Eddie

eddierating-2.0I have never been a fan of sports. Possibly it was being born the son of a basketball/football coach, but I've always loathed sports. Perhaps "loathe" isn't the appropriate term... Fucking despise and hate with blinding passion and questioning the intelligence and worthiness to live of those who enjoy sports.

That being said, I've always found movies based around the "underdog" premise of a beleaguered sports team, barely able to maintain their existance, coming back from behind for the big win (typically to heartwarming comic effect), or the occassional serious tale of those douchebags taking the game too seriously (like the not-terribly fun Friday Night Lights or the intriguing Hoosiers) to be somewhat enjoyable. Nothing I'd add to my collection, but well worth a watch or two. (Or six or seven if Major League is all that's on in the middle of the night again.)

Given those credentials, I wasn't sure if I was the right or wrong person to watch Eddie.

Realistically it sticks to that same forumla and isn't a bad film. It's the type of thing one can gladly watch when nothing else is on in the middle of the night. There's nothing really wrong with it, per se, though it's no award-winner and no classic. But it won't hurt you. (Unless you have a Whoopi Goldberg allergy. In which case, you're on your own.)

It would be nice to see Whoopi whip them into shape in amusing scenarios, but the movie plays out in a much more slow, mundane way, as Eddie wins the trust of the players, makes a few minor changes, and doesn't particularly rock the boat, bench people, or fine people, like any sane person would have.

But it follows the typical "comeback" path and they, of course, have enough wins under their belt to make it to the championships, but the manipulative new team owner just want to move the Knicks to St. Louis. So, Eddie is left to question whether she quits or leads the team to impending movement. So Whoopi throws together a small act of civil disobedience, mid-court, and the owner "promises" not to move them. So they win the game and it's off to the playoffs!

Though I wonder what happened after those end credits rolled... More likely than not, Whoopi got her ass canned and the team was moved to St. Louis. But why get realistic in a movie like this?

Eddie never attempts to break the mold, or even to push any element of it, but its safety makes it a palatable, if not impressive, gruel. It goes down quickly and quietly and is over.

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