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- Football Is a Matter of Life and Death in All the Right Moves
- All the Right Moves Avoids Sports Movie Predictability
- All the Right Moves Is Tom Cruise’s Lowest-Grossing Feature Starring Vehicle
As a longtime admirer of Tom Cruise’s illustrious career, I have always been captivated by his early roles that laid the foundation for his stardom. Among these early gems, “All The Right Moves” stands out as a poignant and underappreciated masterpiece in Cruise’s repertoire.
Prior to Tom Cruise becoming well-known after the release of the 1983 teen comedy film “Risky Business,” which turned out to be a surprise hit, Cruise journeyed to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, then known as the steel industry hub, to feature in the sports drama film “All the Right Moves.” In this movie, he portrays Stefen “Stef” Djordjevic, a gifted high-school football player who strives for a college football scholarship as a means to leave his economically struggling hometown behind.
In “All the Right Moves,” football sequences are engaging, but what truly sets this movie apart, like all great sports films, is its use of football as a backdrop to delve into the dreams and anxieties of its characters. Just as football serves as an escape for the townsfolk in the film’s fictional steel mill town, it offers Stef a glimmer of hope to break free from the fate of working in a steel mill with his brother and father for life.
In “All the Right Moves,” Tom Cruise landed his first significant dramatic role as a lead actor. Remarkably, Cruise delivers an outstanding performance, particularly by portraying how Stef’s football passion is intrinsically linked to every other facet of his existence, including his aspirations for a better future, where he hopes to leverage his football skills to improve his life circumstances.
Football Is a Matter of Life and Death in All the Right Moves
In Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where the movie “All the Right Moves” was shot, it was once the location for the 1977 sports comedy “Slap Shot”. Before its collapse in 1984, the local steel industry was struggling significantly. The economic hardship that the cast and crew of “All the Right Moves”, set in a fictional town called Ampipe, experienced among the locals is portrayed vividly in the film. This struggle for a way out, symbolized by a ticket, is a common theme throughout the movie, with most characters, including Tom Cruise’s Stef, eager to escape this seemingly hopeless situation.
Apart from Stef, who’s on his way out of town due to a college football scholarship, Coach Nickerson (played by Craig T. Nelson) aspires to secure a coaching position at a college. Meanwhile, Stef’s girlfriend Lisa (Lea Thompson) acknowledges that their relationship might not last if he departs. A poignant moment in the movie features Brian (Christopher Penn), Stef’s dearest high-school friend and teammate, revealing that his girlfriend is pregnant, which means Brian must give up a lucrative college scholarship.
In a compelling manner, the movie “All the Right Moves” underscores how deeply people in small communities tie their personal identity to the success of their local sports teams, representing the town’s sense of honor and pride. As stated by Roger Ebert in his 1983 review, he noted this very aspect, expressing that:
Originally, I began my career as a sportswriter for newspapers, focusing on local high-school teams. This was quite some time ago, and it had almost slipped my mind until I watched the movie “All the Right Moves“. It brought back memories of how crucial each game felt at that moment in time. When the players and spectators are all teenagers, and a school victory significantly influences your self-worth, a football match can assume the dramatic tension of Greek tragedy.
All the Right Moves Avoids Sports Movie Predictability
The genuine portrayal in “All the Right Moves” is evident in the character of Stef, played by Tom Cruise, who, unlike other flashy football roles like quarterback or running back, is a defensive back – a role that seems more fitting for the smaller build of Cruise in real life.
In Stef’s perspective, his potential in football is grounded in reality. When a college recruiter proposes the idea of Stef playing in the NFL, he acknowledges that while he believes he can excel at college level, he doubts if the NFL would require a smaller white defensive back. However, Stef’s main motivation for playing college football is to use his football skills as a stepping stone towards his career as an electrical engineer.
In the aftermath of our crushing defeat at the climactic game, the final moments of All the Right Moves show the tumultuous repercussions. Our team, Ampipe, lost the game in a gut-wrenching fashion when our running back fumbled the ball as time expired. The ensuing confrontation with Coach Nickerson led to my dismissal from the team. In a moment of frustration, I joined some disgruntled Ampipe fans in damaging Coach Nickerson’s house, an act witnessed by him. This incident left me shunned by college recruiters due to his blacklisting. Eventually, All the Right Moves resolves this turmoil by depicting a raw and truthful confrontation between Stef and Coach Nickerson, where Stef accuses him of being a hypocrite and having an inflated sense of self-worth. “Coach Nickerson,” Stef asserts, “you are not God. You’re just a typing teacher.
All the Right Moves Is Tom Cruise’s Lowest-Grossing Feature Starring Vehicle
Although it came out about two months after the highly praised film “Risky Business” and garnered mostly positive responses from critics, “All the Right Moves,” which earned a little over $17 million at the box office, was a relatively disappointing financial success. In comparison to other films like “Legend,” which underperformed “All the Right Moves” at the box office, “All the Right Moves” holds the record for Tom Cruise’s lowest-grossing leading role in his career.
In a period, Tom Cruise’s career experienced a slump due to consecutive box office flops, “All the Right Moves” and “Legend.” However, this phase was short-lived as the release of “Top Gun” in 1986 brought about a significant resurgence for him. Despite the poor reception of “Legend” being linked to Cruise’s performance being overshadowed by excessive technical credits, “All the Right Moves” showcases one of his finest early acting performances. This film is worth revisiting and reevaluating. If you’re interested, you can rent “All the Right Moves” on Apple TV.
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2024-11-10 05:31