QUEUED UP: Dennis Anspaugh's Hoosiers

This flick about high school ball in Indiana masterfully captures the basketball fever seemingly endemic to Philly.

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QUEUED UP: Dennis Anspaugh's Hoosiers

POSTED: Wednesday, March 7, 2012, 3:00 PM

Filed Under: Movies

Movie critic (and the guy who compiles our weekly repertory film listings) Michael Gold reviews his favorite Netflix Instant flick of the week.

With the migration of the Phillies phaithful well underway, the promise of Madness now permeates the air in the City of Brotherly Love. Having five D-I teams crammed within city limits (and, despite what branding suggests, a sixth lurking just outside) means Philly routinely enters college hoops frenzy each March. It’s been a hot minute since the NCAA trophy has been hoisted down Broad Street, but the dream of achieving glory on the pine still seduces many a Philadelphian.

Oddly enough, the basketball fever seemingly endemic to the streets of the 215 was best captured in a flick about high school b-ball in Indiana. Masterfully directed by David Anspaugh, Hoosiers (1986) offers more than a “kids from the sticks make it to the big time” Cinderella story. It’s also a tale of a dreary rural community clinging to basketball since, frankly, there’s little else left. Above all, though, Hoosiers is a tale of redemption. A washed-up and disgraced coach (Gene Hackman) is ought to prove his mettle, and Dennis Hopper’s sports-obsessed town drunk embarks on a quest to prove his self-worth. As our city’s teams fall from NCAA glory, it’s the promise of next year’s second chance that’s bound to resonate with Philly fans.

(michael.gold@citypaper.net) (@migold)

Posted by Michael Gold @ 3:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

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