Necessary Roughness (1991)

You won't be disappointed!

Just what I expected

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

I went out of my way to watch this movie because I think Scott Bakula has an enjoyable screen presence. I had a hard time paying attention to this movie, and had that "check my watch" feeling a lot. I'm not really a football fan, so I'm sure that went against me, here. I thought about this movie for a little while after I finished it, and my general thought, is that it's just OK. The cast is likable, and for a 1991 movie, it doesn't seem tremendously dated to me. If you like football movies, light comedy, or any of the cast members, you'll probably get through it, but like some of the other reviewers said, it's not really worth a rent. If it's on TV or at the library, it's an alright pick. 5/10

I could never actually throw a baseball well. My body just never exactly grasped the mechanics to do it like I should and after playing a game my elbow was swollen and throbbing.Football, on the other hand, I was good at. Throwing a spiral was no problem for me, nor was making the ball go where I wanted it to, and, let's face it, any fool can read can read an offense like an open book, especially in high school.Defense was always more fun to play. Freshman year when I was on offense...hated it. A year later when I got moved to the big "D" I actually enjoyed playing...So I played football...but I watched baseball.Even now that I'm old, I could still care less if the Bears win or lose...the Cubs on the other hand, well, that is an obsession.So when a football movie comes out, I don't exactly flock to the theaters to see it and afterwards, I don't buy it on DVD and watch it over and over again to get me through the long winters.But there are a few good ones."Any Given Sunday" is just brilliant. There is a lot to watch in that movie from the start to the finish, from the inside of the NFL to the game itself."Necessary Roughness" is a totally different beast. It approaches the movie like, well, like it's a baseball movie. It does it with a sense of humor and not a steroidal rage. It's not as concerned about being tough as it is about getting laughs.It all makes for a fun movie to watch. The jokes are awesome, especially when they target football itself, as a sport. And when they do so, its a little more subtle, it's more in the language you heard from your coaches, the references that seem to travel from locker room to locker room across the country.BUT, don't worry, the bulk of the movie and the sense of humor comes from the characters in the film and not the game itself. You don't have to understand the lingo, if you never had to take a knee and get screamed at by an old man with his pants hitched up too high, it doesn't matter, the movie can carry itself without appealing to sports fans.When you sit down for a movie, it should entertain you. That is the base level of any movie and "Necessary Roughness" does that better than most.

You can read most details of the film in other, more complete reviews, pro and con. But I need to add an oddity.The movie team, the Texas State University Fighting Armadillos, battles to a pounding against the Southwest Texas State Bobcats in one game. The point I want to make is that the REAL Southwest Texas State in San Marcos, TX changed its name in real life to Texas State University--San Marcos (the "--San Marcos" designation has also recently been dropped). So, in the movie, the problematic TSU university team in green and white plays its own real-life future alter ego, the real maroon-and-gold SWT Bobcats, complete with cheerleaders. The Armadillo mascot for Texas State in the movie is fictitious, but the Bobcats are real. Since the movie was made in 1991 and the name change took place in 2003, the two movie opponent school names -- before anyone knew about the future name change -- eventually became the same university in reality.Footnote: I graduated from Southwest Texas State in 1978 in journalism, with a minor in art. When the name change happened, the Alumni Association wrote and asked if I wanted a new diploma with the new college name, which I did opt for. So they sent me a new diploma with the new school name. I now have two diplomas from the same university (different names) with the same degree and minor. According to WOAI-AM radio station in San Antonio, the total cost of the name change and resulting associated do-overs (stationary letterheads, repainting, etc) was $350,000, paid for by private donations.

After the college football team is cracked down on by the dean for poor grades, the coach is forced to sign on some unconventional players (a 34-year old man, a teacher and a samurai) to play Iran Man football.With Scott Bakula being the star of the film, this movie is very much like "The Natural" with Robert Redford. Like Redford, Bakula was pushed out of sports 16 years ago and returns to be a star in his later years when everyone thinks he is past his prime. Yes, 16 years in both films. I could say it was like "The Replacements" but that seems almost too easy.A lot of things about the film are really stupid. Using Kathy Ireland as a kicker was just an excuse to put a hot girl in a locker room. Having a teacher coincidentally be a woman with a crush on Bakula from his high school years is a stretch. And in general, the movie served no point... the team has no chance of winning, so the best they can hope for is to not be skunked.Bakula is a great actor, but very dated in this film with his goofy jean jacket. Sinbad was Sinbad, and not the one from "Houseguest" but the unfunny one from the 1980s. Kathy Ireland was a better actress than I expected. The best actor? Strangely, Rob Schneider, who is probably known best for his dumb characters from Saturday Night Live and subsequent bad movies. In this, a young Schneider plays an announcer who is lovable and funny... comparable to Bob Uecker from "Major League".This film was okay, but I have no interest in seeing it again and if you choose to watch it, you don't have my blessing.