All the Right Moves (1983)

A high school football player 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, Lea Thompson, Craig T. Nelson

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:

female full frontal nudity | male full frontal nudity | coach | college | steel worker | 

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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

Box Office

Budget:

$5,600,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,625,486, 23 October 1983, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$17,233,166

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lucille Ball Productions, Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Chris Penn and Lea Thompson co-starred together again in The Wild Life (1984) a year later.

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Goofs

Stefan takes his plaid shirt off twice in the locker room before practice.

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Quotes

Steff: I mean, now you can't even get a job in that god damn mill...
Bosko: The *god damn mill*? Is that your problem, Steff? Hey, fellas. Stefan's got a problem with the *god damn mill* You mean that mill where your father works? Where your brother works?
Lisa: You mean where his brother was laid off!

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Connections

Referenced in 'War of the Worlds': Characters - The Family Unit (2005)

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Soundtracks

Easy Street
(First Bar Scene)
Performed by Tony Orlando
Music and Lyrics by Chips Moman and Bobby Emmons
Produced by Chips Moman and Brooks Arthur

User Reviews

When getting out is all that matters

A younger, different looking Tom Cruise (old jaw/nose?) stars in this movie about a high school student aching to leave his dying steel mill town and study to be an engineer on a football scholarship. He watches his best friend, also on the team, marry his pregnant girlfriend; another member of the football team is arrested for armed robbery; his brother gets laid off from the mill; and his girlfriend (a young, fresh Lea Thompson) complains that no one gives music scholarships, just football ones, and she's going to be stuck in the town. After turning down initial scholarship offers to middle of the road schools, Cruise finds himself blackballed after an incident at his coach's house with which he was only peripherally involved. Off the team, and with the word out that he has an "attitude problem," he sees his dreams turning to dust.

Craig T. Nelson plays the coach and does his usual fine job, and Lea Thompson is a vibrant, passionate Lisa. Cruise here gives a truer performance than usual - I usually find him a very external and not terribly believable actor. In "All The Right Moves," he's sympathetic and heartfelt. I much prefer this to the perfectly handsome, glossy figure he is today. Time to get back to basics, Tom, and get some of those right moves back.