who make no effort at comedy.
A lot of the supporting players are exaggerated stereotypes like this hyper-militaristic guy.
Each gets one or two moments, like the rich kid Jason Bateman plays trying to drop out of school.
Adding to the large cast is a scene where inmates come to play and train, filled with a bunch of star football players and one Evander Holyfield.
Possibly our favorite character was Sinbad who played a professor who is also eligible to play ball. We really wanted more of him to show up.
If the cast wasn't big enough already, they introduce Kathy Ireland to the movie half-way in. They shot her intro upside down from the position of the center Manu's perspective.
We really liked their relationship and dynamic throughout the film.
Still, Kathy isn't our lead Scott Bakula's love interest. That is played by Harley Jane Kozak and their relationship is mostly good and organic too, except for the forced drama part.
So many people, it's tough to also find time to talk about how good the football action in this movie is. There are a lot of hard hits and up-close action. It's really well shot.
And as far as we could tell, there was no pre-existing footage used. These players/stunt people and actors were all hit hard on the astroturf.
It may not have been as funny as we would have liked, but it certainly gave us a lot to talk about this week.
Awards Talk - None to mention this week. Not even an MTV Movie Award nomination.
TRUE CRIME & POP CULTURE
This week we did not have any true crime to mention, so we move to pop culture.
Since this movie was the same week as "The Fisher King" we covered the top music already. So, we decided to showcase the end credits song. [Side note: Jon was wrong when he said Necessary Roughness made more money at the box office. The Fisher King was the winner between the two.]
"What Would We Do" by DSK. Enjoy the C + C Music Factory inspired video.
This week, Nikki took a look at some kids shows outlined in the 9/28 issue of TV Guide
Most of us probably remember at least two of these
Not many would remember Spacecats, though. Enjoy the bonus ad, even if it's not too nostalgic.
How many of these shows did you watch?
Here's a link to what else was playing in primetime
http://www.tvtango.com/listings/1991/09/27 And we make special mention of a couple lesser known shows that aired that evening as well.
Princesses
Brooklyn Bridge
Flesh ‘n’ Blood
Reasonable Doubts
RANKINGS & RATINGS
Nikki 1-5 star scale - 3 out of 5
Jon 0-4 star scale - 2 1/2 out of 4
Would you watch it again? - Yes we would. While there are better sports movies out there, like "Major League," this movie was still a fun time with surprisingly good football action and a bunch of likable characters.
If you want to watch Necessary Roughness, as of this recording on August 2021, it’s available on Amazon Prime, Paramount +, PlutoTV, Digital Rental, VHS, DVD. Check your local listings.
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