This movie never got to be too popular, but it has always held a special place in my heart. The story of a deeply flawed but nonetheless principled man, who eventually falls to temptation.... but whose conscience then cannot abide by what he's become. It's just a wonderful story.
It truly is. I actually like football and baseball more than basketball but this is my favorite sports film ever made along with Warrior (another Nick Nolte film).
How did he fall to temptation? He had no idea his star athlete was a bought commodity. He was in the dark. So how did he fall to temptation? Happy made everything happen not nick noltes character .
@@kennypowerz1267 After he puts together his star roster, two of the three come to him with demands. He rejects them at the time, but then goes to Happy and says "I don't want to know anything about it." The implication is pretty clear; he finds the whole mess distasteful and is ashamed of himself for even considering the possibility, but he wants Happy to take care of the dirty work. He just wants to never think about it again, afterwards. It also leads into the scene when he discusses athlete incentives with his ex-wife; previously he'd always been a hundred percent against them, but in this conversation he's much more indecisive and dismissive (since he'd already given Happy the unspoken go-ahead). He definitely had plausible deniability, but he knew it was happening and did nothing.
@@imapseudonym6198 if Nick Nolte character was that naive to see what was happening then that's on that coach. It was pretty obvious when the movie started seeing happy in the movie as much. And seeing his name referenced in the film. Can't be naive when your a,coach guiding young minds in the sport of basketball. I'm pretty sure this was based off the Boston college scandal back in the 80s.
I did this monologue for my first ever drama class. This one launched my acting career. Truly underrated writing and underrated movie. Not too many movies and speeches about college sports corruption. Nolte nailed this. ✊🏽
Well said. I heard a cynical sports talk personality say this scene is cheesy/corny but to me it perfectly captured what some programs do to "be the best". It also reminds me of Any Given Sunday. Where the assistant doc catches what the James Wood character does by switching the results of an MRI for Shark 🦈. He could have a "insert serious medical condition"...... James Woods: Or he could just be a crazy fucker😂😂😂😂
I remember this clip when reflecting on the teams I coach. He said the best coaching job he ever did was when the team went 14-15, but the kids played their hearts out and to the maximum of their potential. Success shouldn't just be measured in wins in losses. It's about what you do with what you have.
I salute you sir, I’ve had good coaches and bad coaches. So when I became a coach I took that as a privilege and a responsibility to nurture and educate young athletes not just how to play the game but to think and live life well.
Pete landed ok and got back to coaching a small highschool in the Midwest. This way he can mentor the young men at an age when it matters most what they do with their future.
@@Kruppt808 exactly. Even after he quits and goes and helps that kid with his crossover dribble at the end you can see that despite quitting (or being fired) he will always be a coach and clearly loves it. I think he probably did a hell of a lot of good coaching high school and probably got the young men to focus on academics as well as basketball and taught them how the real world works and how men like Happy will just use them dry and drop them once they're no longer of value.
I loved Ed O’Neill in this movie. I wish he had done more serious roles cause he is really underrated as an actor. Though he is excellent at comedy. And Nick Nolte, my God, that’s an actor!
Got damn it those kids gave me their heart! They gave it everything they had! They played to the maximum of their ability! They gave it everything! And it wasn't good enough! Wasn't good enough for me, wasn't good for you, wasn't good enough for anybody! Thats pathetic....best part of the entire movie in my book. Nick Nolte was great in this movie.
Warrior, and Blue Chips are the greatest 2 sports films ever made. Nick Nolte is a huge reason why. I love how the big game at the end isn't the real challenge, but this press conference is. Pete Bell came out on top. ❤️ ✌️
And Bob Cousy is the man. I also love the scene where he and Nolte are chatting on the court, and Cousy effortlessly sinks about ten free throws in a row, the last one with his left hand 🏀 👍
In Bob Simmons book, it said he made 22 in a row. He was 66 years when this was filmed and was shooting free throws like he was back playing. He retired at 34 with the Celtics went into coaching and then came back out at 39 and 40 to player/coach with the Kings. Thankfully he is still around at 95.
