Wildcats

Directed by Michael Ritchie, Wildcats follows Goldie Hawn’s Molly as she attempts to whip a ragtag inner-city high-school football team into winning shape. It’s familiar territory that is, for the most part, employed to compulsively watchable effect by Ritchie, as the filmmaker, armed with Ezra Sacks’ screenplay, delivers an engaging endeavor that’s heightened by its gritty atmosphere and raft of compelling performances – with, in terms of the latter, Hawn’s winning work matched by an eclectic supporting cast that includes Wesley Snipes, M. Emmet Walsh, Woody Harrelson, and Bruce McGill. And while the narrative hits virtually every single beat and plot point one might’ve anticipated, Wildcats‘ proliferation of agreeable attributes ensures that it builds up a fair degree of momentum leading into its feel-good climactic stretch – which does, in the end, effectively confirm its place as a better-than-average inspirational sports drama.

*** out of ****