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Avg. Critic Score: 76 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
9 OK for kids 9+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    Washington Post |

    Hackman anchors the movie with a performance of remarkable control. You see his hurt in his glances at his shoes, his little phony chuckle; you can feel him carrying his secret -- it's a rage held together with rubber bands. This is the Hackman of "The Conversation," not "The French Connection." [27 Feb 1987, Style, p.c1] Read full review

  • 100
    San Francisco Chronicle | Peter Stack

    The pieces of the drama are put forth like the shapes of the five fingers of a hand, and finally they find a kind of awkward unity that was predictable from the start. And yet, the gesture of it all is utterly captivating, the way a dream would be if it ever really came true. [27 Feb 1987, Daily Datebook, p.74] Read full review

  • 100
    Los Angeles Times | Sheila Benson

    It's as engaging, as modest, as utterly American and as thrilling as the true-life story it's based on. [11 Dec 1986, Calendar, p.6-1] Read full review

  • 100
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    In the way it combines sports with human nature, it reminded me of another wonderful Indiana sports movie, "Breaking Away." It's a movie that is all heart. Read full review

  • 90
    Washington Post | Rita Kempley

    Yet much of the movie's validity stems from time and place recreated with such authenticity that you can sense the wet chill in the morning air and the new wax pungent on the old gym floor. [27 Feb 1987, Weekend, p.n29] Read full review

  • 88
    USA Today | Mike Clark

    This is one of the best re-creations ever of the early-'50s Midwest. [11 Sept 1987, Life, p.3D] Read full review

  • 80
    The New York Times | Elvis Mitchell

    This film's very lack of surprise and sophistication accounts for a lot of its considerable charm. Read full review

  • 75
    Chicago Tribune | Dave Kehr

    There is enough intelligence and craftsmanship in the execution of Hoosiers to make it seem, if not exactly fresh, at least respectably entertaining. [27 Feb 1987, Friday, p.A] Read full review

  • 63
    Christian Science Monitor | David Sterritt

    Gene Hackman is solid as the hero, and Dennis Hopper does his best screen work ever. [6 Mar 1987, Arts & Leisure, p.23] Read full review

  • 60
    Variety |

    An involving tale about the unlikely success of a smalltown Indiana high school basketball team that paradoxically proves both rousing and too conventional. Read full review


Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 9+ A tale of heroic sportsmanship.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that the emotional intensity here is of the "who will win?" variety. The movie also deals with alcoholism, but features the redemption of two adult leads.
  • Families can talk about other sports movies. What is appealing about them? Do you ever doubt the outcome? What kind of feelings do they stir up? How does this one compare and contrast to other sports films you've seen?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Since (men's) basketball is the only game in town, Indiana girls don't have much to do except cheer or complain. And it's hard to tell the healthy, corn-bred players apart.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence: Several sports melees, including a bench-clearing brawl at the sectional championship game.
  • sex false0 Sex: Not an issue
  • language false3 Language: Occasional mild profanity.
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue

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