This article needs additional citations for verification .(January 2017) |
This article may need to be rewritten to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards.(April 2013) |
Sunset Park | |
---|---|
Directed by | Steve Gomer |
Written by | Seth Zvi Rosenfeld Kathleen McGhee-Anderson |
Produced by | Danny DeVito Michael Shamberg Dan Paulson |
Starring | Rhea Perlman |
Cinematography | Robbie Greenberg |
Edited by | Arthur Coburn |
Music by | Miles Goodman Kay Gee |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release date |
|
Running time | 99 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $10,163,782 [1] |
Sunset Park is a 1996 American sports comedy drama film directed by Steve Gomer, based upon a screenplay by Seth Zvi Rosenfeld and Kathleen McGhee-Anderson. [2] [3] The film stars Rhea Perlman as the head coach of a high school boys basketball team from the Sunset Park neighborhood in New York City. The film also stars Onyx rapper Fredro Starr and features an early film appearance from Terrence Howard. It was produced by Perlman's husband Danny DeVito.
Filming took place in New York City. Included in filming locations were various high schools and public buildings as well as the world-famous Madison Square Garden. The Sunset Park soundtrack featured one of the first solo appearances of Ghostface Killah. Sunset Park was released on April 26, 1996 and went on to gross about $10 million at the box office.
Phyllis Saroka is a P.E. teacher at Sunset Park High School in New York City, who reads a flyer that her school is looking for a new boys basketball coach. Looking for more money to pursue opening a restaurant on St. Croix, Virgin Islands, she decides to give the job a shot despite knowing nothing of basketball. She contacts the correct people and is given the job.
She shows up for her first day on the job and the team is already skeptical of her. When she walks in, she lets basketball players run the team, calling their own fouls, running their own plays, and basically allowing them to be carefree. During a game, she makes some bad decisions which irks some of the players on the team. This inspires her to learn more about the game with the assistance of her players. They help her and the team begins to slowly find success.
The team also has to deal with outside forces that threaten the team. Tyrik "Shorty Doo-Wop" Russell is on probation and eventually gets into more trouble. Spaceman is also on probation, is constantly using drugs, and has trouble with a teacher. Busy-bee got shot during the season and misses several games.
Several other players are having academic trouble and some don't even get along with each other. The team also find out that the coach only plans to stay with them one season and then leave to open a restaurant.
The team eventually comes together despite their differences and troubles. They end up with very successful season, and get into the city championship. They go to Madison Square Garden to face their opponent (Washington Heights) and lose by a small margin. Afterward, the coach informs them that they should be proud of themselves and that she will return next season.
The film has a 13% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. [4]
Fred Lee Scruggs Jr., better known by his stage name Fredro Starr, is an American rapper and actor best known as a member of the hardcore rap group Onyx. Fredro Starr was discovered by the late hip hop star Jam Master Jay of Run-D.M.C. who signed Onyx on his label JMJ Records. Onyx went on to release three top selling albums before Fredro began his solo career. As a part of Onyx, Fredro Starr was nominated as "Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop New Artist" on American Music Awards of 1994 and won "Best Rap Album" on 1994 Soul Train Music Awards.
As Tears Go By is a 1988 Hong Kong action crime drama film starring Andy Lau, Maggie Cheung and Jacky Cheung. The film was the directorial debut of Wong Kar-wai, and was inspired by Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets. The central plot revolves around a small-time triad member trying to keep his friend out of trouble. The film was screened at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival, during International Critics' Week.
Air Bud is a 1997 sports comedy-drama film directed by Charles Martin Smith. An international co-production of the United States and Canada, the film stars Kevin Zegers as a young boy who befriends a runaway Golden Retriever with a unique ability to play basketball.
Pootie Tang is a 2001 American comedy film written and directed by Louis C.K.. adapted from a comedy sketch that first appeared on The Chris Rock Show. The character Pootie Tang is a satire of the stereotyped action heroes who appeared in old blaxploitation films. The title character's speech, which vaguely resembles pidgin, is mostly unintelligible to the audience, but the other characters in the film have no problem understanding him.
Blue Chips is a 1994 American sports drama film, directed by William Friedkin, written by Ron Shelton and starring Nick Nolte as a college basketball coach trying to recruit a winning team. His players were portrayed by actors as well as real-life basketball stars Shaquille O'Neal and Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway and cameos include noted basketball figures Bob Knight, Rick Pitino, George Raveling, Bob Cousy, Larry Bird, Jerry Tarkanian, Matt Painter, Allan Houston, Dick Vitale, Jim Boeheim, Dan Dakich and Bobby Hurley, as well as actor Louis Gossett Jr.
Mr. Mom is a 1983 American comedy film directed by Stan Dragoti and produced by Lynn Loring, Lauren Shuler, and Aaron Spelling. It stars Michael Keaton, Teri Garr, Martin Mull, Ann Jillian, and Christopher Lloyd. It tells the story of a furloughed Detroit automotive engineer who becomes a stay-at-home dad and takes care of three young children, as his wife returns to a career in the advertising industry as an executive at a large agency. Released on July 22, 1983, the film received generally positive reviews from critics and was a box office success, grossing $64 million against its $5 million budget.
