Wildcats (1986)

Molly is a high school track coach who knows just as much about football as anyone else on the planet. When the football coach's position becomes vacant, she applies for the job, despite ... See full summary »

Director:

Michael Ritchie

Writer:

Ezra Sacks

Stars:

Goldie Hawn, Swoosie Kurtz, Robyn Lively

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Goldie Hawn	...	Molly McGrath
Swoosie Kurtz	...	Verna McGrath
Robyn Lively	...	Alice Needham
Brandy Gold	...	Marian Needham
James Keach	...	Frank Needham
Jan Hooks	...	Stephanie Needham
Bruce McGill	...	Dan Darwell
Nipsey Russell	...	Ben Edwards
Mykelti Williamson	...	Levander 'Bird' Williams (as Mykel T. Williamson)
Tab Thacker	...	Phillip Finch
Wesley Snipes	...	Trumaine
Jsu Garcia	...	Cerulo (as Nick Corri)
Woody Harrelson	...	Krushinski
Willie J. Walton	...	Marvel
Rodney Hill	...	Peanut

Storyline

Molly is a high school track coach who knows just as much about football as anyone else on the planet. When the football coach's position becomes vacant, she applies for the job, despite expecting sniggers from fellow staff members and her former husband.

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Plot Keywords:

coach | football | training montage | court | school vandalism | 

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Taglines:

Her dream was to coach high school football. Her nightmare was Central High.

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Genres:

Comedy | Sport

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 February 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

First and Goal

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$26,285,544 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hawn / Sylbert Movie Company, Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The football song Wildcats team performs at the end of the movie when the credits are rolled is a parody of the 1985 Chicago Bears' video of "The Super Bowl Shuffle," the year the Bears won the Super Bowl.

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Goofs

Whilst the team is exercising on the field, the shadow of the camera crew can be seen.

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Quotes

Molly McGrath: [after she runs the team into the ground, throws the broken watch on the ground] You owe me a new stop watch... you PUSSIES!

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Robin Williams/James Taylor (1988)

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Soundtracks

"Love Lives Alone"
Performed by Táta Vega (as Tata Vega)
Written by Hawk Wolinski, James Newton Howard and David Pack

User Reviews

One of the better sports comedies from the 1980's...

WILDCATS was a funny and entertaining comedy with Goldie Hawn at the top of her form as a high school track coach, who wants more than anything to coach football (her late father was a football coach). She finally gets the opportunity to coach a high school football team at a tough inner city high school where the majority of the students are Africa American or Latino. Of course, Goldie's Molly McGrath meets the obvious resentments from high school boys that you would expect finding out their new coach is a woman, but she does eventually win them over, even at the risk of losing custody of her two daughters to her uptight ex-husband (James Keach). Nothing new or inventive here but Goldie lights up the screen presenting a smart yet flawed character trying to live her dream. Nipsey Russell has one of the best roles of his career as the principal of the school that hires her and there are some very funny moments provided by the members of the team, especially Woody Harrelson, Nick Corri, and in a star-making turn, a very young Wesley Snipes. Bruce McGill scores as a sexist coach from the opposing school, Prescott and Jan Hooks has some cute moments as GOldie's ex-husband's new girlfriend. I love the scene where Goldie outruns the boys on the team and calls them "pussies" and the rap song over the closing credits is hysterically funny. A terrific feel-good comedy starring a great actress at the zenith of her personal charm.