Movie: Wildcats

Release Date: February 14, 1996

Director: Michael Ritchie

Starring: Goldie Hawn, James Keach, Swoosie Kurtz.

Tag Lines: “Her dream was to coach high school football. Her nightmare was Central High.”

Relevance: If you have been following this blog then you know I am a huge fan of two decades, the 1970’s and the 1980’s. So it’s no surprise that a bulk of movies from those decades make my list of most influential films, especially ones from the 80’s. In fact, ‘Wildcats’ is the first of thirteen movies from 1986 to make the list .

My mom, a woman who loves her comedies and loves to laugh, is a huge Goldie Hawn fan. Something that I seemed to have inherited as ‘Wildcats’ is the first of four films starring Ms. Hawn to appear on my list. We used to watch a lot of her movies together when they played on HBO. This gem of a movie was no exception. Despite its R rating, every time it was on we would watch it. My parents were pretty liberal when it came to allowing their kids what to watch on television. As long as there wasn’t gratuitous sex or violence, the movie was fair game. If we were watching a movie and an “F-word” popped up or there was a flash of a boob or two, it was generally overlooked. Once in awhile my mom would say, “You’ve heard it before, just don’t ever say it” or “You’re gonna see them sooner or later.”

Now ‘Wildcats’ was not a huge hit in the box office nor was it praised at all by critics, but for a fifteen year old kid, it was awesome. Not only were there plenty of f-words used, there were also Goldie Hawn’s breasts and some male nudity to keep me giggling. But that’s not the only thing that made me giggle. The movie was really funny. Sure, it was a simple, overused story and it had a very predictable ending, but it made you laugh. At least it made me laugh. A lot actually.

I’m not sure exactly how many times I have watched ‘Wildcats’ but it has to be at least over a hundred. It is a movie that I reference and quote quite a lot. And most of the time, people are not even aware. “You’re plastered, Alice” or “I forgot my purse” comes out of my mouth at least once a week. Not to mention “U-G-L-Y, you ain’t got no alibi, you ugly” has been chanted, sung and spoken either out loud or in my head on daily basis.

Today’s Thoughts: Despite having seen this movie over a hundred times I probably haven’t seen it in decades. So ‘Wildcats’ was a super treat for me to watch today and it is still one of the funniest movies to come out of the 1980’s.

Goldie Hawn and the rest of the cast made me laugh a lot all over again. I smiled from the beginning all the way through to the “Football” song during the end credits. There are so many great lines, gags and moments in the film it is hard to pick a favorite one. Yes, it is a silly and predictable plot, but when you smile and laugh this much, who cares.

The film is definitely important for Woody Harrelson and Wesly Snipes as it is the film debut for both of them. There are also so many other great actors in it as well from Jan Hooks to Nipsey Russell to the always funny Swoosie Kurtz. Even Gloria Stuart, yes the ‘Titanic’ lady, has a small role in the film.

The film also marks the return of “the penis.” Yes, if you pay attention closely to an early scene where Coach McGrath walks into the locker room and is greeted by the team holding helmets over their junk, once those helmets are raised, you have yourself a penis. Thank you Mr. Snipes, a great film debut indeed. “Be on the five in field minutes.” We haven’t seen a penis on this list since ‘The Crying Game.’ (see 332. The Crying Game) This makes penis number five. You can read about the others here 335. Born on the Fourth of July, 343. Sideways and 357. Amadeus. You know you want to.

So ‘Wildcats’ has a penis, two boobs, lots of f-words and a whole lot of chuckles to be had. Be sure to check out this often forgotten about movie. If anything, you might pick up on some of the quotes that exit my mouth. You’ll at least be singing, “U-G-L-Y…”

Ways to Watch: YouTube, Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, DVD Availability.