Brian's Song (1971)
Sport: Football
Director: Buzz Kulik
Starring: James Caan, Billy Dee Williams, Jack Warden
Available: Rent/Buy on Amazon Prime;
Director: Buzz Kulik
Starring: James Caan, Billy Dee Williams, Jack Warden
Available: Rent/Buy on Amazon Prime;
The Rookie (2002)
Sport: Baseball
Director: John Lee Hancock
Starring: Dennis Quaid, J.D. Evermore, Rachel Griffiths
Director: John Lee Hancock
Starring: Dennis Quaid, J.D. Evermore, Rachel Griffiths
Available: Rent/Buy on Amazon Prime; Borrow DVD from me
Summary
It's football versus Baseball in this match. Made for TV versus theater production. The 1970s versus 2000's. What they have in common is both are based on real life events. Both are family friendly, though the N-word is heard in "Brian's Song".
I wasn't sure if I should include made-for-TV movies, but I decided to make a couple of exceptions, including this one. "Brian's Song" is the story of Brian Piccolo and his relationship with teammate Gale Sayers on the Chicago Bears. Yes, it's a tear jerking story. It was remade in 2001. Sayers and Piccolo were rookies together on the 1965 Bears. Race relations would play a part in that era. It's nice that they weaved in actual footage of the Bears. It does get a little campy with what we'd now call overly dramatic music, such as when Sayers gets hurt. Watching it again, was strange to see Billy Dee Williams as the quiet Sayers, hiding from the spotlight. I liked James Caan as Piccolo; and Jack Warden (RIP) as coach Halas. Just cool to watch the friendship evolve through their different hardships. The ABC Movie of the Week did so well, it was later opened at the box office.
"The Rookie" tells the story of Jim Morris, a 35-year old High School baseball coach and his journey to the major leagues. Fun to see all the support of his players and family. I always like Dennis Quaid who plays Jim Morris. As one reviewer wrote, it's sort of two movies in one. The first one being the high school team winning the championship and then the second being Morris's journey to MLB. And when a key line is "It all started with a couple of nuns...", you know it's something you need to keep watching. And enjoy the three domino-playing town fixtures as they chew the fat and solve world problems. Too many great performances in this movie to call them all out. Overall, fairly accurate, though a few liberties taken such as the speed radar sign, but I won't hold that against the Rookie.
Time to vote sports fans. Again, your vote, your criteria. If you haven't seen either, perhaps vote for the one you'd rather watch.
I wasn't sure if I should include made-for-TV movies, but I decided to make a couple of exceptions, including this one. "Brian's Song" is the story of Brian Piccolo and his relationship with teammate Gale Sayers on the Chicago Bears. Yes, it's a tear jerking story. It was remade in 2001. Sayers and Piccolo were rookies together on the 1965 Bears. Race relations would play a part in that era. It's nice that they weaved in actual footage of the Bears. It does get a little campy with what we'd now call overly dramatic music, such as when Sayers gets hurt. Watching it again, was strange to see Billy Dee Williams as the quiet Sayers, hiding from the spotlight. I liked James Caan as Piccolo; and Jack Warden (RIP) as coach Halas. Just cool to watch the friendship evolve through their different hardships. The ABC Movie of the Week did so well, it was later opened at the box office.
"The Rookie" tells the story of Jim Morris, a 35-year old High School baseball coach and his journey to the major leagues. Fun to see all the support of his players and family. I always like Dennis Quaid who plays Jim Morris. As one reviewer wrote, it's sort of two movies in one. The first one being the high school team winning the championship and then the second being Morris's journey to MLB. And when a key line is "It all started with a couple of nuns...", you know it's something you need to keep watching. And enjoy the three domino-playing town fixtures as they chew the fat and solve world problems. Too many great performances in this movie to call them all out. Overall, fairly accurate, though a few liberties taken such as the speed radar sign, but I won't hold that against the Rookie.
Time to vote sports fans. Again, your vote, your criteria. If you haven't seen either, perhaps vote for the one you'd rather watch.
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