This scene is Oscar worthy, and would never in a million years ever get consideration, because it's a B sports movie, Shaquille O'Neal', etc, but this is nothing less than brilliant. Nick Nolte is a very flawed and very talented man
"Those kids have me their heart! They gave me everything they had, they played up to the MAXIMUM of their ability! They gave it everything! And it wasn't good enough! It wasn't good enough for me, want good enough for you, it wasn't good enough for anybody!" That part always especially hits me in the feels for some reason.
All these years later and the term "nuclear surfboard" still perplexes me lol. They couldn't find a better example of extravagance than that? Either way, one of my favorite sports movies
I'm pretty sure it was supposed to be ridiculous, because Happy was thinking Coach Bell wasn't about to blow the whole thing wide open. You'll see his face go dark when he realizes what's actually happening.
@@IlGreven You hit it right on the head. It was intentionally meant to be something ridiculous. Sort of a “ah-ha-ha, Pete, you rascal you” sort of moment.
Absolutely!! Back in the real era of sports that which I know of from the 70s- 2000s players played for the love of the game but now they play for social media likes and followers and cash, entertainment sports today is highly overrated and actually boring to watch if you don’t live the game or have passion for the love of the game
Such an underrated movie. Just epic. This movie was released in 1994, it foreshadowed alot of truth from 1994 to 2021. *edit: actually obviously alot of crookedness before 1994 to now and after 2021, but u get what I'm saying.
I think your edit kind of covers it. The movie wasn't foreshadowing, it was casting a light on what had already been happening in college sports. The movie was brushed aside at the time but everything in it has been happening for decades. NIL has just put more of a process around it.
@@Jaerb4 exactly. Lol I forgot I even commented. I forgot about this gem of a movie. Yep, been going on for years and years and years. I don't like remakes but I think Blue Chips would be a good one. Who u think would be the star?
Friends of the program. Deserve more respect. He is right though. Schools, coaches get millions off the backs of future millionaires. But might not, bc they are risking their bodies. They made a movie bout this with College Football.
Baby, please don't go down to New Orleans, You know I love you so, Baby please don't go. That song was such an epic part of this entire movie. So was the moment Nolte broke. "They say the best things in life are free. But you can keep it for the birds and bees. I want money. I want money!"
I saw this part in the late 90s and it always stayed with me. 48 hours , this movie and I think a thin red line are my favorite nick Nolte movies, parts of the one with Martin short and the little girl
Look at Bob Cousy, 4:14 the Athletic Director, crying because his b-ball program is about to go on probation and his football program could be headed that way.
So did the football coach have a hand in everything Happy mentioned to Pete earlier? About buying most of their top players? I always felt like he did but just played dumb to it as to not get nailed for it. But seems pretty far fetched the head coach wouldn't hear a word about his guys being paid. Especially with how stupid Ricky is with being so open about asking for money himself, and the whole car incident.
@@ManMonkey600 the coach had to have known, and if he didn’t know he was willfully ignorant as to be able to claim plausible deniability. Cause if the team loses he gets fired
@@AbleAnderson Sure Able... a free education that leaves them buried in debt for the rest of their natural lives. Nothing in this world is truly free except common sense and basic human decency.
@@xyPERSON Scholarship players don't get college debt genius; makes 0 sense. Sure it is being paid for at some level by someone, whether the university is eating the costs or boosters pay it, tax dollars, whatever it might be, but it's not being paid by the scholarship athlete, which was my point; it's free to them
@@AbleAnderson And my point is that is not always the case. There are times when certain parts of scholarships can be considered taxable meaning those awarded them will still owe money to the IRS. It really depends on what the money is being spent on.
Free room and board is worth a fraction of what the kids are worth as players. Bryce Young is probably making 50x what free room and board costs at Alabama. How would you like it if your company had a flat pay scale and every single person was paid the same, regardless of their performance or value to the company? Would you take a 98% pay cut?
