Hollywood’s hostility towards labour movement can be found in many things, including the plot premise of The Replacements, 2000 sports comedy directed by Howard Deutsch. The plot deals with Washington Sentinels, fictional American football team which is four games away from entering the play off. Just in that moment team’s star players go on strike trying to win better salaries. Edward O’Neil (played by Jack Warden), the team’s owner, is forced to quickly find replacements and hires manager Jack McGinty (played by Gene Hackman) to quickly find them, make the new team out of them and hopefully win three out four games necessary for play off. McGinty doesn’t have much choice, but he finds some odd characters whose specific qualities might be useful. They include sumo wrestler “Jumbo” Fumiko (played by Ace Yonanime), ultraviolent Washington, D.C. police SWAT officer Daniel “Danny” Bateman (played by Jon Favreau) and Welsh soccer player Nigel Gruff (played by Rhys Ifans), who also happens to be nicotine and gambling addict. They are to be led on the field by Shane Falco (played by Keanu Reeves), once promising quarterback whose brilliant college career got ruined after fumbling the crucial match. McGinty and Falco try very hard to turn group of oddballs into effective team and while it happens, Falco also falls in love with Annabelle Farrell (played by Brooke Langdon), new captain of cheerleading team whose members are also replacements, since the original cheerleaders went to strike in solidarity with players.
The Replacements, although loosely inspired by true events that occurred in 1987 during NFL strike, represents feather-light entertainment and this is something its authors were quite aware. Scriptwriter Vince McKewin doesn’t hesitate to fill the plot with all kinds of Hollywood sports film cliches that include group of outsiders that must play the game of their lives against heavily favoured opponents, romantic subplot and big game at the ending. The Replacements is unlikely to surprise any experienced viewers, with possible exceptions of slightly darker tones at the finale. Hackman and Reeves don’t want to reinvent the wheel and routinely play their characters, while comedians Rhys Ifans and Orlando Jones (the latter in the role of fast-running stockboy) slightly overact. The only surprise is, however, pleasant and comes in the form of Brooke Langton, charming actress who bravely deals with thankless role of protagonist’s love interest. Director Howard Deutsch, who had good experience with feather-light comedies, does solid job and occasionally allows some memorable moment to improve general impression, like in the scene when Falco and his team mates spontaneously begin to perform Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive”. While easy to miss and not particularly remarkable, The Replacements will provide solid entertainment to those who watch it.
RATING: 5/10 (++)
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