Movie Movie Podcast

With the Olympics coming to an end this week, I figure what better time to release a sports film as potential oscarbait.  If you’ve seen Miracle, this is basically that same movie, and it will be directed by Gavin O’Connor.  Because it’s a sports film, most of the players will be played by relative-unknowns because it’s much easier than finding several 6ft + actors who realistically pull off the part.  I haven’t done anything inspired by a true story yet, so here we go!

Dream opens with a young David Robinson sitting on the bench in 1988 during a tough game against the Soviet Union.  It’s the Olympics in Seoul Korea, and the U.S. Mens team is getting blown out of the water.  Their coach is some scumbag looking type of guy played by Kim Coates, who chews his gum incessantly and clearly doesn’t want to be there.  David asks to be put in the game, because he can help, and the coach ignores him.  As time winds down, we see the final score is Soviets 130, US 67.  They got blown out.  David walks out of the gym and says “We have to get better.  I believe we can.  I DREAM we can” and the title card and really inspiring music comes highlighting Dream in the center of a rotating basketball.

As the film opens we see that the President of the United States, played by Ed Harris has scheduled a press conference to declare that The U.S. will NOT take this Bronze medal lying down.  He’s fired the USA Basketball head coach and has started interviews for a new coach that will bring the US back to prominence.  We see that he’s opened up a nationwide search and everyone is welcome to interview and lobby for the position.

The next scene we see a father played by Dennis Quaid with his daughter coaching H.S. Basketball Practice.  He’s just finished giving the team an inspiring speech and they head off to the showers.  The school principal, played by Kevin Dunn approaches him and tells him that he should interview for the position. If he can inspire HS kids like this imagine what he can do with adults.  The coach named Chuck Daly, says he’ll think about it.  He goes home and sees on TV, that one of his old athletes, David Robinson gave an interview with a young Bob Costas, that the US team wasn’t inspired.  They didn’t believe in themselves and until they do, US basketball will be a joke.   At that point Chuck decides to go interview with the President for the job.  He says that he might not have the experience, but he can inspire boys to become men etc.  The President listens without speaking and then says, that he’d love to hire him, but he’s decided that he’s done with amateurs.  He wants to hire pros.

Four years pass and it looks like The President has decided on picking a super team of NBA players to compete in the Barcelona Olympics.  Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird are the team captains, Michael Jordan is the superstar, Everyone else is really good too, and David Robinson is the starting Center.  Their coach is Phil Jackson.  Everything seems to be going well until Phil Jackson has a heart-attack and can’t coach anymore.  Now it looks like the US hopes for Gold are shot as they have no coach and leadership to gel their talents.  They almost decide to withdraw from competition, but David asks the President to think again about hiring Chuck.  At this point Chuck is an assistant coach on the Detroit Pistons, so he’s gotten more experience. Against his better judgement, he does, and Chuck Daly is brought in.  The first day of practice, Michael Jordan tells him that this is his team, and he’ll be the coach.  He’s the best player on the planet.  Magic and Larry try to talk him down, but he refuses. The first thing Chuck does is have the team run suicides.  He says they might not be the best team, but they will be the most in-shape.

Charles Barkley almost quits after day-one, but David encourages him to stick it out.  If they listen to him they can do it.  Chuck has gotten everyone after a while on his side and to play the game the way he wants, except for Michael. One night before the Olympics begin, Team USA scrimmages against a German basketball team and loses.  Michael has a huge outburst and quits the team right there.  David tries to run after him, but Chuck tells him to let Michael go.  Later that night, Chuck goes to Michael’s room, and tells him he’s that when his career is over, he’ll be known as the greatest basketball player to walk the earth and thats great, but the Olympics are about more than that.  They are about your country, they are about pride, they are about proving that a game can change the world.  It’s bigger than Michael. It’s bigger than him.  He’d love to have Michael there because the other night he had a dream, and that dream was Gold.  The music swells at this point and Michael decides to stick it out.

The last third of the film is Team USA pretty much destroying every country while “Taking Care of Business” plays in montages.  Until the final game against Venezuela, they aren’t even challenged.  However Magic and Larry both can’t play because of injury, Charles Barkley is arrested and might not make it to the game, and Michael Jordan is sick and well below 100%.  Chuck tells them, that they’ve been playing this game for years.  If they win, this will be the defining moment of their lives.  If they lose, he’s proud of them anyway, so go out there and have fun.  The first half of the game, Team USA is completely dominated by the evil (yea why not?) Venezuelans.  At the half Chuck Daly gives another inspiring speech and says that he has a dream, david then says he has a dream.  The camera pans around to all the players saying they have a dream ending with Michael saying he has a dream, and his dream is GOLD.  They all put their hands together and in walks Charles Barkley, who says he has a dream to kick some Venezuelan booty.

The second half, Team USA has to come back from a 40 point deficit and they close within 2 points with 10 seconds left.  The young Bob Costas says he’s never seen a comeback like this ever.  Team USA is playing like some sort of Dream Team.  With their last timeout, Chuck is about to speak and David cuts him off.  He says something about how he taught them how to be men, but now they have to finish alone.  David tells Michael to call the play.  John Stockton, who’s been quiet the whole movie is supposed to take the ball down the court and find the open man for a quick 3.  Charles Barkley inbounds to Stockton, Stockton takes it up the court and almost get the ball stolen. He passes back to David Robinson who swings the ball back to Scottie Pippen. Pippen passes the ball back to Stockton. With three seconds left the film shifts into slo-motion mode as Stockton passes the ball to Michael Jordan.  He dribbles twice, spins and without looking, tosses up a shot from the 3-point line.  Chuck rises, the crowd rises, the ball falls, and IT GOES IN!  Team USA wins the Gold medal.  Bob Costas is calling them the Dream Team.  Everyone collapses onto each other in tears.

The film ends with a freeze frame of them all standing on the Gold medal podium and explains what all the real athletes did after the Olympics.  Then it shows the real picture of Chuck Daly and says when he died, and has a poignant quote from him or something.