All the Right Moves is not a perfect film, but it’s strong and should receive more notice.
The Hollywood Reporter’s somewhat recent rundown of the all-time best sports movies included just one football movie, a documentary: O.J.: Made in America.
But if The Hollywood Reporter were to publish a list of the top football movies, the often-overlooked All The Right Moves, released in 1983, is worthy of strong consideration.
Cruise, looking right at his coach, played by Craig T. Nelson (photo courtesy MUBI)
The film focuses on Stefen Djordjevic (Tom Cruise), an undersized defensive back, and his struggles to earn an athletic scholarship, so he can study electrical engineering in college. Unlike Cruise’s Risky Business character, the wealthy and somewhat entitled Joel Goodson, Stef isn’t striving for Princeton. Stef is much more earnest.
He wants to escape his hometown, a dying mill town in Western Pennsylvania, for a better life. As the film’s lead, Cruise must do a lot of the heavy lifting, and he does, often magnificently. I won’t give away the entire plot, but Stef’s college dreams are put in jeopardy when he buts heads with his high school coach, Coach Nickerson (Craig T. Nelson), who also wants out of the dead-end town.
Stef’s hometown, the fictional Ampipe, is a compelling character in its own right. It mirrors the desperation of the film’s characters. Much of All The Right Moves was filmed on location in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Director Michael Chapman does a wonderful job of capturing the decline of this old steel town. It’s never sunny in Ampipe, always dark and often muddy.
Lea Thompson, the love interest (photo courtesy ’80s Movie Rewind)
Chapman’s efforts are aided by an excellent supporting cast. The late Chris Penn, Sean’s brother, is very compelling as one of Stef’s teammates. Lea Thompson plays Stef’s supportive girlfriend and makes the most of a challenging role. Paul Carafotes, who also plays one of Stef’s teammates, Vinnie Salvucci, is a cautionary tale. He has perhaps two of the film’s most memorable scenes. Carafotes make ’em stick.
All the Right Moves is not a perfect film, but it’s strong and should receive more notice. Perhaps it’s the precursor to Jerry Maguire, another Cruise football movie. Regardless, I’d like Cruise to return to more character-driven material. He doesn’t fumble, and he often scores.
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Jon Hart is the author of Unfortunately, I was available.
