Second String Movie
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720x392 | 1386.83 MiB | hidivx | |
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592x324 | 688.2 MiB | divx | |
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320x176 | 274.17 MiB | ipod | |
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320x176 | 261.83 MiB | hpc | |
Storyline
TAGLINES
She believed in him. Now he must believe in himself to lead the team to the Super Bowl.
American football coach Chuck Dichter has worked wonders with the Buffalo Bills, and is even confident to crown his career with a Super Bowl victory, but before the play-offs an oyster food-poisoning wipes out his first team for a month. Dan Heller, an insurance salesman and former college quarterback, who was hired -relactantly, but his wife twisted his arm- just for practice, now has to captain and train a bunch of rookies and old-timers against the hardest adversaries. Dichter decides to sign up triple Super Bowl-winner Tommy Baker in Dan's place...
| Jon Voight | Coach Chuck Dichter |
| Gil Bellows | Dan Heller |
| Teri Polo | Connie Heller |
| Richard T. Jones | Gerry Fullerton |
| George Eads | Tommy Baker |
| Demore Barnes | |
| Van Miller | Himself |
| Lamont Johnson | Weathers |
| Ingo Neuhaus | Johnson |
| Evan Parke | Mumms |
| Roger Shank | Brent |
| Mark Stoetzel | Cunningham |
| Nick von Esmarch | Hobbs |
| Robert Lieberman |
5.60 out of 10 (264 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Worth watching?
posted on 18 Apr 2009One of the better "underdog" sports movies. Voigt is strong and believable. Bellows is good but as others noted, T Polo's character is shallow and forgettable, like her contrived performance (her lines are strained) G Eads is better here than on CSI and he gets big points for making the viewers dislike him. Even though its predictable, this is much better than "The Replacements" and other films with this premise. Worth watching? you bet.
Don't give up waiting on second chances.
posted on 16 Apr 2009Well intended and interesting, especially for football fans. The Buffalo Bill's offensive starters are side lined by food poisoning. It is now up to the bench warmers to take the team to the play offs. A glory hound coach(Jon Voight)is not thrilled with his replacement quarterback(Gil Bellows)a former NFL star relegated to selling life insurance. Bellows not only has his former coach to contend with, but also an egotistical free agent quarterback(George Eades). Bellows takes the bench jockeys and meshes them into a contending team. Supporting cast:Richard T. Jones, Lamont Johnson,Teri Polo and Evan Dexter Parke. Very entertaining trick plays keeps this daydream between the lines. This is fun to watch.
A poor man's "Replacements"
posted on 05 Mar 2009(SPOILERS) This movie was watchable, but not very good. My main problem with the film was the uncanny resemblance to the movie "The Replacements," starring Gene Hackman et al. This becomes most apparent in the final game, the Super Bowl. Every aspect of the game mirrors the final game in "The Replacements."They even ripped off the whole plot involving a hotshot QB being brought in to win big game, but not listening to the coach. Even some of the dialogue as this QB complains about the second stringers is almost exactly the same. Oh, and the ending (SPOILER) is the same as well. The hotshot QB is sent walking, and replacement player Bellows comes in and brings his team back from the brink of failure to win. Big surprise there. My advice? Rent "The Replacements." Much better.
A good replacement for "The Replacements"
posted on 21 Nov 2008We just got "Second String" on video today, and I always the sucker for underdog movies, and after reading the synopsis on the box, decided to check it out. I was rather impressed by this small release (we only got two copies in). Now, I too, got the whole "Replacements-wannabe" vibe that several of the other reviewers may have had. However, I really got into this one a lot more. I thought it had a much better, and more importantly, believable story to it than the "Replacements" did. I thought Voight did a much better job than Hackman ever did as the old coach. Bellows was great as the QB, and since his 5-year stint on TV, its great to see he's making a comeback. I particularly liked when Bellows helped out his teammates with their physical and mental aspects of their game. While other movies have done this several times over, "Second String" doesn't have that corny feeling that is left over for the viewer to digest. Instead, it adds a little humor into it. I chuckled a few times as the players were counting up how much their running-back would pay up for the Superbowl party everytime he dropped the football. If you manage to find this treasure somewhere in the back of our store and are trying to avoid some of the more recent blockbusters that have been released, try giving it a chance. I'm sure you'll be quite impressed.
corny, good tv movie
posted on 11 Jul 2008Second String was shown on TNT first.
real basic feel good movie.
Dan Heller is a 1st round 1990 QB Bust, who was drafted i think by the Eagles, who gave up 2 first rounders to get him, which turned out to be Junior Seau and Emmitt Smith.
