Sport flicks follow formula, lack originality in plotlines

01/23/09 - Sports movies are an interesting genre of cinema: it's incredibly hard to do anything but stick to the established formula.The formula should be obvious to most people by now. One of the best sports movies made, "Hoosiers," seems to be where most sports movies take their ideas from. "Hoosiers" has every cliché now expected from a sports movie - but they weren't clichéd yet when it came out in 1986.

However, there is one sports movie that follows the plot of "Hoosiers" exactly: "The Mighty Ducks"

In "Hoosiers" a small Indiana high school basketball team is struggling. Coach Norman Dale arrives and attempts to turn the team around with his "unorthodox ideas." These ideas include running a lot, passing the ball four times before shooting and an emphasis on defense.

In "The Mighty Ducks" Coach Bombay comes in and has the team practice soft passing using eggs, and teaches his goalie not to be scared of the puck by tying him to the net and having the team fire away.

In "Hoosiers" Coach Dale has a troubled past. He hasn't coached in a decade because he was banned from the NCAA after punching one of his players in the face. His job in Indiana is his last chance.

Coach Bombay is court-ordered to coach the Ducks because of a drunken driving accident. Looking back, it's actually kind of amazing that a children's movie made by Disney turned a drunken driving lawyer into a likable character.

It's safe to say that you won't see a drunken driver as a positive kids' role model again anytime soon.

The next part of "Hoosiers" that shows up in many sports movies including "The Mighty Ducks" involves the team struggling early on followed by an event that forces the team to come together.

In "Hoosiers," Coach Dale forces the team to play with only four men on the court, versus to the normal five. This is done so he can bench a player who wouldn't buy into his system. The team loses, but now respects their coach.

In "The Mighty Ducks" the team struggles at first, but comes together once they get their new uniforms and have their team name. (Before being christened the Ducks, they were just known as Team District 5.)

Another part of the formula involves the team acquiring an outstanding player midseason that puts the team over the top. In "Hoosiers" part way through the season, last year's star player, Jimmy Chitwood, who had quit the team due to the death of the previous coach, returns and becomes the team leader and best player.



In "The Mighty Ducks" Coach Bombay forces Adam Banks to switch teams midseason due to districting rules. Banks is by far the best player on the team.

The final key to the "Hoosiers" formula is having the worst player succeed in a pivotal moment. In "Hoosiers," Ollie, the team equipment manager who is only an emergency player, comes in when one of the other players fouls out.

This of course occurs in the pivotal game that could send the team to the state finals. Ollie comes in and the team immediately blows its five-point lead.

Then Ollie gets fouled and has to make a free throw to win the game and send the team to the finals. He misses the first, but makes the second to win the game.

The exact same thing happens in "The Mighty Ducks." Charlie Conway is one of the worst players on the team, despite the fact that he's the captain.

Earlier in the movie he falls down on a breakaway towards an open net. In the championship game he is awarded a penalty shot after being tripped and scores.

The typical sports movie formula is obvious in both of these movies; "The Mighty Ducks" is really just "Hoosiers" with younger kids playing hockey instead of basketball.