Celtic Pride

1996 "If you can't beat 'em... steal him!"
5.3| 1h31m| PG-13| en
Details

Two over-loyal Celtic fans kidnap their opponent's star player in order to guarantee their team the championship.

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Reviews

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.
Kamila Bell This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
Marva-nova Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.
bob the moo It's game 6 of the NBA playoffs with the Celtics 3-2 up against the Utah Jazz and seemingly about to win the title on their home court in Boston. Lifelong fans Mike O'Hara and Jimmy Flaherty may have personal problems but these are put in perspective opposite the dream of catching the title. However Utah's best player, Lewis Scott, is carrying the team and responsible for most of their points. When he destroys the Celtics in game 6, things look bleak. Bumping into him in a bar later that night, Mike and Jimmy plan to get him so drunk he'll still he weak in several days time when game 7 is played. However when they wake up beside him the next morning they kidnap him and plan to hold him until after game 7 has passed. However things are harder than they imagined.Being a basketball fan I'll give anything that involves the game a try, whether it is more serious films like Blue Chips and He Got Game or comedies like this or Eddie. This film had potential and, opening with a funny sequence where Mike fails to pass on his passion to his students, it looked like it was going to be good. The plot is filled out by poking fun at the excessive sports fans and also taking a more serious look from the point of view of the players themselves (as represented by Scott). However, where things fall down a little is in the delivery.Marketed as a `wacky' comedy of sorts, the film wants to be that (hence the presence of Aykroyd and Stern) but this means that the more interesting side of the film is ignored and allowed to fall into disrepair (before finally collapsing in the final `7 months later' shot). As a comedy it is entertaining without ever being very funny – I didn't laugh out loud very often but I found it passable and light hearted. It never really gets any better than that sadly, but I felt that this lack of consistent laughs could have been covered if the darker side of the fan/player relationship had been brought out more.Unfortunately this side slides for the whole of the film until nothing of interest is really left. There are imaginative touches that suggest a better film, but overall the lack of an effective dramatic streak to the film (no matter how secondary it would have been) is a problem. Without it the plot seems trivial and makes it harder to hold the audience's interest. This isn't helped by the fact that the film feels quite cheap and quickly put together. This is shown throughout the film but is clearest in it's portrayal of the basketball action. I wasn't expecting them to have the feel of a big stadium or have total realism, but the games are such a joke (in terms the play) that it made me realise how little effort was put into some aspects of the film.The cast is OK but the names suggest that a more `zany' comedy was expected to be the outcome of this film. Aykroyd plays a lesser role but has some good dream sequences, Stern is left to lead the film and he appears to lack the confidence to do it well. Wayans is the real star here which is a worrying thing. His character is the strongest and also has the most to say as he is not just a comedy figure in the way the other two are. He leads well and is actually OK but his basketball scenes are poor. For He Got Game, Ray Allen coached Washington so he'd look the part, it appears no-one saw the need for that approach here.Overall this is a wacky comedy with few laughs. Because it seems to favour the `zany' knockabout side of it's nature, it neglects the darker more interesting side and suffers as a result. This film never made it to the cinema in the UK and barely made an impact on video – there are reasons for this.
MovieAddict2016 The first thing that struck me about "Celtic Pride" is that it was too heavy, too dark and too busy with other things, rather than focusing on its current story. It was as if it was never content with where it was, always wanting to move forward, anticipating any possible flaw that may come along the way. It seemed scared to go for any big laughs, afraid it might be shot down by picky film-goers. In the process it did, in fact, hurt itself even more by anticipating this.Mike (Daniel Stern) and Jimmy (Dan Aykroyd) are big-time Boston Celtics fans. They get mood swings when the Celtics are losing, they get all-time-highs when they are winning. Mike's wife has even left him because he is so wrapped up around the sport. In the beginning of the movie, the Celtics and the Utah Jazz are about to play the sixth game of the NBA championships. Mike and Jimmy, eagerly anticipating and looking forward to the game, get front-row seats and watch in horror as the Jazz's newest player, Lewis Scott (Damon Wayans), completely owns the court and practically beats the Celtics by himself. Mike and Jimmy woefully retreat to a local bar, where they find that Lewis Scott is drinking. Posing as enthusiastic Utah fans, Mike and Jimmy push Scott to drink more and more, getting him extremely drunk. There's a funny scene during this when Mike and Jimmy meet Larry Byrd and have to pretend that they are Utah fans. The real big sports fans out there might get a kick out of that, and even the whole movie, but only the strong ones.After their late-night drinking binge, Mike and Jimmy take Scott back to their home, and eventually kidnap him, holding him hostage in Jimmy's apartment.Damon Wayans, star of "Bulletproof" and "Major Payne," is surprisingly the funniest guy in this movie. He reminds me of the black version of my uncle, both in looks, humor and facial expressions. He gets the good one-liners, the good jokes. And it's funny to watch him be suspicious of everyone, such as when Mike and Jimmy originally approach him. Watch his face. His eyebrow arches, he talks sarcastically. I must say I was surprised.But Dan Aykroyd and Daniel Stern, both men I generally like in comedies, seem to just go with the flow, not really helping out the movie a lot. They are supposed to be long-time buddies and sports fanatics, but we don't feel any mutual sports bond between them, or just a bonding of friendship. The actors themselves are fine, but fail to deliver any sparks of chemistry."Celtic Pride" is too heavy on itself. It's too serious, too melodramatic, too anti-climatic. It is as if director Tom De Cerchio is afraid to try anything risky for big laughs. Something like "There's Something About Mary" may not be the funniest movie ever (I certainly didn't think so), but the laughs were controversial and made the film more than worth seeing. "Celtic Pride" is just another average, run-o'-the-mill comedy. Ho-hum laughter result from ho-hum gags. There's nothing very funny here. It's basically for the very big sports fanatics, the kind of fanatics who would ritualistically kill off opposing team players just for their team to win. The premise of this movie is no doubt very funny in itself, but one single premise cannot a good movie make.2.5/5 stars -John Ulmer
gatorkid012 ***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** This movie was great. A summary on it would be this: Michael O'Hara(Daniel Stern) and Jimmy Fleherty(Dan Akroyd) are two diehard basketball fans who would do anything to make their Celtics win. One player on the jazz's team Lewis Scott(Damon Wayans) litterallly single handidly tore up the Celtics in the first game. Michael and Jimmy did't actually kidnap Scott. They all got wasted and then they were at Jimmy's crib and Scott was ductaped to the bed. Scott makes some good wisecracks and finally he was let loose. In order, for O'Hara and Flerahty not to go to jail, they had to root for the Jazz. At the end of the game, these two Celtics fans, I think, Actually rooted for the Jazz.
jackpurvin dan aykroyd great as crazed,fanatical celtic fan, teams up with his celtic fan partner daniel stern(of home alone fame). both are crazy,funny, and natural. damon wayans adds to the cast as utah jazz basketball player. street smart comedic wayans(from brooklyn) is just right for the part. deion sanders is great as himself.movie is very entertaining and was underrated. better than the critics said.