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The Hobby Shack => Creative Writing => Topic started by: Chiprocks1 on December 04, 2012, 10:49:33 pm


Title: The Sports Genre Cliche Thread
Post by: Chiprocks1 on December 04, 2012, 10:49:33 pm
The Sports Genre is one of my favorites. I'm a sucker for it and I've seen my fair share to see a lot of very similar scenes play out over and over.

One Last Shot - This is usually the set up for the entire movie. An athlete, a coach or a team is given one last shot....a million to one shot that is to compete for the biggest prize in the sport the movie is about. They are usually down and out and beyond repair, which adds to the charm of redemption.

Training Montage - Every single sports movie I have ever seen always has the 'Training Montage' and it usually comes right after their lowest moment where they doubt their ability to get it done.

The Jealous Friend - Usually someone from the athletes past, who is a good friend to them, is jealous about their shot and has to look in the mirror at their own failings in life. Somehow, he or she wises up and gives them their support to get the brass ring, because through them, they too succeed.
Title: Re: The Sports Genre Cliche Thread
Post by: Neumatic on December 04, 2012, 11:03:33 pm
Speed Racer pulled an amazing one, Speed finally wins a race and it's the BIG race at the end-- in a sequence I love-- but he had to win another race in order to qualify.  How did they pull that off?

Double points on the training montage for the unlikely training montage, where they do things not associated with the sport in order to learn the sport (the Mighty Ducks tossing footballs around to learn ice hockey, for example).  I do love the montage, though.
Title: Re: The Sports Genre Cliche Thread
Post by: Chiprocks1 on December 04, 2012, 11:10:51 pm
Training Montages are crowd pleasers and when it's paired up with a great song, even more so. I'd be  p i s s e d  if a Sports movie didn't have a Montage. I'd probably walk out of the theater or eject the DVD if there wasn't one.
Title: Re: The Sports Genre Cliche Thread
Post by: Neumatic on December 04, 2012, 11:26:10 pm
They're big in Superhero movies too.  In fact, "Superhero Movie " itself didn't have one... I don't know if it was intentional or not, but I noticed it missing when the hero fights the villain for the first time and gets his as s HANDED to him because he doesn't know how to fight.  If it was an intentional omission, it's a little brilliant.

How often is the love interest of the star player (it's always about the star player, isn't it?) one of the cheerleaders for his team, out of curiosity?
Title: Re: The Sports Genre Cliche Thread
Post by: Mac on January 04, 2013, 03:40:06 pm
The old grumpy octogenarian who can't let go of the old ways

His wife died years ago but can't seem to let go.

Missed his relationship with his child and the movie focuses on that reconciliation.

His career completely depends on his eyesight which is going bad and refuses to admit he has a problem.

There is young guy who's wanting his career and is jerkish, arrogant

another young guy has eyes for grumpy guys daughter... that does not sit will with him

Title: Re: The Sports Genre Cliche Thread
Post by: Neumatic on January 05, 2013, 07:38:52 am
That's the very obvious dividing line there, if the actor's past a certain age, he's management but pines for the physical activity side of it and definitely hating that he can't do it anymore.  The fear of getting old shown by being incapable of doing something that only a limited number of people can actually do well.

If it's a younger actor, he's a rough talent in the sport that needs to be refined ad hued, but her grows and finds love and everything wraps up right at the "big" game.

If it's a one-on-one thing like fighting, that young man might need to do some illegal and underground games to get practice and a little earning scratch, because of course he comes from humble beginnings.
Title: Re: The Sports Genre Cliche Thread
Post by: Chiprocks1 on January 05, 2013, 07:59:06 am
Watch Bull Durham. It's literally two sides of the same coin with the aging Ballplayer mentoring the new Superstar Ballplayer, both with the goal of getting to "The Show".
Title: Re: The Sports Genre Cliche Thread
Post by: Neumatic on January 09, 2013, 08:13:23 am
We mentioned Lane Smith in the "My Cousin Vinny" review, how often in movies do we have a case where the antagonist coached or guided the protagonist, like Lane Smith in "Mighty Ducks?"