Troop Beverly Hills is a 1989 American adventure comedy film directed by Jeff Kanew and starring Shelley Long, Craig T. Nelson, Betty Thomas, Mary Gross, Stephanie Beacham, and Jenny Lewis in her film debut. The film features a host of young actors, including Ami Foster, Carla Gugino, Kellie Martin, Emily Schulman, and Tori Spelling.
The Flamingo Kid is a 1984 American romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall and produced by Michael Phillips. It stars Matt Dillon, Richard Crenna, Héctor Elizondo, and Jessica Walter. The film tells the story of a working class boy who takes a summer job at a beach resort and learns valuable life lessons.
Rebound is a 2005 American sports comedy film directed by Steve Carr. It stars Martin Lawrence as a disgraced college basketball coach who returns to his old middle school to coach the boys' basketball team.
Love & Basketball is a 2000 American romantic sports drama film written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood in her feature film directorial debut. The film is produced by Spike Lee and Sam Kit and stars Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps. It tells the story of Quincy McCall (Epps) and Monica Wright (Lathan), two next-door neighbors in Los Angeles, who are pursuing their respective basketball careers before eventually falling for each other.
Eddie is a 1996 American sports comedy film starring Whoopi Goldberg and Frank Langella. The film was directed by Steve Rash.
Tarzan II is a 2005 American animated direct-to-video adventure comedy film, and the third Disney's Tarzan film after Tarzan and Jane, though it chronologically takes place during the events of the original film set during Tarzan's childhood, years before he met Jane. It was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and DisneyToon Studios Australia, with animation outsourced to Toon City Animation. Taking place during Tarzan's youth and before his adulthood, the film follows Tarzan's adventure to discover who he really is. Glenn Close and Lance Henriksen reprise their roles as Kala and Kerchak from the first film while Harrison Chad, Brenda Grate, and Harrison Fahn are the new voices for the younger versions of Tarzan, Terk, and Tantor, replacing Alex D. Linz, Rosie O'Donnell, and Taylor Dempsey. They are joined by new characters voiced by George Carlin, Estelle Harris, Brad Garrett, and Ron Perlman.
Forget Paris is a 1995 American romantic comedy film produced, directed, co-written by and starring Billy Crystal as an NBA referee and Debra Winger as an independent working woman whose lives are interrupted by love and marriage.
Jim Thorpe – All-American is a 1951 American biographical film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Burt Lancaster as Jim Thorpe, the great Native American athlete who won medals at the 1912 Olympics and distinguished himself in various sports, both in college and on professional teams.
Just Wright is a 2010 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Sanaa Hamri, starring Queen Latifah and Common. The film tells the story of a physical therapist, Leslie Wright, who falls in love with a professional basketball player, Scott McKnight. It received mixed reviews from critics.
How Do You Know is a 2010 American romantic comedy film directed, written and produced by James L. Brooks, and starring Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd and Jack Nicholson in his final film role. It was the third film to feature Witherspoon and Rudd following Overnight Delivery and Monsters vs. Aliens. The plot follows softball player Lisa (Witherspoon), who is caught in a love triangle between two men—the charming baseball player Matty (Wilson) and George (Rudd), a businessman who is charged for stock fraud.
Thunderstruck is a 2012 American sports comedy film directed by John Whitesell and starring professional NBA player Kevin Durant and Taylor Gray as well as Brandon T. Jackson, Doc Shaw and Jim Belushi. The plot follows a boy who magically gets Durant's basketball skills and the duo must figure out how to return them. It was released on August 24, 2012.
The Poker House, subsequently retitled as Behind Closed Doors, is a 2008 American independent drama film written and directed by Lori Petty, in her directorial debut. Based on Petty's early life during the 1970s, the film depicts a painful day in the life of Agnes a teenage girl who is raising her two younger sisters, Bee and Cammie, in their mother's whorehouse.
Poms is a 2019 American comedy film directed by Zara Hayes, starring Diane Keaton, Jacki Weaver, Pam Grier, Celia Weston, Alisha Boe, Phyllis Somerville, Charlie Tahan, Bruce McGill, and Rhea Perlman. The film follows a group of women from a retirement community who decide to start a cheerleading squad. It was theatrically released in North America on May 10, 2019, by STX Entertainment.
Champions is a 2023 American sports comedy drama film directed by Bobby Farrelly in his solo directorial debut, from a screenplay written by Mark Rizzo. It is an English-language remake of the 2018 Spanish film of the same name. The film stars Woody Harrelson as a temperamental minor-league basketball coach who, after an arrest, must coach a team of players with intellectual disabilities as community service. Kaitlin Olson, Ernie Hudson, and Cheech Marin also star.