Customer Reviews

All the Right Moves [VHS]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Because "Risky Business" gets all the attention for being Tom Cruise's breakout film, Michael Chapman's "All the Right Moves" has often been unfairly overlooked or just outright forgotten. That is a shame because Cruise's "other" coming-of-age film is a highly entertaining effort that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as his more high profile projects.

Cruise plays Stefan Djordjevic, a high school football player who dreams of being awarded a college scholarship in order to escape a future in the steel mills. However, Stefan's short temper often gets the best of him and his relationship with his high school coach (Craig T. Nelson) becomes strained after he participates in an incident that leaves the coach's house vandalized. With the help of his high school sweetheart, Lisa (Lea Thompson), Stefan starts to get his act together and ultimately gets his life back on track.

"All the Right Moves" proves that Tom Cruise had tremendous screen presence from the very beginning. His scenes with Nelson and Thompson provide dazzling hints of greater things still to come. Nelson, who may be better known for his comedic side, turns in an especially strong supporting performance as the coach who is both Stefan's tormentor and supporter at the same time. The story of the small-town kid dreaming to escape his surroundings for better things has been told so many times on television and film in so many different ways that it would be easy to dismiss "All the Right Moves" as just another tired re-telling. However, a familiar story is still engaging if told well and this film is proof of that.

While I did not grow up in Pennsylvania, I arrived there a few years after this film and made it my home for many years. Watching this movie brings back many memories, good and bad.

This film was more than just about football, but about small town America. Sure, places like "Ampipe", PA. (Johnstown) may not be sophisticated, glamorous and glitzy places, but it has a togetherness and cohesiveness that many large cities cannot rival.

Tom Cruise plays Steph Djorjevic, a small town kid eager to get out of the cycle that has kept his family in the steel mill town for generations. Steph realizes that there is a world outside the gritty industrial town, and he pursues it.

He has a rocky relationship with his coach, played by Craig T. Nelson (BEST person ever to play the role of a coach anywhere, IMO) and an up and down romance with his steady girl Lisa (Lea Thompson). Steph must face not only the obstacles of growing up here, but getting out as well. He eventually lands a scholarship to Cal-Poly and realizes his dream of getting out. Not just a movie, but an experience. A Must see!

Having grown up and played football in Western Pennsylvania, every bit of "All The Right Moves" brings back emotions, thoughts, memories and even smells. Even if you are not from Pittsburgh, you can appriciate the frustration this film captures of just wanting a better way of life. I hope any body viewing this film, at least can appreciate what the backbone of this country experiences. I never realized it until I moved to Los Angeles, the respect I have for my home town. I will very soon be moving my family back. Every time I see this movie I remember who I am and how proud I am of my heritage.

Tom Cruise was a busy man in 1983. With the success of Taps 2 years earlier, he took a year off, then came out with 4 movies in the next year. They was Risky Business, The Outsiders, Losin It and All the Right Moves. My fav of all those was All the Right moves.

Cruise plays Stefan, a kid who plays for the Ampipe HS football team as a cornerback, in backwoods Pennsylvania. It is a one industry (steel) town and if the kids can't get away from there, they usually end up in the steelworks. Cruise doesn't want to work there. He has higher goals of being an Engineer. And football is the only way out, and a few schools have offered him a full scholarship.

His girlfriend is played by Lea Thompson, and she is a smart, insecure girl who is also talented in music, but trapped because schools don't give scholarships to music students who aren't brillant. There is always a hint of jealousy in her mannerisms as she watches the "dumb jocks" ride to the schools that she will never get into..and it is smartly portrayed near the end of the movie.

The "dumb jocks" here are the anti-stereotypes that are seen in movies today. They aren't slick, omnipotent acting jerks. Stefan and Brian (played well by Christopher Penn) are sensitive, uncertain and shy people. The other players become sidetracked as well, such as Salvucci who becomes a criminal, rather than a star or Shadow (played by Leon) who is so worried that he won't get in anywhere (but gets into Virginia Tech).

The core of the movie is the relationship between Coach (Craig T. Nelson) and Stefan. It is rocky in the beginning. Coach (who is also the typing teacher), is nervously waiting to see if he will be a defensive coach at CalTech, and is on a blaming streak against anyone messes up his chances. One person he blames is Stefan for losing the game to another school (it wasn't really his fault). It gets worse when (after kicking Stefan off the team), he catches him with a posse of local idiots vandalizing Coach's home.

In a derivative movie, Stefan would have blackmailed him, burned him into getting back on the team. Or he would ruined Coach's chances to being accepted at CalState. Coach would have become another one-dimensional badguy. But here, at the end, they resolve their differences like real people and work things out.

The only problem with the movie is that the genre has been copied so many times, by the time I saw it for the first time (7/2000), it seemed very derivative. Another spoiler for me is the ending, while upbeat, seemed a little too Hollywood. Rating: B-

Notes: There is full frontal nudity between the two leads! Also, the director of Photography was Jan deBont, who went on to better (Twister, Speed) and worse things (Speed 2, The Haunting).

You get to see Tom Cruise before he exploded and Lea Thompson like you will never see her again. Add Craig T. Nelson as coach Nickerson (what a stetch) and you can't help but have a very good movie. The plot is pretty predictable with a couple sad twists. The only thing I was disappointed in was there were not as many football scenes as I would like. But anybody who grew up in a blue-collar small town where football was king will appreciate this show.

Sent the movie to a grandson. He needed to see the message in this movie.

I bought this DVD for my husband for Christmas, He loves it and watches it frequently. Great price.

This movie really is a great watch. I would have to disagree that Risky Business is the better flick. Risky is very unrealistic and can be drab at times.
Yes, working in a steel mill (its not a factory, people) is not a great place to work, but before the 80's steel mills paid the bills for a lot of Western Pa's workers. What this movie portrays is the fall of the steel mills that can really be appreciated by the people who grew up in Johnstown. Unfortunately, this movie is all to realistic. Yes, the majority of people from this area have no other means to attend college. It is a very poor town and without our steel mills it has become a city in distress. It is nearly impossible for residents to get a part-time minimum wage job that only pays $5.15 an hour. It is downright unachievable to pay college when loans only cover 30% for the first year of college. How is a person to pay for the other 70% without a scholorship? I know a lot of people from this area that are "stuck" in the city and that live in poverty. Some people that do leave the area far too often have to return to their parent's poverty stricken home because of finacial problems.
This movie is very entertaining and a must see. The actors are very likeable and do a great job portraying what Johnstown was really like. Football is by-far more more supported than other sports and extra-curricular activities in Johnstown. The ending is not laughable, but it will put a smile on your face that there is a happy ending to Tom Cruise's character.

Tom Cruise in one of his remarkable performances as a high school football player. Craig T. Nelson plays a villian coach who makes a simple coaching mistake during a tough football clash. The coach has a well thought out game plan, until the last play of the game. He ends up costing more than his team's winning against a top-ranked foe, he loses his respect among the team's unsung defensive leader. Cruise works well with co-star Leah Thompson as well as Sean Penn. At times this story may seem unbeleivable, but in many ways it is so true to life.

Great story of a high school football player trying to escape the rut his family and friends have fallen into by working in the local steel mill. Cruise wants a football scholarship to a good university, but first must overcome the obstacles set by this small mining town and himself.