RETRO REVIEW: EVERYBODY'S ALL-AMERICAN (1988)

Once again I am here to offer you your Friday night video store alternative. THE FRIDAY RETRO REVIEW.

Going with a football theme for the Super Bowl weekend I have picked EVERYBODY'S ALL-AMERICAN.

The flick, based on a novel by legendary sports writer Frank DeFord, stars Dennis Quaid, Jessica Lange, Timothy Hutton and John Goodman.

The story follows 25 years in the life of Gavin "The Ghost" Grey (Quaid) and the people in his life as he goes from College Football hero to Pro Star to frustrated retiree. Director Taylor Hackford (Officer and a Gentleman, Ray) offers a great representation of how people deal with reality once the glory starts to fade.

The film is extremely well acted and Lange really shines as Babs, the suffering Debutante come "Players Wife", and also features strong supporting roles from Hutton and Goodman.
If Bull Durham was the quintessential ROM-COM disguised as a sports film, then "ALL AMERICAN" is it's dramatic counter part, dealing with issues of love, adultery, betrayal and the civil rights movement much more than it deals with the gridiron.

That said, the football scenes in the movie are fantastic. The uniforms of the period are spot on, the sequences are beautifully shot and some spots are even imagined in a shockingly accurate "NFL Films" style. The portrayal of the characters or so specific that portions of the movie could only have been written by a veteran sportswriter.

FUN FACT: Real NFL players were used for the football scenes and one of them (Tim Fox of the New England Patriots) broke Dennis Quaid's collarbone while filming a scene. The footage was used for the film, so Quaid is not acting when you see him writhing in pain in the snow.