Plenty of cliches - dim ethnic dad, wise cynical journalist, third act injury. It might've been a bigger it if it had a few more of them - sweet girlfriend, cruel coach, the big game at the end.
It doesn't do these things. Which is interesting. Gal next door Donna Reed is the love interest - but not a sweet thing rather this rich girl who is a bit wild and has a possibly incestuous relationship with her rich uncle. That's kind of interesting.
They might've been better off having the wise journo as his hometown girlfriend and Reed as a glory hunting rich gal. But the fact this is different means you're not sure how it's going to end.
Derek's father dies off screen - why not have him do it on screen? I kept expecting the brother to do something interesting.
The film has guts. It takes on the corruption of college ball - the benefactors, the way they treat players like garbage. The film was made by left wingers - Sidney Buchman, etc - and it's got a Marxist take. But a lot of it feels reshot, rewritten - like the finale with Derek deciding to go to night school and Reed sends a telegram that she'll be with him as opposed to seeing it on screen.
Aldo Ray has an early role as a fellow football player - he has ease and comfort on screen that Derek never quite matched for all Derek's beauty. But Derek is quite good here.
The film doesn't get there. It's too over the shop feels too uncertain. But it tries to be a good movie. It tries. And that does count.
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