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Director Michael Ritchie heads to the gridiron for this good-natured comedy about Molly (Goldie Hawn), the daughter of a famed football coach who's dying to head her own team. When her wish is finally granted, Molly leaves her job coaching girl's track at an affluent junior high to take over a football team at an inner-city high school--the kind of place where guard dogs are needed to patrol the campus. At first the new coach's idealism and optimism are suffocated with racial and gender prejudice, but eventually her overriding spirit begins to whip her unruly teammates into shape. At the same time, she must also struggle to win a battle for the custody of her two young daughters.
Ritchie's experience combining action with comedy is on full display in WILDCATS, trading off tackles and jokes with a naturalism and ease that is universally crowd pleasing. The film also features a successful blend of veteran and rookie actors, including Nipsey Russell, Swoosie Kurtz, Woody Harrelson, and Wesley Snipes. However, it's Hawn who steals the show--as usual--as the determined and motivated Molly. Her uncanny ability to be humorous and dramatic within the same scene is what makes the film such an entertaining ride.
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