Although this movie is called Celtic Pride it’s clear that the filmmakers haven’t the slightest idea what the word “pride” means. The movie is a throwaway sports comedy, ripe for the current NBA playoff season but bottom-rack video rental forever after. The plot involves two overgrown sports fanatics who are so determined that their beloved Boston Celtics win the championship during the last season the team will play in the fabled Boston Garden before its destruction, that these two buffoons kidnap the star player of the opposing Utah Jazz team. As the two buffoons, Stern and Aykroyd are unpleasant leading characters. These two actors have long ago worn out their welcome in the world of light comedy. Each of them seems to bounce anxiously from project to project, leaving no traces of themselves behind as they go. In Celtic Pride, they’re downright dislikable. Stern plays a senseless jerk who sacrifices his marriage for his obsession and Aykroyd plays a borderline idiot. Only Damon Wayans comes out of this deal with any semblance of pride. As the kidnapped ballplayer, Wayans plays the character with steely dignity and hauteur. For once, he’s not expected to provide the comedy material; he’s practically the straight man (although it would be easier to make that claim if there were any real comedy happening here). Additionally, these lame characterizations are not helped at all by the uninspired staging of the movie. Scenes rarely exploit their full potential and, frequently, it’s clear that the slightest bit of effort might have made the shots work more smoothly. Movies like this could start giving sports a bad name.
This article appears in April 26 • 1996 (Cover).
