The grandchild of "The Longest Yard" (1974), "Bad News Bears" (1976) and "Slap Shot" (1977), "The Replacements" (2000) stars Keanu Reeves as a member of the Washington Sentinels, a failing Amerian football team. Filled with misfits, mavericks and rejects, this team is led by Jimmy McGinty (Gene Hackman). No points for guessing how this story unfolds.Though formulaic, "The Replacements" is fast, funny and never pretends to be anything other than popcorn. Reeves, likable as a dim-witted underdog, would star in "Hardball" a year later, another sports comedy. Brooke Langton co-stars as gratuitous eye-candy.7.9/10 – See "All The Right Moves" and "North Dallas Forty".

Pretty interesting story about second handed rugby team. BUT, most interesting fact is that team wasn't professional rugby players, but people who were in jail, just a normal people who work their job, like in good old days of amateur sport. Since first team got in strike, they had to somehow continue their championship. Like always, every beginning is hard, they had to meet each others better. They were always fighting and arguing about nothing, but when they met each others better, realize that they got lots of stuff in common, they started playing better and better. But they weren't normal rugby players, they were amateurs, people who work their job and play sport for fun, that is strange in sport of 21th century, isn't it ? Nowadays sport is all about money, there's no more joy or anything more, money, money, money. Well those people didn't care for money, they played for fun and they actually reached something. They reached play-off for their team. At the end they weren't been stalking by commericalist for signing contact for some sneakers or anything else, they just celebrated it and went to their home. They all reached some experience that they will remember for whole their life, that movie should be an example of how sport should be nowadays...The scene i liked the most is this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxe-5lJ6R6o&feature=endscreen. Whole team finished in jail and they decided to sing song called "I will survive". Probably the best scene in this movie...

Jimmy (Gene Hackman) has been offered a less than stellar job. Its the late eighties and the professional football league's players are on strike. It will be Jimmy's job, if he accepts it, to coach a crew of "scab players" for a team called the Washingon Sentinels. Unconventional anyway, Jimmy signs on, but, only on the promise that he will be given total control from the owner (Jack Warden). It is so. From there, Jimmy starts to assemble a team, which includes a once promising quarterback, Shane (Keanu Reeves), a Welsh kicker (Rhys Ifans), a slow-witted-but-mighty tackle (Jon Favreau) and so on. Jim evens gets a lineman who resembles a sumo wrestler. Naturally, the players are pelted with eggs when there bus arrives at the stadium and doom is predicted. Even the regular cheerleaders honor the strike, so the new leader (Brooke Langton), has to recruit her own squad, picking ladies from the local strip parlor, since no one else can dance. So, it begins. Before long, the Sentinels are doing well, surprising even John Madden and Pat Somerall, who cover the games. Also, Shane has eyes for the head cheerleader but she is a tough sell. However, the lady may protest too much. Then, too, rumors abounds about the return of the official players. How will this rough-and-tumble season go? This adorable film is a champion in the realm of sports films and BEYOND. It is very, very funny, from the cheerleader who can't spell to the footballer (Favreau) who can run folks over but has to have strategies explained numerous times. If you are looking for a demeanor elevator, this one is first rate. Its also very honest in its look at the world of football, romance, and human nature in general. Kudos to all responsible. As for the cast, this is definitely one of Reeves' best movies. He is strikingly handsome, humorous and turns up the heat in the kissing scenes. Whew. Hackman, Warden, Orlando Jones, Langton, Favreau, Ifans and ALL of the others do superior work as well. In fact, they are all too comical for words. Also fine are the costumes, sets (Reeves lives on a houseboat), script and go-for-broke direction. Turn off the daily rerun offerings and replace them with a showing of this great flick. The Replacements is a minor classic.

i enjoyed this sports comedy/romance.i found it funny,touching and engaging.it's not one of those bust a gut funny movies,it's more of the pretty good chuckles variety.it's one of those feel good kind of movies,where you just can't help but root for the guy and girl to get together.even the action bits(mostly comedic football action) are good.Gene Hackman and Keanuu Reeves are the headliners,but i found Brooke Langton to be very good in her role.it's nice to see Hackman and Reeves in a lite movie,rather than the intense movies they're usually known for.at the end of the movie,i felt pretty good.at the very least,you might forget about you problems for awhile.for me,The Replacements is a 7/10