The Program

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The Program (1993)

Rate: 7
Viewed: 6/03, 5/05, 1/07, 6/20

Program
5/05: So this is what it must be like at Florida State University.

The Program is by far the most inspiring college football picture ever made. I can see why actual players watched it to get ready for a game. Everybody is memorable: Omar Epps as Darnell Jefferson, Andrew Bryniarski as Lats, Craig Sheffer as Joe Kane, Duane Davis as Alvin Mack, and James Caan as Coach Winters, among others.

The football scenes are the best. They're realistic and well-staged. Watch any of them, and you'll feel pumped to play some football. Many incidents as shown have happened in real life, especially the corruption. What I love is how it ends as the coaches get ready for another season as if it's a cycle to them: wash, rinse, and repeat until they jump ship or are fired.

All in all, The Program is the best college football picture made.

1/07: My favorite scene of The Program is when Lats described the exhilaration of playing college football:

"I don't know. It's the battle. The goin' to war with the other guys. Hangin' together. Havin' our own dorm. Stayin' in hotels the night before the games. Settin' ourselves apart. Bein' different than everybody else. Havin' a chance to be somebody. To do somethin' that people look up to you for. Your strength. Your courage. Not everybody can play football. We're the lucky ones."

Yeah...at the expense of taxpayers and students' money, but it's well-said, Lats. The bottom line is: either they're with the program or they're not. Hence, the movie isn't far from the truth about the corruption of big-time college football world. The more the scandals come to light, the more real The Program is.

Of the threads, I like Lats' the best with Alvin Mack's coming in a close second. When I see Lats, all I can think of is: "Don't you know you have many years left in your life?" For Alvin, after suffering a career-ending injury, the only pertinent question to ask him is: "So...what are you going to do the rest of your life?"

I can't help but wonder what happened to many players afterwards who breezed through college while failing to take advantage of the opportunities in education as they spent all of their hours in football, sex, and booze. Those who make to the NFL are few and far between, and once in, the chances of lasting long enough are slim to none.

In many ways, The Program is admirable for showing the seedy side of how a big-time college football program works: the school's true priorities, the pressure from above, the win-at-all-costs mentality, the cheating in academics, and the futility of an university education.

One interesting aspect that I noticed is I never saw fans who only stayed in the background. In other words, they're the biggest losers for giving away millions of dollars so they can feel special if their team win a championship that will be totally forgotten in a year...a month...a week...a day.

All in all, there's nothing like The Program.

6/20: Wait a minute...did the two guys actually spit into each other's mouth?

Say what you want, but The Program is what big-time college football world looks like except it doesn't test for steroids because most players are juiced anyway which has been going on since the 70's. That being said, it's the best college football picture made although Necessary Roughness can sometimes give it a run for the money.

Great cast and great performances. James Caan is perfect as the coach. Of course, he's going to look the other way because his job is on the line and it's all about winning. Just about every college football coach in existence the last four decades is like him. To rake in the big bucks is to stay relevant, and in order to do that is to keep winning.

Another thing I like is the balance between football and drama. The subplots are interesting to follow, and director David S. Ward does a nice job of making each to matter. Hence, the game itself feels secondary and winning isn't important, but the football scenes are quite good.

Be sure to search for the deleted scene on YouTube which features Joe Kane lying down on the lane divider as cars and trucks go speeding past him. Some people did it for real and ended up injured or dead. I'll have to say it's a perfect description of who Joe Kane is.

All in all, you can't go wrong with The Program when it comes to the taste of big-time college football.