A Chance

Continuing my plan to watch every Tom Cruise movie in order, I come to to his third and final movie of 1983, All The Right Moves.

Plot In A Paragraph: A high school football player (Cruise) desperate for a scholarship and his headstrong coach clash in a dying Pennsylvania steel town.

Like with Risky Business, this is another movie that I don't get people's love for. I find it watchable, and nothing more. Cruise is OK, everyone's favourite TV coach, Craig T Nelson is his usual reliable self, and Leah Thompson (who shares the most unsexy and uncomfortable life scene I have ever witnessed) looks cute, but doesn't really bring much.

One plus is, it has a decent rock soundtrack, which is usually listed first in the end credits with each song stating what scene it was played it.

This was the first movie Tom Cruise's name appeared above the movie title on a poster.

All The Right Moves grossed $17 million at the domestic box office, to end the year the 42nd highest grossing movie of 1983.

I would have to say that this is one of the better movies realisticly portraying small town high school football to ever have been made. Tom Cruise gives a wonderful performance indicative of his future superstardom and even though Craig T. Nelson seems to be typecast as a coach, he plays the role to perfection. The scene of the big game against neighboring rival Walnuts Heights was shot so masterfully, you felt like you were on the 50 yard line. You could just feel the tension in the locker room before kickoff. Even though this film came out when I was 11 years old, I remember in high school our whole football team would gather at the coach's house the night before a game and watch this movie. I don't think that there has ever been a movie since that has come along that portrays high school football, its significance to Small Town USA and the young men who portray the roles of "Friday Night Gods" with such gritty realism as this film.

Ah, the classic 80's film, the big hair, the bad lighting, the lame music, everything that embodies the great American films of 1983. And "All the Right Moves" is no exception. I'm 24, and just viewed this movie for the first time last week by stumbling upon it at my parent's house while I was visiting for the weekend. Why do you care? I live in Johnstown, where this movie was filmed (as was 1977's Paul Newman classic "Slap Shot") and I had never heard of this film! So, I find this dusty VHS copy and take it home with me to view. As i pull it out of its slip sleeve, a yellowed napkin falls out; with Tom's autograph on it! Turns out when I was about 1, my parents brought me down to Johnstown to ride on the Inclined Plane, and I was introduced to Tom Cruise. I never knew?! So knowing that, I had to give the movie a thorough watching, and I must say, I have a little pride that that film was shot here. It was an enjoyable movie, although the ending was a little dry. The sad part of the film is, all the activity and energy that takes place in the movie with the steel mills is no longer here. The mills have been shut down for about 20 years, and the city is pretty much in a depressed state. It's good to watch the movie just to get a glimpse of what this area use to be. So watch it, enjoy it, heck, you can even rent it from the rental place a block from my house. That place is called "All the Right Movies." Enjoy! P.S. For the Kid's sake, It is rated R for strong language and some intense nudity.

Stef Djordjevic (Tom Cruise) lives in poor Pennsylvanian town Ampipe, a company town for American Pipe & Steel. He is the high school football star defensive back. He has his girlfriend Lisa Lietzke (Lea Thompson) and dreams of a college engineering scholarship. After a lost, Stef fights with Coach Nickerson (Craig T. Nelson) and is kicked off the team. Nickerson's home is vandalized and the coach blames Stef. Stef finds himself blacklisted from colleges. His friend Brian (Chris Penn) is forced to marry his pregnant girlfriend. The mill lays off his brother and he's desperate to escape the town.

It's a very traditional small town kid struggles. Tom Cruise makes it better than its simple premise. He's full of himself and full of angst. It's also interesting that Craig T. Nelson isn't a simple character. Lea Thompson probably plays the most endearing and compelling character. Her talk with Mrs. Nickerson is fascinating. The teenage desperation is palpable although some of it is bad cliché. It reminds me a little of 'Friday Night Lights' but nowhere near as good.

Great movie! one of my favorites. All may not like it but for a regional boy this is exactly what western pa is. Small steel towns that have nothing left except their sporting pride. Kids wanting to escape and western Pa's beloved football is the only way out for many. These are the Western Pa. Archeotypes : Some kids love it but feel they can't make it any other way. Salvuchi

Some kids have the talent but need that extra exposure. But it all depends on how individuals in power like you. Stef

Kids with enough talent to get out of the town without added exposure. the receiver who went to West Virginia

The coach who thinks he is God of town if he has some success. Nelson

the disgruntled band student,"why do they get athletes deserve scholarship attitudes" Lea.

The movie nailed the sights and sounds. It showed how whole towns close on friday nights. The football scenes were great! Even besides the football it showed the tough steelman, the guys in towm that slave all day and go to the watering hole right after work before going home for the evening. It showed how serious we Western Pa's take our local sports, We really would trash a coaches yard and fight seventeen year olds if we think they cost the game. Gritty reality to small town life. An under appreciated film that captures a regions attitude and feel in our great Nation! Ampipe is Aliquippa,Duquesne, Johnstown, beaver falls clairton, McKeesport,monesson and the rest of the Mon and beaver Valleys that were created by the US Steel, J&L and Bethleham steel