Rewatchables Reference

• The 'inches' halftime speech – 'the best speech that's ever been given in a sports movie' (Bill). Stone lets Pacino work without his usual over-cutting, and a long Jamie Foxx reaction shot is one of the best parts of the movie.
• The ending postscript sequence – Pacino leaves the Sharks, takes a job coaching the Albuquerque expansion team, and Willie Beamen is his franchise player.
• The final football game – unbelievable fourth-down stop by LT, a called-back touchdown, and the 'Comanche' play where Foxx scrambles and laterals to LL Cool J down the sideline, followed by a Cam Newton-style QB dive to win it.

• The concussion and painkiller storyline – 10 years before the NFL even acknowledged CTE. Quotes from the movie: 'I got blank spots in my memory, I shake, I can't even hold a spoon,' and 'Nobody's going to sign a two million dollar concussion case.'
• The owner wanting to move the team to LA for a new stadium – 'something that happened in the NFL for 20 years.'
• The hot-shot offensive coordinator (Aaron Eckhart) breathing down the old head coach's neck – 'there is an 85% chance Lane Kiffin saw this movie and decided to become an offensive coordinator.'
• Jamie Foxx's breakout – 'a revelation in this movie.' He was the guy from In Living Color and nobody had considered him a real actor.
• The Willie Beamen black quarterback storyline – came out right as the NFL was about to see Aaron Brooks, Michael Vick, and the evolution of the position.

• Oliver Stone's over-cutting – intercutting Ben-Hur and 'Gladiator' footage during scenes that should breathe, especially the dinner scene between Pacino and Foxx. 'Can I just enjoy this scene?'
• The Willie Beamen character hits some stereotypical notes – 'whether intentionally or not, he pushes it so far to make his point that it winds up making the movie feel a little stereotypical.'
• The 'director's cut' is six minutes shorter than the theatrical cut, which is the opposite of how director's cuts work.

• Clint Eastwood was originally attached to star and direct – 'a totally different movie.'
• De Niro was the second choice before Pacino – 'doesn't work, wouldn't have worked.'
• Puff Daddy was cast as Willie Beamen but left/was fired. Will Smith may have also passed.

James Woods: 'plays like nine minutes and goes like 9 for 10. He has three steals and an incredible exit speech.' His best line: 'You're the internist. I'm the orthopedist. Remember: bone, muscle, joint. You: runny nose, diarrhea, gonorrhea, pink eye.'

• Would be very effective as a 45-min/week show – 'you could just do so much different stuff.'
• Lauren Holly's wife character could have her own episode – 'the prototype of Peyton Manning's wife.'
• A Dr. Harvey Mandrake spinoff – 'eight episodes of what's Mandrake doing in Miami now?'
• ESPN's Playmakers was basically the TV version of this, but without the dramatic flair.

• Al Pacino: No – Godfather 2 is his apex. But this is his last great performance. After this, 'the wheels have come off.'
• Jamie Foxx: Yes – this was his breakout as a serious actor, along with Ali two years later. Then 'Collateral' sealed it.

• DMX – 'one of the best DMX songs on this.'
• The soulful guitar music during the 'inches' speech is a precursor to the 'Friday Night Lights' score.
• Jamie Foxx's 'Any Given Sunday' song in the credits.
• Lots of Moby-style beats throughout the soundtrack.

• What is the rest of Willie Beamen's career? Probably a journeyman – 'somewhere between Aaron Brooks and Vick.' Took too many hits, shoulder injury, out of the league in seven years.
• Nick Crozier follows Pacino to Albuquerque for a year or two, then ends up coaching a Pac-10 school. Multiple stops, never gets back to the mountaintop.
• Is this the only football league in this universe, or does the NFL also exist?

Al Pacino – five great scenes (the inches speech, the dinner with Beamen, halftime with Cap Rooney, the ending walk with Willie, the postscript). His last great leading performance.