The Replacements (2000)

During a pro football strike, the owners hire substitute players.

Director:

Howard Deutch

Writer:

Vince McKewin

Stars:

Keanu Reeves, Gene Hackman, Brooke Langton

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Keanu Reeves	...	Shane Falco
Gene Hackman	...	Jimmy McGinty
Brooke Langton	...	Annabelle Farrell
Orlando Jones	...	Clifford Franklin
Faizon Love	...	Jamal Jackson
Michael Taliferro	...	Andre Jackson (as Michael 'Bear' Taliferro)
Ace Yonamine	...	Jumbo
Troy Winbush	...	Walter Cochran
David Denman	...	Brian Murphy
Jon Favreau	...	Daniel Bateman
Michael Jace	...	Earl Wilkinson / Ray Smith
Rhys Ifans	...	Nigel 'The Leg' Gruff
Gailard Sartain	...	Pilachowski
Art LaFleur	...	Banes
Brett Cullen	...	Eddie Martel

Storyline

A comedy based on the 1987 professional football players' strike. Gene Hackman plays the coach of the team, Jack Warden is the owner, Brett Cullen is the All-Pro quarterback that goes on strike and Keanu Reeves is the "scab" who replaces the star QB.

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Plot Keywords:

strike | coach | football | sumo | quarterback | 

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Taglines:

Pros on strike. Everyday guys get to play.

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Genres:

Comedy | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some crude sexual humor and language

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros.

Country:

USA

Language:

English American Sign Language

Release Date:

11 August 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Helden aus der zweiten Reihe

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$11,039,214 (USA) (11 August 2000)

Gross:

ESP 213,762,229 (Spain) (29 June 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bel Air Entertainment, Dylan Sellers Productions, Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film is set in Washington D.C. but was actually filmed in and around Baltimore including the Baltimore Ravens' stadium.

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Goofs

On the last play of the Dallas (final) game, when Brian catches the winning touchdown, he catches the ball inside the end-zone, falls to the ground, and slides out the back of end-zone When he makes the catch and lands, the end-zone is green with no paint on it, and he slides into the solid white painted area behind the end-zone (you see the pylon meaning he has gone out-of-bounds after securing the catch). The next shot (from further away) he is in the middle of the end-zone, in-bounds, and the end-zone is painted with letters (he is to the left of the 'S' in 'Washington'.

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Quotes

Nigel 'The Leg' Gruff: [to the players on strike] Get a job, you wankers!

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Connections

Spoofed in The Comebacks (2007)

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Soundtracks

"If Everybody Looked The Same"
Written by Andrew Cato, Tom Findlay, Eugene Record, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Q-Tip, Phife Dawg & James 'Jay Dee' Yancey
Performed by Groove Armada

User Reviews

Brilliant, fuzzy, feel good movie.

I haven't bothered watching professional football since Joe Montana retired but this movie got me interested again. While I can appreciate the comments of other reviewers that it is a formula movie and has many inaccuracies when it comes to the football action it is pure and unadulterated fun. The bottom line is this movie is downright funny, from start to finish. The cast are absolutely wonderful and the casting director did a brilliant job of bringing this gang together. Gene Hackman of course is perfect as the coach.... "I'll pull you off the field you spoiled son of a bitch".... Rhys Ifans absolute perfection as Gruff (after a **** you remark from Jimbo) "You'll have to find your dick first Shamu", to the shoot em up bros from the hood, to "get me the ball, get me the ball" The acting was absolutely wonderful in this movie. I have to admit I didn't like the guy that played Martell but perhaps that's because I wasn't supposed to like him, perhaps it shows what a good job he did. And Keanu, dear, sweet, so maligned Keanu, I read a reviewer once who said of Keanu's acting that it is "almost transparent" and in this movie it is, he doesn't eat scenery he just does his job, low key, perfectly in character, and for those who know anything at all about acting all you have to do is watch his eyes. He has a Harrison Ford like quality of being able to express a wealth of emotions with his eyes and in this movie he pulls it off perfectly. I also read somewhere that during the making of this movie it was discovered that Keanu really did have "an arm" and at one point threw a 69 yard pass. I have seen this movie in excess of 20 times and will no doubt see it 20 more times, it is the best feel-good movie I have ever seen. When I want drama and suspense I will watch "The Green Mile" when I want simple, comedy that just leaves me with a huge grin I will watch the replacements. Oh yeah and I just want to kiss the person who put Keanu in a No. 16 uniform *S*