Product Description

A LOUISIANA FOOTBALL LEGEND STRUGGLES TO DEAL WITH LIFE'S COMPLEXITIES AFTER HIS COLLEGE CAREER IS OVER.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #37515 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2004-06-01
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 127 minutes

Amazon.com
When the cheering and MVP perks stop, what then? This ambitious adaptation of Frank Deford's novel about three tumultuous decades in the lives of a Washington Redskins football star and his two biggest fans attempts to answer this question. Dennis Quaid has his rangiest role to date as Gavin Grey, who goes, De Niro-like, from sinewy gridiron Adonis to embittered has-been with sizable beer gut. Jessica Lange brings her customary class and inner strength to Babs, the Louisiana State homecoming queen who marries college sweetheart Gavin and forfeits her identity; Timothy Hutton is Donnie, Gavin's cousin who secretly pines for the neglected Babs. But it's big guy John Goodman in one of his first screen roles who blasts through in this cross between The Way We Were and North Dallas Forty. Taylor Hackford, no slouch at epic melodramas (The Devil's Advocate), directed from a script by Tom Rickman (Oscar-nominated for Coal Miner's Daughter). Gavin's two-hours-later epiphany? "There's more to life than making touchdowns." --Glenn Lovell

Customer Reviews

A LOVE STORY
I loved this movie. I'm not a big football fan, but there was enough sports and enough romance to keep both me and my husband entertained throughout the movie.

It's a peek into into the turbulent and chaotic life of a diehard, aging football hero who never let's the team down, and his beautiful, naive, trophy wife.

Throughout the entire movie, you are routing for both the team and the marriage. When you think that love has lost, it's just begininng.

If anyone knows who sings the ending song, I think it's called, "It's Forever", please email me with the artist's name.

Thanks-

Showcase for the often-underrated Dennis Quaid
This is an overlooked film from 1988, and perhaps the best performance in Quaid's career. Director Taylor Hackford has had an uneven career, but this stands as one of his best movies so far. Quaid is the a star college football player who marries the homecoming queen (Jessica Lange) and SLOWLY comes to realize that the fame and glory of his college days won't carry him in the real world of professional football and the years after. Lange gets top billing (contractually), but it is Quaid's movie. This should have been his Oscar-nominated performance.
Hackford (or careful editing) pulls back before certain moments fall into sappy sentimentality. But the period detail is meticulous and perfect, and certain pressings of this video come with the dialog-only (no music) trailer for 1989's "Batman", one of the unintentionally best movie trailers ever.

EVERYBODY'S ALL WORKED UP OVER TOUCHDOWNS AND FOREPLAY
"Everybody's All American" is the story of Gavin Grey(Dennis Quaid)a guy who goes from stud-muffin to couch potato faster than you can say touchdown. In this endevor he's aided by Jessica Lange - the no-good-for-him love of his life. Taylor Hackford directs with slick style and lots of heart this story better suited for reruns of "General Hospital" than a big screen romance. Nevertheless, and happily so, the film works on all levels.
TRANSFER: Very respectable effort from Warner Brothers with rich, vibrant colors, deep blacks and some nicely balanced colors and contrast levels. On the down side, some scenes appear to have a slightly hazy look to them and there is considerable film grain in a few scenes and age related artifacts to contend with. Overall, however, an adequate remastering effort.
EXTRAS: The director gives us his personal insight into the making of this film which isn't really as insightful as one might imagine. There's also a trailer.
BOTTOM LINE: If you like schmaltz with your beer then this one has it all. If the only thing that excites you is touchdowns then Monday Night Football is a better fit.