Everybody's All-American (1988)

A Louisiana football legend struggles to deal with life's complexities after his college career is over.

Director:

Taylor Hackford

Writers:

Frank Deford (novel), Thomas Rickman (screenplay) (as Tom Rickman)

Stars:

Jessica Lange, Dennis Quaid, Timothy Hutton

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jessica Lange	...	Babs
Dennis Quaid	...	Gavin Grey
Timothy Hutton	...	Donnie 'Cake'
John Goodman	...	Lawrence
Carl Lumbly	...	Narvel Blue
Ray Baker	...	Bolling Kiely
Savannah Smith Boucher	...	Darlene Kiely (as Savannah Smith Bouchér)
Patricia Clarkson	...	Leslie Stone
Joseph Meyer	...	Pep Leader
J. Kevin Brune	...	Roommate
Wayne Knight	...	Fraternity Pisser
Roy B. Stewart Sr.	...	Junie
Pat Pierre Perkins	...	Willy Mae
Aaron Neville	...	Man with Gun
Shawn Burks	...	Georgia Center

Storyline

Louisiana football star Gavin Grey had it all. He was an All-American champion who married his high-school sweetheart, homecoming queen Babs Rogers, and who was a hero to his hometown. Yet after a failed professional career, Gavin realizes that fame and success have passed him by and that he no longer is the hero everyone keeps reminding him he should still be. His dissatisfaction with his life leads to strains in his marriage, and Gavin begins to wonder who he is, if he's not a hero anymore.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to robert f. kennedy | football | louisiana | college | homecoming queen | 

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Taglines:

Their life story is a love story

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Sport

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Some of the filming of the football scenes took place during halftime of the 1987 LSU-Alabama game. The producers wanted to continue shooting some scenes following the game, so they requested that the LSU fans remain after the game so that they could finish the scenes. However, Alabama won in an upset, and ten minutes after the game, the only fans still in the bleachers were wearing crimson, forcing the producers to finish shooting the following week.

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Goofs

Level of beer and amount of foam in Cake's glass at Lawrence's pub.

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Quotes

Babs Grey: You once asked for his name for a chain of drive-ins.
Narvel Blue: Too late for that now.
Babs Grey: Then will you give me a job?
Narvel Blue: I got a hundred black men need jobs! Black women, too. Why should I give you one?
Babs Grey: Because you need white faces.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Everybody's All-American/U2: Rattle and Hum/The Good Mother/Little Dorrit/A Cry in the Dark (1988)

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Soundtracks

It's Not for Me to Say
Music by Robert Allen and lyrics by Al Stillman
Performed by Johnny Mathis'

User Reviews

Thoroughly underrated

Even though I do not watch sports anymore, I used to watch them quite a lot and will still watch this movie whenever it's on TV. Definitely one of the best sports films of all time, realistic and superbly acted, this film follows a quarterback hero and his "trophy" wife from college to well beyond retirement. Topics of love, friendship, fidelity, aging and loyalty are all dealt with in profound ways. Dennis Quaid and Jessica Lange give probably their best performances ever and the supporting cast does not disappoint. It is melodramatic, but it comes from a place of integrity instilled in the writing and direction of the film. If you're a guy and in the mood to watch something both you and your girl can enjoy, I would highly recommend renting this. It's too bad that so many below average sports movies get more praise than they deserve and lesser known films like this one fall by the wayside. 9/10

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 November 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Everybody's All-American

Filming Locations:

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,425,796, 6 November 1988

Gross USA:

$12,638,294

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$12,638,294

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Visions, Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1