Necessary Roughness

Starring: Scott Bakula, Hector Elizondo, Robert Loggia, Harley Jane Kozak, Larry Miller, Sinbad, Fred Dalton Thompson, Rob Schneider, Jason Bateman, Kathy Ireland
Directed by: Stan Dragoti
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
1991

Times Seen:
Tim: 3

Summary: The Texas State University football team is expelled for a host of NCAA rules violations. Now, the new head coach (Hector Elizondo) must put together a team completely made up of walk-ons to try and compete at the collegiate level.

Review:

Tim: I have always been a really big fan of Necessary Roughness. Now, I admit the film has shortcomings, but this is still a very funny, entertaining movie. I love that this is a sports comedy, but the comedy is muted- it's not the over-the-top, ridiculous comedy that we see quite often. The humor is more restrained, which allows the film to be more believable. Yes, it's flawed, but this is also a strong sports comedy.

I love the idea of a whole football team being expelled, and the school being forced to compete with significantly lower-quality players. This is the perfect setting for a comedy, but it also feels somewhat realistic. NCAA infractions occur all the time, and programs have been disbanded. It just feels like a believable enough story to me. I also love the idea of a 40+ year old enrolling in college for the first time, and signing up to be the quarterback. Everyone loves an underdog story, and it's fitting here. The story itself is pretty predictable, but the cast brings humor and heart to the film, so it didn't bother me so much.

The cast is actually quite impressive. I really liked Scott Bakula in the lead role. Bakula never became a huge star, but he worked well in this part. He was athletic enough to make me believe he was a QB, and he relates well to the audience. I thought he did a very good job. Hector Elizondo and Robert Loggia make terrific coaches. I really like both of these actors, and it was fun seeing them work together. Larry Miller was humorous as the Dean who hates the football team. Look for smaller roles by Sinbad and Jason Bateman as football team members, as well as Fred Dalton Thompson as a politician, and Rob Schneider as the football announcer. Plus, it's pretty fun to see Kathy Ireland as the kicker (and despite not being an actress, she did a good job). The whole film is made up of fun characters.

I will say that I was a bit disappointed in Harley Jane Kozak. She was Bakula's love interest, but just did nothing for me. She had no chemistry with him, and she felt like a clear step below the rest of the cast. Perhaps she was just miscast, but her performance was very forgettable. That hurt the movie.

This movie does a good job of capitalizing on humorous opportunities throughout the film. There are some very funny parts throughout the movie. However, these really take back-seat to the story. I never felt like the story was sacrificed for a gag, which happens in far too many comedies. The football scenes were actually pretty good, and it felt believable watching them play. We have several scenes that are pretty full of cliches (academic troubles, bar fights, etc), but they don't detract too much. It's fun seeing the female soccer player become the team's kicker, and Robert Loggia's pregame speech before the final game always makes me laugh.

Necessary Roughness is not a comedy classic, but it's a very underrated sports comedy. I really enjoyed this movie as a kid, and even today, I find it quite enjoyable. This is a movie that always entertains me, and it's earnest enough that I can overlook many of its faults. True, it's not a perfect movie, but it is a good comedy.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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