EDDIE
A film review by Larry McGillicuddy
Copyright 1996 Larry McGillicuddy
** Dir.-Steve Rash Cast-Whoopi Goldberg, Frank Langella, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Berman, Dennis Farina, Marv Albert Review- How does this sound for a premise to a movie? Take Whoopi Goldberg and make her coach of the New York Knicks. Sounds like a wonderful idea to me. The execution of such a movie should be a peice of cake. Trash the screenplay and let Whoopi work. Unfortunately, the movie takes itself way too seriously, in many agonizing scenes that don't work.
Whoopi stars as Eddie, a die hard knicks fan and limousine driver, who does play by play for the other limo drivers. Then one day, the Knicks are sold to a millionare cowboy (Frank Langella, who seems to be spoofing Jerry Jones). The Knicks coach (Farina) is unhappy with this new arrangement and quits, but not until after Langella has rigged a contest so Eddie can be the honorary coach for a game. The crowd loves her, and Langella names her the new head coach.
Sports movies like this are a dime a dozen. You can pretty much tell whats gonna happen throughout each part of the movie. Will the Knicks lose many games until Eddie learns some motivational technique that inspires them to break the losing streak? Will the ex-coach be named replacement at another team who will just happen to be the opposing team in the deciding game at the end? Will the tall foreign center's weakness of not being able to take a charge come into play at the end? If you don;t know the answers to these questions you have not seen many movies.
All of this would be forgiveable, of course, had Eddie been funny. Well, it is funny at times, but not nearly funny enough to overcome the obvious route this film is taken. Director Rash takes this film too seriously, trying to actually direct this movie. You don't direct a movie like Eddie. You turn on the cameras and let Whoopi work. Rash is a ballhog, and save for some moments where Whoopi gets the rebound and goes the length of the court, she isn't given nearly the opportunity she should have been given.Eddie has a great premise, a genuinely funny star, and some good basketball action, but the movie ultimately falls flat because the director tried to make too much of it.
****- Excellent. ***1/2- Very Good. ***- Good **1/2- Fair **- Below par *1/2- Bad *- Very Bad 1/2- Terrible No Stars- No redeeming qualities whatsoever.
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