The final seventies sports-movie pyramid places Rocky first; The Longest Yard and Breaking Away second and third; Slap Shot, The Bad News Bears and Rollerball on the next tier; and The Jericho Mile, Rocky II, North Dallas Forty and The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training on the last tier.
Downhill Racer was initially tenth but is removed when its 1969 release is pointed out; Breaking Training replaces it.
Fast Break, One on One, The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh and The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings receive honorable mentions; Fat City is additionally recommended, while Inside Moves is excluded as 1980.
Slap Shot receives a personal favorite vote, and another preference would move The Jericho Mile higher; the top seven are considered more established than the lower spots.
A list introduced as the 1979 domestic top ten names twelve: Superman, The Amityville Horror, Rocky II, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Alien, Apocalypse Now, 10, The Jerk, Moonraker, Meatballs, Escape from Alcatraz and Manhattan. The speaker explicitly corrects the count to twelve.

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 00:26:04Read transcript

Roger Ebert awarded four stars, praising the film’s sunny humor, intelligence and emotional uplift.
The review laments the film’s limited theaters compared with Bloodline and calls rare films of this quality cinematic miracles.

Rod’s final turn; Katherine’s credulity; swimming injury; sportsmanship; race setup; Italian visit; juvenile-actor nomination; heat; pregnancy

In the discussion (10)

Approx. transcript time · 00:51:40Read transcript

Rod loses by leaving the inside open on the final lap, a frustrating choke that contrasts with his athletic confidence.
Katherine’s attraction to Dave and failure to question his poor accent, absence from classes and lack of homework are doubted, with willing suspension of disbelief offered in defense.
Mike hitting his head while swimming seems unlikely for such an athlete and should have left him concussed.
Rod applauding the Cutters is implausibly gracious; he would more likely protest the taped pedal, recalling Karate Kid’s similarly abrupt sportsmanship.
The rapid transition from bowling-alley brawl to the university president proposing a bicycle race is odd.
The Italian team’s reason for visiting Indiana is unclear, although a national tour or the town’s cycling culture might explain it.
Christopher’s nomination as a juvenile actor despite being twenty-eight is an external nitpick.
Katherine would probably stop speaking to Dave after the deception, though his elaborate interest could conceivably appeal to her.
The portrayal underplays potentially oppressive Indiana heat and humidity, although the race’s spring timing complicates the objection.
The mother becoming pregnant so readily seems unusual given Barrie’s age, reported here as forty-six during filming.

No actor alternatives located; Bob Fosse as director, uncertain

In the discussion (1)

Approx. transcript time · 01:11:57Read transcript

No actor casting alternatives are located; a reported Bob Fosse interest in the earlier Eagle of Nap Town script is discussed skeptically as a director what-if.

No replacement

In the discussion (1)

Approx. transcript time · 01:13:15Read transcript

Tony Romo; Cris Collinsworth

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 01:13:15Read transcript

Collinsworth is imagined interpreting Dave’s Italian persona as sexual strategy and escape from blue-collar Indiana; Romo reacts to Rod leaving the inside open.
Romo calling the race and reacting to Dave being taped onto the bike would be entertaining.

Little 500; quarry access; Tesich’s cycling inspiration; locations; slap takes; race extras

In the discussion (6)

Approx. transcript time · 01:14:03Read transcript

The Little 500 still takes place annually at Indiana University.
Access to the quarry is reportedly heavily restricted because of its danger; exaggerated traps are a joke.
Tesich was reportedly an alternate on the 1962 Phi Kappa Psi team; a teammate who rode 139 of 200 laps and won inspired the main character.
The used-car lot is gone and the pizza location is reported to have become Opie Taylor’s.
Katherine’s slap reportedly required six takes.
The race sought 20,000 extras but attracted 3,000, requiring compressed crowd staging.

Tolerance for the Italian act; Mike’s football ability and eligibility; Little 500 reward and tuition

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 01:32:05Read transcript

How long would a parent tolerate the Italian act? About five days is suggested, while friends might let it continue because the romance works.
Could Mike later become an older college quarterback, and was he genuinely good at football? A Necessary Roughness-style sequel is imagined, with confidence loss offered as the obstacle.
Is the Little 500 reward only a trophy, and might Dave receive tuition assistance? The effort seems to merit money.

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 01:34:22Read transcript