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A Shot at Glory (2000)
Rate:
6
Viewed:
11/20
11/20:
Um, Robert...come back to the United States when you're done with faking a Scottish accent.
Anyway, A Shot at Glory is a nice but odd soccer picture. If it was intended for the UK audience, they
would be familiar with the content but probably laugh at several actors. On the other hand, the American
audience should be puzzled as I am as to why they're watching soccer that takes place in Scotland. Either way,
the non-sport drama is flat and not compelling.
The reason for my rating of '6' is the soccer part; the scenes are about as good as
Victory with Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine, and Pelé. However, the
latter has a simple story while I'm absolutely lost when it comes to how the Scottish Cup format works for
the former. Maybe the goalie should stop punching the ball and start catching it to avoid the silly mistakes.
Playing Jackie McQuillan, Ally McCoist, a real-life Scottish footballer, has a natural acting ability, and I kept
mistaking him for Russell Crowe. Robert Duvall is typical most of the time. Michael Keaton is miscast, but he's
actually of Scottish heritage. Pretty eyes but too much makeup, Kirsty Mitchell doesn't either belong
in the picture or have a lot to add to the story; her character might as well be "one-time fling" which
resulted in a son for Jackie.
The ending is a disappointment, wasting two hours of my time, but it's not as bad as compared to idiot fans
who spent countless hours and money following the season and the postseason only to be crushed by the outcome
of the championship game. What did they get out of it, honestly? Now, I can imagine the sheer amount of time
wasted on a 162-game baseball season given the failed outcome of the World Series.
All in all, A Shot at Glory will do if you like soccer.