SpaceCowgirl.net

So I wasn’t really fully-aware that Brian’s Song was made for TV until I looked it up on Wikipedia, but that explained the fades-to-black and pacing that felt like commercial breaks (they were!) and the low-budget feel of the flick, including the 70′s Horror Movie soundtrack. Though I commend the use of actual game footage (wide shots only, of course) throughout the film, I got a kick out of that. I’m too lazy to do the research, but I’d guess the only way they could afford to do such a thing was cause those games aired on ABC (the network that made the movie). That would sure explain why it was cheaper than just re-creating the plays.

But, really, I can see why this is supposedly the one movie guys are allowed to cry during. This film is all about the “Bromance” – it’s not the same relationship seen for decades in buddy comedies, these guys are total (interracial!) BFF’s. You can tell it’s a Bromance when if you imagine one of the dudes is actually a girl, it’d be a prototypical romantic comedy. I especially felt this early on, like in the scene where they are sprinting and Brian teases Gail, saying he was letting him get falsely confident so he could take him down. That was straight-up flirting on Brian’s part, if you ask me.

But, overall, it was a pretty good movie, though it felt awfully short – cause, you know, it was TV movie. The pacing was probably a bit off without those planned commercial breaks, too. It sped through the years really, really quickly, and an extra 15 minutes in the middle could’ve made a world of difference in detailing these two dudes’ relationship. Additionally, I was surprised that I was able to buy Billy Dee Williams as anybody besides Lando Calrissian (or some analog of Lando) – though I was laughably resistant during the opening scene, since I had done no research and didn’t even know he was in the movie, and it caught me off-guard. I’d be hard-pressed to name this one of the top-3 greatest football movies ever (at this point), however, as many have.

*At this rate, I think I’ll get through all the movie on my list for this recurring feature by, oh… 2017?