This movie, so reminds me of modern day, America and the political situation we have right now Anybody democrat republican libertarian independent whoever I don’t care who you are if one person or a few were just come forward and let everything out of the bag on the American people were completely destroy our political system. We have to rebuild it the right way, which is what I’m hoping for. But it’s not easy it takes courage, bravery confidence, willing to throw it all away just to do what’s right There’s not a lot of people in the world that are left like that ,that they’re willing to look at something and say you know what that’s not right and even if it cost them everything do whatever was in their power to try to make it right Well, I got news for you if that person ever does decide to come forward or a group of people regardless of their political background or affiliation, skin, color, race, creed, religion, etc. etc. They won’t have to worry about losing their livelihood cause I’m sure the American people will give them right back what they lost and then some Years ago, during our founding, there was a man named general, George, Washington commander of the army of rebels, that won us the revolution Even though he was already a rich farmer and landowner, we still honored him by making him our first president Because he risked everything because he saw something was wrong and he did the right thing He saw a group of his countrymen, being taken over by a group of tyrants and having their liberties and rights stripped away from them So he went on a nationwide campaign to assemble a group of men that were willing to fight to the death to regain their strengths, liberties, and rights And they succeeded
Rights of individuals and groups. License and shifts and beyond… think of college and professional and sponsorships, grants, gaps…. So many moving parts of so many things… secrets and reality.
I love this movie and this scene is terrific acting. But i had to laugh at the end because it makes no narrative sense. Why TF was everyone shocked and gasping when he said "i quit"? Did they really not realize at any point during this 6 minute confession that he admitted to breaking every recruiting rule that exists? Did they really think he was going to do this then just be back at work tomorrow? Didn't they assume the university, the NCAA, the coaches association, and whoever else was going to have something to say? How did they think this was going to go down with him still in employed? 😂. They had always bothered me about this ending.
Guess Coach is going to retire, grow his hair out some, find Reggie Hammond for the Third 48 HRS. Reggie’s in jail somewhere singing Roxanne. Another brother of Ganz, Luther and the Iceman are back together again.
@@hiawathaclemons , thank you. Coach lost his job, got jealous of Neon Bodeaux and Butch McCray’s NBA contracts, so that’s why he took that money from the Iceman.
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imagine being a real college basketball coach listening to this speech and being guilty of the things being said in this speech. You know who you are. Forget your career and the money for one damn minute…..man up and do what is right for the kids ffs!
Real talk, Blue Clips would've had a happy ending if the transfer portal & NIL existed back then. Let Neon be the only red shirt freshmen recruited and get additional players from the transfer portal. No need to "buy" Butch or Ricky.
It's clear that he couldn't bare seeing his team go from scrubs to Dubs overnight. The final game was just too much of an overnight all-star team success that he wouldn't be able to contain. Fast forward to today, I can only imagine players are in middle school just trying to get on the radar of an agent so they can make money earlier than later which I'm sure has tainted the minds and aspirations of so many young teens. Teens that would've probably taken their hs and college education a little more seriously than just aiming for endorsements.
Why this movie was not so popular? We did not want to hear this, too close to the truth - now look at sports today - Was he wrong? Has it gotten better? Why is it greed always seems to win in the long run?
Sadly this movie is so true. College sports has been ruined for me. Now the college with the most cash will win almost every time. I think its time to scrap the whole dirty mess and start over. No athletic scholarships at all. Bring costs down to a reasonable level, Can you imagine money for homelessness, or hungry. Kids who go to school to study because thats the only way to college. I hope this comes true.
All sports sir…. Seriously, and the ages and amounts of under the table money (even with NIL…) would surprise the unathletic fans out there (might make them mad too bc their kid is playing video games and eating fast food… his classmate in 6th/7th grade and up might be getting $10K-$20K+ for summer ball!)
