Dick Butkus Movies
Twice named All-American during his football-playing days at the University of Illinois, Dick Butkus went on to spend eight years (1965-1973) as linebacker for the Chicago Bears. Chosen best NFL defensive player on two separate occasions, the "Maestro of Mayhem" also held the record for second-highest number of recovered fumbles. The 6'3," 245-pound Butkus left pro football after a knee injury in 1973 but kept his hand in as a sportscaster, eventually with Chicago's WGN radio. He was appointed to the Football Hall of Fame in 1979, and an award for outstanding college linebacker has been named in his honor. With all this going for him, Butkus hardly needed movies and television to enhance his reputation, but he has appeared before the cameras on occasion. On TV, he was seen as Al Fanducci in the 1976 miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man, Brom Bones in the 1980 adaptation of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, security guard Kurt in the weekly adventure series Half-Nelson (1985), and Ed Klawicki during the 1987-1988 and 1988-1989 seasons of the popular sitcom My Two Dads. Most often, however, Dick Butkus has simply and satisfactorily played "himself," first in the award-winning TV movie Brian's Song (1970), and later in such films as Gremlins 2 (1991) and The Last Boy Scout (1993). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
NFL: Moment of Impact documents some of the hardest collisions ever seen on the gridiron. This program contains footage of some of he most dominating defensive players of their day. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- 2001
Sort of a jock's version of the popular cable sitcom Dream On, Inside Schwartz stars Breckin Meyer as the title character, aspiring sportscaster Adam Schwartz. Obliged to work in his family's bar, Adam dreams of a big-time career on ESPN or some other sports outlet. On each half-hour episode, Adam's imagination spills over into reality, with real-life sports announcers Van Earl Wright and Kevin Frasier providing running commentary of our hero's triumphs and tribulations, and with a whole slew of guest stars (Mills Lane, Dick Butkus, etc.) parading through Adam's subconscious. The denizens of Adam's "real" world include his father Gene (Richard Kline), his best friend David (Bryan Callen), and his erstwhile girlfriend Julie (Miriam Shor). Created by Stephen Engel) of Just Shoot Me fame, Inside Schwartz was supposed to have made its NBC debut on September 20, 2001, but the network's ongoing coverage of the World Trade Center attack moved the series' premiere date up to September 27. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Breckin Meyer, Miriam Shor, (more)
Oliver Stone takes on professional football, a sport whose grace and delicacy are a good match for his filmmaking style. Tony D'Amato (Al Pacino), the head coach of the Miami Sharks, won back-to-back championships four years ago. But new team owner Christina Pagniacci (Cameron Diaz) has little enthusiasm for the finer points of the game and is concerned only with the bottom line. The longtime strongman of Tony's team has been "Cap" Rooney (Dennis Quaid), a 39-year-old quarterback, but Christina balks at renewing his contract. When Cap is injured during a game, third-string rookie quarterback Willie Beaman (Jamie Foxx) goes on in his place and becomes a major star. But Beaman is mostly interested in fame and money, and he has little regard for Tony and his teammates. Any Given Sunday also stars James Woods as the team's doctor, LL Cool J as a star running back, Jim Brown as a former football great turned Sharks' defensive coordinator, Ann-Margret as Christina's alcoholic mother, Bill Bellamy as a wide receiver, Elizabeth Berkley as Tony's favorite prostitute, and Charlton Heston as the football commissioner. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, (more)
- 1996
Sports writers and fans enjoy making 'best of' lists, and one of the favorites is the toughest players list. NFL Films adds their vote with its film NFL's 100 Toughest Players. Host Steve Sabol leads the viewer through the list, showing exciting footage of some of the NFL's most fearsome warriors. Many may argue about the postitioning of certain players, but most fans will agree that Mike Singletary and his piercing eyes, Walter Payton and his bruising stiffarms, Ronnie Lott with his brain rattling tackles and all the other greats belong on the list. ~ Ed Atkinson, Rovi
After a recruitment scandal, a struggling college football team is forced to turn to a rag-tag group of misfits in this sports comedy. It seems that Texas State University's football team has relied on some rather unorthodox -- and illegal -- methods to gain players, resulting in the disqualification of most of the team's stars. The desperate coach (Hector Elizondo) must rely on the school's actual students, a motley crew of unlikely characters that includes a female place kicker and a quarterback in his thirties. Unexpectedly, however, the coach discovers that the passer still has a heck of an arm, and suddenly the team again has a chance. The expected comic complications and obvious bits of slapstick follow as this band of eccentrics struggles to find a way to victory, resulting in a familiar reprise of a well-worn storyline. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- Starring:
- Scott Bakula, Hector Elizondo, (more)
Producer Joel Silver, director Tony Scott, and screenwriters Shane Black and Greg Hicks team up for this gridiron-set action thriller. Bruce Willis stars as Joe Hallenbeck, who was once a top-of-the-line Secret Service agent but has since become an alcoholic, flea-bag detective. While performing the chores of a two-bit shamus, he discovers his wife Sarah (Chelsea Field) is having an affair with his best friend. Joe is hired to protect Cory (Halle Berry), a stripper who has been getting death threats; Joe begins to sober up when Cory is blown to smithereens. Cory's boyfriend, Jimmy Dix (Damon Wayans), was at one time a NFL football quarterback, but was thrown out of the game for gambling and addiction to Demerol. Smelling something fishy, Joe and Jimmy begin to investigate further and discover layers of corruption in professional football circles, leading up to Sheldon Marcone (Noble Willingham), a corrupt team owner who wants to pay off legislators to legalize gambling on pro football games. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bruce Willis, Damon Wayans, (more)
