Celtic Pride (1996)

Two over-loyal Celtic fans kidnap their opponent's star player in order to guarantee their team the championship.

Director:

Tom DeCerchio

Writers:

Judd Apatow (story), Colin Quinn (story)

Stars:

Damon Wayans, Daniel Stern, Dan Aykroyd

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Damon Wayans	...	Lewis Scott
Daniel Stern	...	Mike O'Hara
Dan Aykroyd	...	Jimmy Flaherty
Gail O'Grady	...	Carol O'Hara
Christopher McDonald	...	Coach Kimball
Paul Guilfoyle	...	Kevin O'Grady
Adam Hendershott	...	Tommy O'Hara
Scott Lawrence	...	Ted Hennison
Deion Sanders	...	Himself
Bill Walton	...	Himself
Gerard G. Williams	...	Derrick Lake (as Gus Williams)
Ted Rooney	...	Tony Sheppard
Vladimir Cuk	...	Lurch
Keith Gibbs	...	Terry Kirby
Joe Mingle	...	Referee

Storyline

The National Basketball Association play-offs are taking place, and the Boston Celtics are facing the Utah Jazz in a crucial series. This is also the last year that any games will be played in the Boston Garden, which is going to be torn down after the end of the season. Mike and Jimmy, two die-hard sports fans who will risk anything for the Celtics to win, are really getting into the games. The Celtics would be a sure win if it weren't for Lewis Scott, the cocky, loud-mouth star of the Jazz. After Scott himself punishes the Celtics in a bad loss, Mike and Jimmy decide to take things into their own hands by kidnapping Scott and holding him until after the crucial game takes place.

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Plot Keywords:

sports fan | kidnapping | basketball | boston celtics | friend | 

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Taglines:

If you can't beat 'em... steal him!

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Genres:

Comedy | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language and an abundance of crude humor

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 April 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Csont nélkül

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,809,248, 21 April 1996, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$9,255,027

Company Credits

Production Co:

Caravan Pictures, Hollywood Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Some scenes were shot inside the Boston Garden just before it was scheduled for demolition in the Summer 1995 and the new Boston Garden was scheduled to open in September.

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Goofs

When Mike tells Chris McCarhthey that the Celtics were up by 18 at the half, in fact, they were only up by 15.

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Quotes

Lurch: Yo, coach, I'll play. Just give me a chance. I can handle the rock.
Coach Kimball: I'll call you if I need you, Lurch.
Lurch: Don't dog me, coach. I've got the bad crap.
Coach Kimball: Well, I'll tell you what, you take the bad crap and this basketball and DO THE DRILLS! Now!
[Lurch misses a sure slam dunk]
Coach Kimball: I hate my life.

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Crazy Credits

After the credits, the Boston Garden is demolished. (This is a special effect; at the time the movie was released, the real Garden was still standing.)

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Getting Away with Murder/James and the Giant Peach/Jane Eyre/Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy/Ghost in the Shell (1996)

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Soundtracks

O.P.P.
Written by Fonce Mizell (as Alphonso Mizell), Freddie Perren, Deke Richards, Berry Gordy, Anthony 'Treach' Criss (as Anthony Criss), DJ Kay Gee (as Keir Gist), and Vin Rock (as Vincent Brown)
Performed by Naughty By Nature
Courtesy of Tommy Boy Records
Contains a sample of "ABC"
Written by Fonce Mizell (as Alphonso Mizell), Freddie Perren, Deke Richards, and Berry Gordy
Performed by Jackson 5 (as The Jackson 5)
Courtesy of Motown Record Company, L.P.

User Reviews

The real big sports fans out there might get a kick out of the movie, but only the strong ones.

The first thing that struck me about "Celtic Pride" is that it was too heavy, too dark and too busy with other things, rather than focusing on its current story. It was as if it was never content with where it was, always wanting to move forward, anticipating any possible flaw that may come along the way. It seemed scared to go for any big laughs, afraid it might be shot down by picky film-goers. In the process it did, in fact, hurt itself even more by anticipating this.

Mike (Daniel Stern) and Jimmy (Dan Aykroyd) are big-time Boston Celtics fans. They get mood swings when the Celtics are losing, they get all-time-highs when they are winning. Mike's wife has even left him because he is so wrapped up around the sport. In the beginning of the movie, the Celtics and the Utah Jazz are about to play the sixth game of the NBA championships. Mike and Jimmy, eagerly anticipating and looking forward to the game, get front-row seats and watch in horror as the Jazz's newest player, Lewis Scott (Damon Wayans), completely owns the court and practically beats the Celtics by himself.

Mike and Jimmy woefully retreat to a local bar, where they find that Lewis Scott is drinking. Posing as enthusiastic Utah fans, Mike and Jimmy push Scott to drink more and more, getting him extremely drunk. There's a funny scene during this when Mike and Jimmy meet Larry Byrd and have to pretend that they are Utah fans. The real big sports fans out there might get a kick out of that, and even the whole movie, but only the strong ones.

After their late-night drinking binge, Mike and Jimmy take Scott back to their home, and eventually kidnap him, holding him hostage in Jimmy's apartment.

Damon Wayans, star of "Bulletproof" and "Major Payne," is surprisingly the funniest guy in this movie. He reminds me of the black version of my uncle, both in looks, humor and facial expressions. He gets the good one-liners, the good jokes. And it's funny to watch him be suspicious of everyone, such as when Mike and Jimmy originally approach him. Watch his face. His eyebrow arches, he talks sarcastically. I must say I was surprised.

But Dan Aykroyd and Daniel Stern, both men I generally like in comedies, seem to just go with the flow, not really helping out the movie a lot. They are supposed to be long-time buddies and sports fanatics, but we don't feel any mutual sports bond between them, or just a bonding of friendship. The actors themselves are fine, but fail to deliver any sparks of chemistry.

"Celtic Pride" is too heavy on itself. It's too serious, too melodramatic, too anti-climatic. It is as if director Tom De Cerchio is afraid to try anything risky for big laughs. Something like "There's Something About Mary" may not be the funniest movie ever (I certainly didn't think so), but the laughs were controversial and made the film more than worth seeing. "Celtic Pride" is just another average, run-o'-the-mill comedy. Ho-hum laughter result from ho-hum gags. There's nothing very funny here. It's basically for the very big sports fanatics, the kind of fanatics who would ritualistically kill off opposing team players just for their team to win. The premise of this movie is no doubt very funny in itself, but one single premise cannot a good movie make.

2.5/5 stars -

John Ulmer