All the Right Moves (1983)

A high school footballer desperate for a scholarship and his headstrong coach clash in a dying Pennsylvania steel town.

Director:

Michael Chapman

Writers:

Pat Jordan (article), Michael Kane

Stars:

Tom Cruise, Craig T. Nelson, Lea Thompson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Cruise	...	Stefen Djordjevic
Craig T. Nelson	...	Nickerson
Lea Thompson	...	Lisa
Charles Cioffi	...	Pop
Gary Graham	...	Greg
Paul Carafotes	...	Salvucci
Chris Penn	...	Brian (as Christopher Penn)
Sandy Faison	...	Suzie
James A. Baffico	...	Bosko
Mel Winkler	...	Jess Covington
Walter Briggs	...	Rifleman
George Betor	...	Tank
Leon	...	Shadow (as Leon Robinson)
Jonas Chaka	...	Mouse (as Jonas C. Miller)
Keith Diamond	...	Fox (as Keith Ford)

Storyline

Sensitive study of a headstrong high school football star who dreams of getting out of his small Western Pennsylvania steel town with a football scholarship. His equally ambitious coach aims at a college position, resulting in a clash which could crush the player's dreams.

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Plot Keywords:

scholarship | high school | coach | football | college | 

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Taglines:

He plays to win

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Sport

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 October 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

All Right

Filming Locations:

Conemaugh, Pennsylvania, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lucille Ball Productions, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The gridiron player position of Stefan Djordjevic (Tom Cruise) was defensive half-back.

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Goofs

When Stefan goes to the field to ask the coach to play in the game, his hair is blowing in the wind. In the reverse angle, his hair is laying down flat.

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Quotes

Nickerson: You poured garbage on me, my wife and my little girl.

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Connections

Referenced in Scream (1996)

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Soundtracks

"All The Right Moves"
(Main Title)
Performed by Jennifer Warnes and Chris Thompson
Music by Tom Snow
Lyrics by Barry Alfonso
Produced by Tom Snow and Brooks Arthur

User Reviews

Interesting tale of small town USA

Stef Djordjevic is one of a team of football players in Pennsylvania that is relying on a scholarship to leave the dying steel town and go to college. The only options open to them in the town are to work in the steel mill which is currently laying off workers. The film shows the many barriers that trap the youngsters in the town.

This is one of Cruise's first films and it is a lot less glossy than many of his star-driven projects now, it's a lot more rough and ready than he would let it be if he made it now. It is a very simple story and a very short film - it basically shows a group of friends trapped in the town who have dreams of more but must overcome obstacles to get to college. Cruise must overcome the team coach's dislike for him to get a recommendation, Penn finds himself with a pregnant girlfriend who he must marry, Paul Carafotes finds himself drawn into crime to make ends meet. The lesson of the film is that it's difficult to break a cycle where you're in an industrial town and are expected to go into the same type of work as your father etc.

The most interesting thing about this is how young all the actors are! We've all got used to their faces now and it's weird seeing how young Cruise, Penn and Lea Thompson once were. The story is OK but is a little clichéd and is all a bit tidy towards the end. The football action is not exciting but I suppose is a muddily realistic representation of small town school sports. The performances are good considering the young cast and Chris Penn and Craig T. Nelson provide the two best roles. Cruise is a little too overplayed and brings a bit too much teenage anger and angst to the role.

Overall it's an interesting film, a little clichéd but OK. Personally I found it a little boring and didn't really care what happened to Cruise but it's not too bad.