Hoosiers

19861986
PGPG
1h 54min

7.5/10

A coach with a checkered past and a local drunk train a small town high school basketball team to become a top contender for the championship.A coach with a checkered past and a local drunk train a small town high school basketball team to become a top contender for the championship.A coach with a checkered past and a local drunk train a small town high school basketball team to become a top contender for the championship.

7.5/10

45K

Top credits

See production, box office & company info

Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 3 wins & 5 nominations total

Videos2

Trailer 0:31

Hoosiers: Blu-Ray

Promo 0:30

25th Anniversary Edition

Steve Hollar, David Neidorf, Maris Valainis, and Brad Long in Hoosiers (1986)

Gene Hackman, Dennis Hopper, Steve Hollar, Wade Schenck, Scott Summers, Maris Valainis, and Brad Long in Hoosiers (1986)

Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper in Hoosiers (1986)

Gene Hackman and Barbara Hershey in Hoosiers (1986)

Gene Hackman and David Neidorf in Hoosiers (1986)

Gene Hackman, Steve Hollar, David Neidorf, and Wade Schenck in Hoosiers (1986)

Gene Hackman, Steve Hollar, Scott Summers, and Maris Valainis in Hoosiers (1986)

Gene Hackman and Maris Valainis in Hoosiers (1986)

Based on the true story of a small-town Indiana team that made the state finals in 1954, this movie chronicles the attempts of a coach with a spotty past, and the town's basketball-loving drunk to lead their high school team to victory. —Thomas Pluck <stripey@winternet.com>

team coach high school championship basketball 47 more

Taglines
- It'll go straight to your heart.
Genres
- Drama
- Sport
Certificate
- PG
Parents guide

Trivia
For the scene where Dennis Hopper stumbles onto the court drunk during the sectional game, Hopper wanted a 10-second notice before the director called action. He spun around for 10 seconds, allowing him to stagger onto the court and appear drunk. He remembered James Dean in Giant (1956) asking George Stevens for 30 seconds so he could spin around to better feel the inebriation.

Goofs
When Shooter's son stays after class to talk with the coach about his father, the map on the board, marked 'United States', shows Hawaii. Hawaii was annexed on July 7, 1898, and became a state in 1959.

Quotes
[Just before the big game]
Preacher Purl: And David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and slung it. And it struck the Philistine on the head and he fell to the ground. Amen.

Alternate versions
The TV version of the film has been disowned by director David Anspaugh, and its director's credit goes to "Jack Nemo".

Connections
Featured in At the Movies: Something Wild/The Mission/Hoosiers/Sky Bandits (1986)

Soundtracks
Big Band Highlight No. 2
Composed by Ole Georg (as Neil Amsterdam)
Courtesy of Capitol Productions Music

Top review

9/10

A superb time-capsule of mid-century, mid-western Americana.

This movie is authentic nostalgia for anyone who grew up in the mid-west in the 50's and 60's. It's what life looked like when I myself "came down to this planet" in the late 1940's and experienced my teens in the 60's.

The old school with high ceilings and gleaming wooden floors, the gyms with the gold-toned wall-tiles, even the hospital scene with the nurse in her starched white uniform -- all evoke a peculiar beauty that you no longer find today.

There is even a scene where a young teen girl yells "NO!" to an unjust referee call, and her pointy glasses and pony tail look so much like me back then, it feels like a glimpse into a parallel dimension.

I'd say this is a must-see experience for people my age -- although all ages can thoroughly enjoy the basketball action.

I'm glad for the social progress since then. But there is a "peculiar beauty" from those times that is starkly missing today.

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