Hoosiers

"They needed a second chance to finish first."

1986 1h 54m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 617

DramaFamily

Synopsis

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Failed college coach Norman Dale gets a chance at redemption when he is hired to coach a high school basketball team in a tiny Indiana town. After a teacher persuades star player Jimmy Chitwood to quit and focus on his long-neglected studies, Dale struggles to develop a winning team in the face of community criticism for his temper and his unconventional choice of assistant coach: Shooter, a notorious alcoholic.

“They needed a second chance to finish first.”

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Cast

Gene Hackman
Norman Dale
Barbara Hershey
Myra Fleener
Dennis Hopper
Wilbur "Shooter" Flatch
Sheb Wooley
Cletus Summers
Maris Valainis
Jimmy Chitwood
David Neidorf
Everett Flatch (#21)
Brad Long
Buddy Walker (#14)
Steve Hollar
Rade Butcher (#25)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: David Anspaugh
Writers: Angelo Pizzo
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.2× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

40 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by David Anspaugh, shot by Fred Murphy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Carroll Timothy O'Meara shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Gene Hackman and Barbara Hershey and Dennis Hopper carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "They needed a second chance to finish first.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

David Anspaugh directs. Fred Murphy behind the camera. Jerry Goldsmith scores. Carroll Timothy O'Meara cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 3.2× over at the box office.
240 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 2 countries: United States of America, United Kingdom.
4Directed by David Anspaugh, shot by Fred Murphy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Carroll Timothy O'Meara shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Gene Hackman and Barbara Hershey and Dennis Hopper carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "They needed a second chance to finish first.".
9IMDB entry: tt0091217 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 16 themes, including "high school", "indiana, usa", "sports", "parent child relationship".

The technical file

Cinematography: Fred Murphy
Original score: Jerry Goldsmith
Editing: Carroll Timothy O'Meara
Production design: David Nichols
Costume design: Jane Anderson
Makeup / hair: Daniel Marc
Sound: Terry Porter
Stunt coordinator: Ernie F. Orsatti
Runtime: 114 min · 1h 54m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $9,000,000
Box office: $28,600,000
Return: 318% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Hoosiers (1986)

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David Anspaugh

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-03-04
★ 6/10
I really found it quite hard to get excited about this rather predictable story, even though Dennis Hopper turns in one of his best character efforts. The story centres on basketball coach “Dale” (Gene Hackman) who takes over a third rate school team in Indiana. Their team spirit is pretty non existent but there are spirits a-plenty going down the throat of the enthusiastic “Shooter” (Hopper) whose son plays for the team and who isn’t the worst tactician - but is never sober often or long enough to consistently make much odds. With a team that couldn’t beat an egg and a deputy who can barely stand up, we now set off on a fairly standard story from a 1950s United States where opportunities were thin on the ground and sport could offer a way out for many. Hackman is fine, but not really anything more as we discover his character’s baggage and demons; Barbara Hershey tries to impose herself but her “Myra” has little to get her teeth into and Oscar nominated or not, I just didn’t take to Jerry Goldsmith’s confused score that was half Vangelis and half AOR. Even if you didn’t know the actual history upon which this is based, it’s an easy guess and that very procedural nature of the drama robs it of much jeopardy, even as the simulated match action takes place. It’s a motivational feel-good film and ought to be shown to illustrate to kids that winning is important, but not so much as the team-building aspects of sport that only work if everyone playing can rely on everyone else. It’s watchable enough, but isn’t anything special.

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