Product Details

• Actors: James Caan, Halle Berry, Omar Epps, Craig Sheffer, Kristy Swanson
• Format: Widescreen, Surround Sound, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Touchstone Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: September 3, 2002
• Run Time: 112 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305428492
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,948 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Program" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This is the movie blamed for encouraging college kids (and others) to lie down on the painted divider between lanes of highway traffic. (Incredibly, the studio pulled the film in its opening weeks and deleted the allegedly offending scene.) James Caan plays a football coach under tremendous pressure from his university's sports program to come up with a winning team. The story focuses on the fallout of that pressure on the lives of several players and the program itself. It's all rather flat and TV-movie-like, and because there is an emphasis on issues instead of characters, the actors work doubly hard to bring dimension to their stock roles. On the plus side, the cast is largely composed of young actors who have come a long way since the film's release. --Tom Keogh

Product Description

PROGRAM - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too Many Subplots, but still a Good Effort, July 26, 2004

By 

Valjean (Salem, Ma United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Program [VHS] (VHS Tape)

If you're looking for a movie that will give you an overall feel on what behind the curtain NCAA college football is all about, this ain't the one. Unfortunately, there aren't too many out there. While I did find The Program somewhat entertaining, I thought that it tried to appeal to way too many *types* of viewers by convoluting any one clear and relevant plotline with a host of subplots.

At the beginning of this movie, you may be led to believe that the movie is going to be a sort of expose on the business that college athletics has become. We start out by seeing the college's well-planned attempt at trying to recruit a blue chip running-back (Omar Epps). James Cann is great as the 3-dimensional cool-headed coach, who understands that college football is big money (I like contrasting this to the mean sum'va'bitch coach that Jon Voight plays in Varsity Blues). This underscores the idea that education is a secondary concern to many university officials.

There are some great moments in the movie about NCAA corruption. Star linebackers take alumni bribes in the movie. Issues of steroid addiction and grade fixing are touched upon, but never examined to full capacity. Don't get me wrong, normally, I like my sports movies with plenty of sports, but I don't think that the proper set up was there for this to be called a solid 100% sports flick.

While the movie toys with the idea of being a sort of expose, it never quite gets off the ground. I think this is largely due to the fact that the makers of the film tried to rig it to appeal to too many different audiences.

For example, for the non-sports fans, there are 2 romantic subplots. One involving the moping pariah star QB, Joe Cain, and his passion for the girl who doesn't date jocks (touching...yawn). And yet, another involving Epp's and Halle's characters. For the sports diehards, there is the oh so very cliche big game with the classic slow motion play that always works. For the sentimental crowd there is another subplot involving Joe Kain's tobacco-roadish alcoholic father who never goes to see him play. There is, yet another subplot about Kain's rehab from eposodic alcoholism.

Like I said, normally I like my sports movies with plenty sports, but this movie frames itself up to deal with the "behind the scenes" issues and just doesn't come through. Yes, NCAA football is a dirty business. Shoot to kill! Who gives a damn whether Omar Epps and Joe Kane find true romance?

By the way, the guy who played Lattimer deserved an Oscar for best supporting actor!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the program-for adrenaline, May 22, 2000

By 

Larry Huang (apia, samoa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Program [VHS] (VHS Tape)

this is the ultimate movie to watch before a big game to get pumped and all-out psychotic. although laying down on the street isn't a good example for the kids, they should have kept the scene in because it adds on to the lifestyle of an athlete-trying to show who's got the cast-iron pair.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars real football action, May 3, 2001

By 

rock (Ptown) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Program [VHS] (VHS Tape)

People have been critical of this film, but I'd like to talk about those of us who have played the game, been in the programs, and know that what this movie portrays is in many respects the truth nowdays in the business of college sports. The football action is some of the best that Hollywood has put on the bigscreen. My friends and I love this film, as it shows what we have lived. We sympothize with even the un-lovable charactors. Latimer does some terrible things in the movie but we know what pressure is like, the injury to the biggest bada$$ on the field hits close to home with any athlete, and keeping ones "edge" is convincing yourself that you are indestructable, invincible. The best football movie out there, still. Whoever says this movie doesn't hit home has never strapped it up and laid hat. Well worth the buy, need more on DVD!