Jarhead

Though lacking a clear point of view, the film seems to say that war not only dehumanizes soldiers but also infantilizes them. It’s not a pretty picture, but it is a lovely film.

"...dusty grunts out of the picture entirely. Mendes’ film sports a wealth of grimly beautiful imagery from the Coen..."

Nov. 4, 2005 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story

You could call it Seabiscuit Jr., but this horsey heartwarmer does something surprising in spite of its underdog sports-movie formula and shameless emotional manipulation: It manages to be an enjoyable movie about and for girls.

"...does something very surprising in spite of its underdog sports-movie formula, its sun-dappled beauty shots of Kentucky thoroughbred farms,..."

Oct. 21, 2005 Movie Review by Marrit Ingman

Roll Bounce

Hot-wiring a penchant for sports film truisms to some seriously spot-on Seventies nostalgia, this Bow Wow vehicle is an easygoing portrayal of teenage camaraderie and its attendant difficulties.

"...triumphs on almost all counts, hot-wiring a penchant for sports film clichés to some seriously spot-on Seventies nostalgia that..."

Sept. 23, 2005 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Sky High

An adolescent superhero can't find his niche.

"...way to happy endings all around. It’s inoffensive and sports a positive "be yourself" message that’s obvious enough to..."

July 29, 2005 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Murderball

This doc about quadriplegic rugby entertains, informs, and inspires.

"...yet before viewers can settle in for a straightforward sports documentary, Murderball switches gears and takes us in unexpected..."

July 22, 2005 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Kicking & Screaming

Will Ferrell, Robert Duvall, and Mike Ditka all appear together in a film that sings the praises of kids soccer and caffeine addiction.

"...suburban dad who lives in the shadow of his sports-mad dad (Duvall) until he finds himself coaching his own..."

May 13, 2005 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Dallas 362

The actor Scott Caan makes a strong debut as a writer-director in this atmospheric character study in which he also co-stars with Shawn Hatosy, Jeff Goldblum, and Kelly Lynch.

"...time on those couple dozen movie sets. Dallas 362 sports lots of the rough edges common to first-timers, but..."

April 22, 2005 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Bigger Than the Sky

Despite some bright spots in this woefully earnest modern romance, Bigger Than the Sky is awash in the obvious and sports a cloying adulation of theatre folk.

"...Than the Sky is awash in the obvious and sports a patently predictable outcome. Somewhere, Stanislavsky is shrieking as..."

Feb. 18, 2005 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Paparazzi

A vicious revenge fantasy produced by Mel Gibson, the Passionate filmmaker who last partnered with that turn-the-other-cheek fellow.

"...miscalculated. Although the movie’s premise is conceptually intriguing, Paparazzi sports no likable figures. Each character is more distasteful than..."

Sept. 10, 2004 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius

Biopic of the only person to have ever won golf's grand slam.

"...as professional golfer Walter Hagen and Malcolm McDowell as sportswriter O.B. Keeler appear to be having a fine time..."

April 30, 2004 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

The United States of Leland

Kevin Spacey-produced indie drama plays like The OC's more intellectual, older sibling.

"...The OC’s smarter, older brother: an intellectual melodrama that sports all the requisite teen angst trappings – drugs, absent..."

April 16, 2004 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Deliver Us From Eva

"...steam rising off the leads. Mattson and Brauner’s script sports a number of laugh-out-loud gags interspersed with the sort..."

Feb. 7, 2003 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Blue Crush

"...gets. In spirit it's more an amalgam of MTV Sports and Endless Summer, marrying the lunatic adrenaline of the..."

Aug. 16, 2002 Movie Review by Kimberley Jones

XXX

"...it's the storyline's cartoonish take on the whole “extreme sportsman as government agent” genre (you know, that one) which..."

Aug. 9, 2002 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Juwanna Mann

"...commits a double foul here, botching two comedic traditions (sports and gender-role reversal) at once. In an early scene..."

June 28, 2002 Movie Review by Russell Smith

Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India

"...that pricks the dogma of racial barriers, and a sports drama that effectively uses the game metaphor as a..."

May 24, 2002 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

All About the Benjamins

"...Mendes, Roger Guenveur Smith and Tommy Flanagan. The ESPN SportsCenterization of action cinema continues apace with All About the..."

March 15, 2002 Movie Review by Russell Smith

Extreme Days

"...Hamilton, A.j. Buckley, Ryan Browning and Dante Basco. Extreme sports -- skate and snow boarding, surfing, paintball intifadas and..."

Oct. 5, 2001 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

The Family Man

"...Hour) movie, it's got enough interracial buddy hijinks, zippy sports cars, and cheesecake shots of pricey booze and a..."

Dec. 22, 2000 Movie Review by Marrit Ingman

The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg

"...only serves to underscore the ghastly state of professional sports today. Then, as now, major sporting figures were held..."

Aug. 18, 2000 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Love and Basketball

A young woman learns to navigate the hoops on and off the court.

"...girlie concerns with equally strong desires for fulfillment through sports or other nontraditional forms of adventure and derring-do. Stubbornly,..."

April 21, 2000 Movie Review by Russell Smith

Simon Sez

"...express general approval of the idea of a macho sports idol who also happens to be a quirky, free-spirited,..."

Oct. 1, 1999 Movie Review by Russell Smith

Mystery, Alaska

"...that focuses on one of the most unpredictable of sports utterly predictable. Mystery, Alaska's romantic subplots (of which there..."

Oct. 1, 1999 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Endurance

"...long-distance-running champion Haile Gebrselassie. Not quite a full-fledged documentary, sports biography, or inspirational work, Endurance has elements of all..."

June 4, 1999 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Jack Frost

"...of any solid emoting. Worst of all, Jack Frost sports some truly awful special effects courtesy of the usually..."

Dec. 18, 1998 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Without Limits

"...as “Pre” -- from his days as a college sports phenomenon at the University of Oregon to his disappointing..."

Nov. 6, 1998 Movie Review by Steve Davis

Black Dog

"...and Dan Vining woefully slides by on autopilot and sports some of the worst dialogue this side of Quest..."

May 8, 1998 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

He Got Game

"...hype, and celebrity mania trash the virginal purity of sports. Playing a role deliberately written not to strain his..."

May 1, 1998 Movie Review by Russell Smith

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation

"...impulses that also compel us to revel in extreme sports and American Gladiators (whose Sabre, aka Lynn Red Williams,..."

Nov. 28, 1997 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Days of Being Wild

One of Wong's first international hits, this stylish film is an atmospheric drama about a playboy who's stringing along two women while also learning that the prostitute who raised him is not his biological mother.

"...Lau and Rebecca Pan. A moody, dramatic opus that sports a world view as fully developed as its cast..."

Sept. 15, 1995 Movie Review by Joey O'Bryan

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