Craig dislikes the film on first viewing, finding no inherited nostalgic charm and an unresolved split between broad comedy and serious sports drama. He argues Hackman is miscast and the film should have committed to slapstick; Remember the Titans and The Sandlot provide stronger values and coming-of-age stories.
Craig tentatively argues that professional-sports films fare worse because older characters and business concerns displace coming-of-age themes. Major League and Slap Shot are counterexamples, with baseball treated as a possible exception.
Eddie is compared with this era's silly sports movies, Celtic Pride is rejected, and the two-hour runtime is judged excessive; the hosts joke that Craig may eventually be worn down by repeat cable viewing.
Mike Myers is initially said to have been offered the role; later discussion explicitly qualifies the conflicting reports.
Steven Soderbergh reportedly tried to develop the remake before leaving for Out of Sight.
Spielberg reportedly considered directing and producing with Jim Carrey and possibly Al Pacino.
Carrey remained involved after Spielberg departed and contributed ideas before leaving; reports of a Mike Myers offer are explicitly uncertain.
Stiller is judged better for awkward dinner-table humor than the more physical version imagined for Carrey.
Naomi Watts reportedly initially had Pam’s role and said producers replaced her because they did not find her sexy enough; that explanation is met with disbelief.
Christopher Walken reportedly was the backup if De Niro declined, inviting a Wedding Crashers comparison.
Original indie film; box office and video; Oscar song; home movies; smoking; De Niro role choice; polygraph; DeHuff; cats; Focker name; set behavior; ratings rule; Litter Kwitter; Polo bankruptcy
The film originated with a low-budget 1992 version by Greg Glienna; Universal’s rights purchase reportedly allowed it to suppress that earlier film, which intermittently reappears online.
Randy Newman’s A Fool in Love received an Original Song Oscar nomination.
A $55 million budget and roughly $330 million gross are reported; it beat Remember the Titans on opening weekend.
The film is reported as the seventh-biggest release of 2000; the sequels earned $522.7 million and $310.7 million respectively.
Video sales reportedly added $200 million in 2001, illustrating the lucrative home-video era.
Polo’s husband’s home movies were reportedly inserted after test audiences disliked Pam, making her more appealing as a romantic partner.
Stiller reportedly was not a smoker and felt uncomfortable smoking beside De Niro, whose screen technique he admired.
Claims that the bomb dialogue was removed from airplane screenings conflict with a recent personal flight viewing that retained it.
De Niro reportedly turned down Any Given Sunday to make this film.
De Niro reportedly suggested the polygraph scene.
Nicole DeHuff, who played Pam’s sister, died at 30 after pneumonia; the diagnosis and sequel timing are discussed with uncertainty.
Two Himalayan cats, Bailey and Misha, played Jinx, with Misha doing most scenes.