John Viot is the head coach of the Buffalo Bills now, and has just made the playoffs with Doug Flutie at the helm. After they beat the Giants and make the playoffs, Viot wants to pick up a QB with a big arm to get the team ready for the playoffs.
because they can only sign one player a week during the playoffs, they get Heller, a not so good Insurance broker.
He signs with the Bills even though they doesn't want to, and the whole time, his wife Teri Pollo (Meet the Parents), is supportive and behind him.
and just by coincidence, the entire Buffalo Bills staring offense gets a stomach virus after eating oysters to celebrate making the playoffs.
so in steps Heller and the second string offense to lead Buffalo into the Super Bowl.
they get lucky against San Diego on a punt return for a TD, then go out and beat Miami for the title game to play Minnesota for the Super Bowl. and you can guess what happens at the end...
the movie is EXTREMELY corny, but also funny. its got some good stuff, like Heller's locker room speech after the title game, and some pretty neat football footage including real football clips from the Bills.
what is also cool is that for the shots at Reich Stadium, home of the Bills, they shot that stuff indoors in a smaller football field that is made to look like the real Bills stadium, like the scaled down Alamo in Disney's Davy Crockett.
overall, Second String is a good movie, but it is nowhere near The Replacements, Any Given Sunday, Remember the Titans, or Necessary Roughness. Like someone said, honestly, Little Giants was better than Second String.
Just to set the record straight
posted on 06 Sep 2007Since most of the comments about this movie refer to it as a "Replacements clone," a few lines about the history of "Second String" are in order. "Second String" was originally set up as a feature film at 20th Century Fox in the late 1980's by producer Jere Cunningham based on his original idea. Several drafts were written by several writers. At the tail end of the development, Fox assigned Dylan Sellers as studio exec to the project. The project then died at Fox.Years later, when Sellers was a producer at Warner Bros, he developed "The Replacements" at that studio. According to Screenwriter Online: "Sellers came up with the idea for 'The Replacements' while recuperating from a bout with the flu. He enlisted the help of a friend, screenwriter Vince McKewin, Rush Hour, and together they crafted a comedy based loosely on the events of the 1987 NFL players strike." www.nyscreenwriter.com So, for the record, no matter what you think of "Second String" as a piece of entertainment, something written in the late 80's and early 90's can't be a clone of something concepted and written years afterward, even in Hollywood.
A Spectacularly Horrible Movie I May Not Ever Recover From
posted on 29 Aug 2007I don't normally write reviews, but this "film" was special. I couldn't turn it off. I don't believe I've ever seen a worse movie, but there I sat, watching. It was like a horrible car wreck with blood flowing all over the highway. It was disgusting, but I couldn't turn away. Where do I start? The movie seems to think it's a sports thriller, but it's so utterly ridiculous, it can only be a comedy, but it's not funny, not even in a dumb/silly way. It's like watching your cousins try to act out a skit on family get-togethers. It's painful to watch, but at least it's only for a minute or two. Second String went on for over an hour. Whoever was involved with making this movie should not work again. The writing, directing, acting, and everything was just terrible. The problem is I can't describe how bad it was; you just had to see it. And I'm sure this will NEVER be shown again, so unless you saw it, you're out of luck. I mean it was almost worth seeing just for the fact that it gave me some appreciation for every other "bad" film I've seen over my lifetime. And for every film I see in the future that I can't stand, I will think to myself, well, at least it wasn't bad as the Second String.
The eighth wonder of the movie world
posted on 12 Feb 2007In the year 2000 (keep in mind, this is two years ago, not four), two men had the motivation to create the most miraculous piece of art on this side of the Mississippi.Thanks to Jere Cunningham and Tom Flynn, the world can now enjoy Second String, a delicious TV movie depicting a tale of a rag-tag gang of second stringers (thus the title) who are thrust into the position of starters due to an order of bad oysters.Because of the motivational direction of both the director Robert Lieberman and the Buffalo Bills' last minute QB, Dan "Give 'em hell" Heller (portrayed by Canadian actor, Gil Bellows) the oft Super Bowl snake-bitten Bills find themselves in the ultimate position.With an intriguing mix of internal and external conflict, a love story, comraderie that only the fine sport of football can bring, and an overall theory that the underdog can compete, Second String is an excellent movie worthy of viewing every possible moment that it appears on TNT.The only thing potentially bad about this production is the spelling of the Costume Designer's first name, Jenifur Jarvis.
Better then your average football movie
posted on 29 Sep 2006A delightful little movie about getting a second chance. No real BIG names except Jon Voight of course. Perfect for the small screen. The cameos by the real players were well done and not too hammy. Football fans will enjoy the "trick" plays.
