Hoosiers (2005)

Review by: Brendon McCullin
Date: 4/1/05

Whenever a discussion of the best sports movies of all time is entered into there’s typically a fairly static group of films that enter the fray, with baseball and boxing each having multiple candidates. There is, however, only one basketball movie that not only warrants mention but frequently trumps all the others: Hoosiers.

With MGM’s release of a two disc “Collector’s Edition,” the movie gets the sort of treatment that it’s now classic status demands. The “borrowed from a true story” format of a small Indiana high school that defies the odds to beat all comers for the state’s basketball championship is ready made for some uplifting moments. What makes the film though is all of the darkness that leads up to the light.

The real star of the movie might be the state of Indiana’s passion for the sport of basketball, but the story gets its gravitas from Gene Hackman’s stellar portrayal of a disgraced college basketball coach getting one last chance for redemption in a tiny, off the map farm town. With only slight changes in facial expressions, Hackman manages to convey his character’s alternating bemusement, anger and enjoyment of his situation.

Matching Hackman in the master thespian category is Dennis Hopper, who turns in some of the best work of his career, while also seemingly creating an homage to his friend Harry Dean Stanton. Hopper’s work as Shooter, the former basketball star, town drunk and father of one of the current players captures a unique picture of a man torn between his love for alcohol and basketball.

The basketball action itself is probably the best committed to film, with the use of real high school and college players adding to the authenticity immeasurably. However, it’s the local townspeople’s reaction to the games – the way the high school team’s success is tied to the entire psyche of the community – that feels so dead on that it sets the movie apart from other sports films. Anyone that’s ever lived around Boston, Chicago or Philadelphia can tell you that small towns in the Midwest aren’t the only places that fans emotional involvement can spin out of control.

Being a sports movie, Hoosiers does sport its share of “Yes!” moments. Reluctant star player Jimmy Chitwood telling a town meeting that he’ll only play for Hackman’s Norman Dale. Dale telling his team that no matter what happens they’re still winners and measuring the court in the cavernous big city gym to prove it’s the same size as everywhere else. And, of course, Jimmy Chitwood promising to make the big shot.

The movie stands on it’s own merits, but the DVD’s extras are a treasure trove for real fans. The audio commentary by director David Anspaugh and writer Angelo Pizzo, themselves both Indiana natives, is full of the normal movie making minutia but it is fun to hear them talk about their angst at their limited shooting schedule and budget. The new documentary, “Hoosier’s History: The Truth Behind the Legend,” expands on those issues and offers a look at the real story and players that the film was inspired by. The deleted scenes, normally just fluff on most DVD’s, here finally explains the how and why of Buddy’s return (kicked off the team at the beginning of the story, he magically reappears midway through) and offers insight about why Barbara Hersey’s character seems to be an afterthought.

It also features what might be the coolest DVD extra ever for sports geeks – the actual full footage of the 1954 Milan vs. Muncie Central high school championship game that the movie is based on.

With tournament basketball in full swing, now’s as good a time as any to either remember or find out why Hoosiers is required viewing for just about every sports fan this time of year.

(Brendon McCullin is a staff writer for 2 Walls Webzine.)