Blue Chips The Rewatchables
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Blue Chips

What’s Aged the Worst?

Missing hip-hop; unknown Neon; slur; Jenny’s wardrobe; Pete’s coaching and likability

In the discussion (17)
Approx. transcript time · 00:50:28Read transcript
  • The lack of hip-hop is considered a missed opportunity for a 1994 basketball movie.
  • Quotation marks around Penny in the opening credit are disliked; consistent naming is preferred.
  • Neon remaining unknown despite recruiting infrastructure, military service and junior college is implausible; the spectacular new class should attract national reporting.
  • The press-conference slur for Chinese people ages badly, as does the premise that China has little interest in basketball.
  • Neon’s joke to Jenny and Pete is enjoyed, but it is considered likely to be cut today.
  • Butch failing to run the motion offense is called absurd.
  • McDonnell’s hairstyle and clothing are criticized as making the 41-year-old actor look much older and less attractive, with disagreement about Jenny’s appeal.
  • Jenny’s ongoing involvement is interpreted as love of basketball and her role as the moral compass.
  • Marques Johnson’s character inviting Jenny for drinks and wings is interpreted as a possible romantic approach.
  • Pete’s shame and confession are contrasted with a contemporary expectation of persistent denial.
  • Cousy being called Vic is disliked; playful alternatives closer to his own name are proposed.
  • Dicky V’s scene is considered about forty seconds too long, despite recognition of his prominence.
  • Pete’s constant shouting and weak technical coaching prompt speculation that Freddie supplies the real tactical knowledge.
  • The complaint about McDonnell’s unflattering styling continues against disagreement that she still looks attractive; Dances with Wolves is used as a comparison.
  • Pete calling Happy about Butch is admired on paper for showing that Pete now works for the booster and has lost control.
  • Pete is criticized as too unlikable and spineless to root for; the defense is that helplessness is the point and winning changes how a volatile coach is perceived.
  • Ricky requesting only $30,000 and a tractor feels too modest for a major program; $50,000, $75,000 or $100,000 would fit better. A possible farm bill is offered as an explanation.