Where the original Gremlins was a horror film spiked with comedy, Gremlins 2: The New Batch is essentially a black comedy, with a couple of horrifying touches. As the film starts, the fantastical trinket shop in Chinatown, which sold the Mogwai in the first film, is demolished by a crazed multi-media businessman called Daniel Clamp (John Glover). The heroes from the first movie, Billy (Zach Galligan) and Kate (Phoebe Cates), happen to work for Clamp in his huge high-rise. They find the Mogwai within Clamp's building, but not before he has accidentally spawned legions of mischievous, lizard-like Gremlins. Soon, the Gremlins are wreaking havoc throughout the building. In the original film, their misdeeds were violent, but here they're also goofy and satirical. Director Joe Dante has filled the film with quick verbal and visual jokes, which, for many, makes Gremlins 2: The New Batch a satire and inversion of the typical horror film. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
- Starring:
- Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, (more)
In this horror outing, a secret government experiment produces a man capable of using his mental powers to start fires. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1988
A group of mischievous teen-agers get a notoriously difficult instructor that becomes their summer driving school teacher. ~ Rovi
- 1988
Jason (Alan Thicke) and Maggie (Joanna Kerns) play host to Carol's boyfriend Bobby (Kevin Wixted and his parents Robert (Dick Butkus) and Kitty (Arlene Golonka). In the course of the evening, Bobby throws both sets of parents for a loop by announcing that he and Carol (Tracey Gold) are engaged! Even so, the episode's highlight comes early in the proceedings, with Carol's tongue-tied acceptance of Bobby's latest proposal. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1987
This film takes place in that strange bastion of middle-class living, Stepford, CT. The trouble begins when a former resident returns with his new family and forces them to become as strangely contented as their neighbors. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Barbara Eden, Don Murray, (more)
- 1986
- R
In addition to sexual encounters and nudity, toilet humor is on a roll in this story about some teens trying to finish a 12-week course in fast-food service -- yes, 12 weeks to study how to make and sell a hamburger. As their final exam, the teens have to run a burger place. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Leigh McCloskey, Dick Butkus, (more)
- 1986
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Hurricane Mel bears down upon New York City just as four very pregnant defendants simultaneously go into labor in Harry's courtroom. In the course of events, one of the mothers-to-be (played by action-film diva Pam Grier) decides it's about time to marry her baby's father, while Dan (John Larroquette) is pressed into service as an emergency obstetrician! And just to make things even more difficult, Harry (Harry Anderson) must deal with the trailer-trash excesses of the Wheeler family (headed by future Star Trek: The Next Generation costar Brent Spiner). Florence Halop makes her last appearance as court matron Florence Kleiner in this, the final episode of Night Court's third season. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1986
The football video Crunchtime introduces viewers to the toughest men in America's roughest sport. Sports enthusiasts get a chance to meet the men who specialize in devastating collisions and crushes, the men who know how to make an opponent think twice on the next matchup. The documentary video features Howie Long, Mike Curtis, Dick Butkus, Larry Csonka, Randy White, and others. Consisting of interview footage and video clips from rough-and-tumble games, the program offers insight into the vicious role of the football guard. ~ Betsy Boyd, Rovi
- 1985
Jessica (Angela Lansbury is given a crash course in the nomenclature of football when she inherits a small percentage in a pro football team. She also stumbles upon a murder case (surprise!) when the team's much-hated owner is killed in the locker room . It's going to be tough to discern the murderer's identity this time, inasmuch as Jessica must first work her way through every member of the team--not to mention their wives and sweethearts! Former professional athletes Bruce Jenner and Dick Butkus appear in key supporting roles. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1985
Half-Nelson was a very brief TV cop series which made its bow on March 24, 1985, with a two-hour "special". Joe Pesci, sporting lots and lots of hair, stars as ex-Manhattan cop Rocky Nelson, nicknamed "Half" Nelson because he stands well under six feet. Nelson is now a Beverly Hills security guard who dreams of launching an acting career. Guest star Morgan Brittany shows up just long enough to die along with an old buddy of Nelson's. The official police verdict is suicide, but Nelson suspects foul play. Also showing up in cameo roles are Dean Martin, John Matuszak, Larry Holmes and Jerry Reuss. The Half-Nelson pilot was telecast on a Sunday; the subsequent series settled into a Friday night slot (but not for long). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
This spoof of the 1930s and '40s crime stories ranges from the ridiculous to the sublime as it tells the story of Johnny Dangerously (Byron Thames as the young Johnny, Michael Keaton as the older), a devoted son to his ailing mother (Maureen Stapleton), so ill that she needs money for several operations. Johnny has nowhere to turn, and because gangsters tend to flourish in his neighborhood he goes to work for Dundee, a benevolent godfather-gangster type, in order to cover his mother's medical bills. Johnny hides his association with Dundee from his younger brother Tommy (Griffin Dunne) and goes so far as to pay for Tommy's law school fees -- supporting him until Tommy joins the staff of the local (and corrupt) district attorney's office for Burr (Danny DeVito). When Johnny starts working for Dundee, he clashes with the evil Vermin (Joe Piscopo) right from the beginning, but things only get worse. After Dundee decides to retire, Johnny ascends to the helm, and it does not look like Vermin is going to take that sitting down. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Keaton, Joe Piscopo, (more)
- 1983
- PG
Jerry Lewis reprises his previous movie persona, this time as Warren Nefron, a man unable to successfully kill himself, while Herb Edelman is Dr. Jonas Pletchick, the psychiatrist out to cure him of his failure, in this undistinguished slapstick comedy. Many of Lewis' past routines crop up again through the device of flashbacks, as he sits in the doctor's office and remembers vignettes from his past. As usual, the French love his humor and flocked to see this film when it was first released. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jerry Lewis, Herb Edelman, (more)
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