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All the Right Moves (1983)

Rate: 8
Viewed: 3/03, 5/04, 11/14

Allrm
11/14: All the Right Moves is more than a football picture.

It's about abuse of power by people in authority over the teenagers who are treated as slaves to accommodate their system. The example with Stefen Djordjevic and his coach is common as I've seen it happen many times.

A wrestling season is typically broken down into two parts: team and individual. Back in high school, I knew a wrestler who performed in all matches during the first part but was thrown off the team right before the second part for a chance to defend his multiple district and region titles. I found out later the coach knew he broke a lot of school rules during the season but overlooked them so he could win the team matches to boost his overall coaching record.

Similarly, I was on the varsity soccer team in college for one season, but my coach gave me two choices: either focus on the sport or school. I quit the team with two games remaining in the season because I was paying thousands of dollars for tuition, room, and board, and my decision wasn't hard. All the Right Moves brings up such memories, and it's always disappointing that sports must be the be-all and end-all which still rings true to this day.

Tom Cruise is excellent as Stefen, and I like Lea Thompson's performance, too. But it's misleading to think her character couldn't go to college. Community college will always be an option as it'll accept anyone which costs a fraction of the usual sticker price and can be easily followed up with an university education. Craig T. Nelson, who played an all-time great character in Coach, is terrific.

Looking at the boneheaded fumble play, I say that's Hayden Fox's fault because he should've made it clear to his players the gravity of the situation: either take the safety or force the quarterback to kneel down. But handing off the ball to the running back...what the hell for? After the game ends, the pace slows down a lot, leaving not much else for everybody to work with. Hence, there's a lot of moping around until the predictable deus ex machina comes to save Stefen when he's awarded a full-ride scholarship offer to play football at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo at the last minute (like it ever happens). Nevertheless, I love the Western Pennsylvania look, and it's what makes the movie authentic.

Here's an amazing trivia from IMDb that'll make you go, "Huh?": "The director wanted Lea Thompson and Tom Cruise to go undercover to remember what high school was like. They went to separate schools, and while Cruise was spotted after just one day because someone recognized him from Taps (1981), Thompson went four days, was asked out by many guys, and got caught smoking."

All in all, All the Right Moves is an enjoyable football picture, but more importantly, it takes a deep look into what's wrong with high school sports.