He has everything at stake. He can't afford to lose. He's got to make all the right moves.

Starring: Tom Cruise, Craig T. Nelson, Lea Thompson, Charles Cioffi, Gary Graham, Paul Carafotes, Chris Penn

DML Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ - above average

"You just sit there in your office. A scholarship here, no scholarship there. He goes. He stays. Who in the hell gave you that power? You're just a high school coach." - Steff

Why watch this? A compelling drama about Pennsylvania small town football.

Plot Summary: Stefan Djordjevic, a talented high school football player, yearns for a scholarship to escape his economically depressed Pennsylvania steel town. His dream is to pursue an engineering degree and avoid the local dead-end mill job. However, his personality clashes with his coach, leading to a difficult situation that threatens his football scholarship chances.

Dad's Preview: This realistic drama centers does something that really helps this film's plot succeed. It presents its main characters with both good and bad traits. Stefan is a great player, yet he's too emotional and sometimes makes bad decisions that impact the team. His coach controls his players' futures, and he gets lost in that power. However, by the end, he realizes it, and makes amends. Craig T. Nelson, as that coach, gives an outstanding performance, and he'd go on to star in Coach on network TV.

Lucille Ball Productions; 20th Century Fox