ScoobyWell Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

AutCuddly Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

gavin6942 Hector (William Tepper) is a star basketball player for the College basketball team he plays for, the Leopards. His girlfriend, Olive (Karen Black), does not know whether to stay with him or leave him. And his friend, Gabriel (Michael Margotta), who may have dropped out from school and become a protester, wants desperately not to get drafted for Vietnam.This film marks Jack Nicholson's directorial debut, a chair he would not return to often. The casting was nothing special (though Karen Black is always great); the best part may be Bruce Dern as the coach. Some day he will get the full respect he deserves.Roger Ebert found the film "disorganized", but also said it was "occasionally brilliant" with the performances being "the best thing in the movie", including the "laconic charm" of Tepper. This seems fair. For all the good things that can be said, it never really hits home hard enough, and may be dated.

lbeach104 Good luck finding this film to even watch - it's not yet released on tape or DVD. I saw on release in the early '70's, was lucky enough to catch it via American Cinematheque's preservation efforts, and it still has some tangible moments that stayed with me for thirty years.No reason to repeat rwint's accurate comments here. As a come-out Director soon after the soaring success of Five Easy Pieces, Jack N has been said to have managed the low budget effort as best as possible, and it certainly shows in the wandering and meandering that could have used some re-cutting. But it's also a memorable icon for it's time: the all very intense clashes of late 60's college sports, student movements, sexual revolution, and more. Why see this film? It was probably a ground breaker in some scenes: the frisky male bonding in the after-game showers; Karen Black's scene with Tepper in the car will catch you a little off guard - but it's the first use of a word I hadn't witnessed in film before; and the casual and unexpected use of nudity overall. There are probably others I'm omitting.Look for a nice surprise of a young Cindy Williams in one of her first films; a thin David Ogend Stiers; Mike Warren fresh out of his powder-blue UCLA uniform and readying for a dark-blue TV uniform; Robert Towne - Actor; and a whole lot of folks simply playing themselves.Now: any connection between Harry Gittes last name, Robert Towne, and a certain character in Chinatown and the Two Jakes?It gets a "7" based on Karen Black. You'll see why.

terrancethecritic Basketball can be a funny game. Or business, perhaps? There are baskets and hookers just like in the real sixties. This modern-day reinactment confronts society head-on, warts-n-all, and we (the collective EYE) are the better for it. Bruce Dern, as the salty sea crumudgeon, takes us on a whirlwind tour of buzz and flash, dumping us at the doorstep of insanity. His crusty ol' captain routine reminds one of Burgess Meridith, or Uncle Charlie had HE been ye ol' coach roaming los sidelines. Their are many animals (tigers, spiders, etc..) and they serve as romantic counterparts to the understated elegance of Miss Karen Black in her finest turn since Burnt Offerings. Add it all up and the score is Jack Nicholson 100, Audience 101. EVERYONE WINS!!! 5 OUT OF 5 CUPS OF BLEACH!!!

Coxer99 Some dazzling basketball sequences, but the script about a disilluiosned youth lacks polish all the way through. Dern is perfect as the edgy basketball coach. Nicholson directed (debut) and co-wrote the film with Jeremy Larmer, based on his novel.