Eddie

This is a comedy-fantasy, people -- not a documentary. The pacing is bouncy and rollicking. The performances are precisely what they should be -- neither "villain" is one-dimensional or over-the-top, but just menacing enough in the right amounts, and the ways in which Eddie triumphs over each of them are quite clever.

Mayor Koch's cameo is hysterical, as is the bit with Stacey's Mom. Ostertag shows good comic timing. The background of Eddie is just touching enough without being maudlin. The transition of the Knicks from selfish losers to re-motivated winners is handled just right for a comedy-fantasy. This is at least in a class with Angels In The Outfield as an enjoyable comedy-fantasy.

Eddie isn't the best movie ever made, but it's perfect for watching on a lazy afternoon. It's one of those unpretentious Whoopi Goldberg comedies that bring a smile to your face. Whoopi plays Eddie, a loud-mouthed New York Knicks fan who through dumb luck becomes head coach. Expect lots of cameos from real NBA players and wooden acting from those same players (There are many howlers by "Preacher" a.k.a. B-baller Mark Jackson). Overall, a pleasant diversion not meant for film snobs. 7/10

The film may have a satisfying ending, but the journey to getting there is a little tedious and annoying. It didn't engage me.

I think that you should watch movies like EDDIE only when you don't want to work you brains on. I'm not saying that it's not a funny movie but if you look deep inside you find that it does not contain the real life of the N.B.A. 5/10 is what this movie deserves

After winning free-throw contest at a New York Knicks basketball game, b-ball fanatic Whoopi Goldberg is pegged to be the last place team's new coach! She whips the boys into shape...but is she just being used as a publicity clown? Cookie-cutter movie (with a script cobbled together from work by seven different writers!) is saddled with a limp third act, very little substance overall, and one-dimensional supporting characters. However, director Steve Rash wisely allows Whoopi to be Whoopi, and her contagious good spirit rises above the mire and is enjoyable. The takeover sub-plot really sinks this comedy-fantasy in the end, but Goldberg is a trouper and offers several hearty laughs. ** from ****