| | First, this movie is not entirely fictional. It's based, albeit loosely, on the story (www.sportshollywood.com/hoosiers.html) of the 1954 Indians of Milan, Indiana, a squirt of a town that battled to beat Muncie Central for the state championship (back then, there were no classes in high school sports).
The movie, of course, takes dramatic license with reality (coach's seedy past, player's drunk father, town's traditionalists conspiring to get the coach fired), but its essence is intact.
I saw this movie my senior year in high school and loved it, though part of me dismissed it as predictable and too feel-good. Only later would I realize its thematic power. Simply stated, it's one of the best sports movies of all time.
In an age where we teach children that winning doesn't matter, that scores don't count, that the only thing that's important is how a player "feels" about himself, that self-esteem is can be falsely earned through egalitarian fantasies, this is one movie that shows the character formation that comes from discipline, hard work and self-esteem.
My favorite lines?
Coach: "You think about the following and decide whether you want to be on this team or not: That what I say when it comes to this basketball team is the LAW, end of discussion!"
And also,
"Most people would kill to be a god, just for a moment."
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