Bills finally have a shot at winning the Big One
posted on 10 Aug 2006Craptastic! This movie is as wonderfully predictable as it is cheesy. Primarily because the characters are fairly enjoyable. Set your expectations low and you will not be disappointed.This is not a rip-off of "The Replacements" it is far superior. Instead of watching a bunch scabs, (the lowest life form on the planet-read Jack London's definition of a scab), the audience is treated to a much more inventive, though highly improbable, reason as to why the the starting squad is not available to play football. The story takes you away with groans and yeah rights. Chances are you will laugh out loud at the contrivances and trickery.On an added note of actual production value. The cinematography is actually pretty awesome during the game play, especially since the budget was far less than an actual feature film.Not worth renting, not worth planning to watch, but definitely worth your time. I would have much rather seen this whilst trapped on a plane than The Replacements.
Made for TV Movie that kept my interest!
posted on 22 Apr 2006For a made for TV movie I thought that it was a great popcorn movie - don't expect anything to be very accurate and don't expect any award winners in this bunch but I do recommend this for a TV type version somewhat like "The Replacements". Look for cameos from real NFL players & officials.
Great movie.
posted on 03 Jan 2006Wow - number 45 on the sidelines made this the most spectacular film I have EVER witnessed. A treasure, the hope diamond of films of the last century. If only more people would use that incredible actor, Jake Reardon. Wow is all I have to say to his performance on screen.
I'll probably sell mine
posted on 12 Oct 2004First off, I have to say this is not a horrible film but there are many other football films out there that are waaaaay better. One I can easily name is Friday Night Lights. That one is an underrated classic. Second String, on the other hand, has so many sports cliches (the kicker with no confidence getting it back on Super Bowl, the tired run down player who wants to show he can win, the talented quarterback nobody gave a chance, the arrogant quarterback who doesn't care about anyone, the ruthless coach who doesn't believe in his player until the very last moment, the..okay I think you all get the point), that it practically ruins the whole flow of the film. Gil Bellows is fine but has no screen charisma. I think it would have been better for him to be cast as a coach and have Eads as the quarterback struggling to get his self-esteem back. Jon Voight looks like he's played one too many control freak coaches (Varsity Blues anyone?) and looks like he doesn't want to be in the film half the time. Anyway, unless you're a fan of one of the actors in the film (I love Eads that's why I got it) this film may not last long in your DVD collection.
The Bills won! (Sorta)
posted on 05 Oct 2004Being a Bills fan, I originally found it annoying that they made a movie about the Bills and the losing of four superbowls. But once I began to watch, I felt really connected. It was actually nice to see the "Bills" win the superbowl, and I must say, that for a TV movie it was actually very well done. Gil Bellows as the QB, and Jon Voight as the old-school Coach did a very fine job. 8 out of 10
this movie stinks
posted on 11 Jul 2004i'm not a bills fan, but this fact did not cloud my judgement. it's just a bad movie. why is it bad? totally unrealistic. first off, the movie started off in the playoffs, that's too short a time. the next thing is referring to the last two games in this movie, the afc championship game and the super bowl. in both games the bills are down 21-0 and win. i know that's not impossible, but here what is: the touchdowns scored by the bills offense. an offensive tackle on a REVERSE throwing a PASS? huh? except for the punt return that won the first game(unlikely in the way that happened too) all the bills scores looked stupid. then there's the old footage of the real nfl throughout the movie. on one clip i saw andre reed, #83, on the field before a game. if you're not going to have the real players in this game, don't show the footage. it ruins the atmosphere of the film. oh, yeah, look at randy moss and terrance shaw of the vikings walk out of the tunnel before the super bowl, then five minutes later see cris cater on the sideline. also, for a super bowl that is played in new orleans, it looked like the h h h metrodome. the one plus was the actual actors acted well. it's just that this movie had too many holes in it. c'mon, the bills and vikings in the super bowl? why, so two super bowl bum win one? please. i also wish they would have mentioned the year this stuper season was taking place in. andre reed hasn't played for the bills since '99, so i'll say '99. doug flutie was ok, gil bellows was cool, jon voight did good(but why is he in this turkey?) but this movie is awful
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don't be a hater
posted on 11 Jun 2009All y'all hatin' on the fact you'd probably neva make the cut for "Second String" need to save it. If more guys out there took their sorry behinds to the gym for once...maybe y'all have a chance....well,...maybe. Take Shawn Woods' "HOOK" physique for a "perfect" example...and I stress the word "perfect" Put that in your pipe and smoke it...!!! You couldn't look better Sha-Shawn