Hoosiers

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Hoosiers

PG

1986

1h 54m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

49 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Failed college coach Norman Dale gets a chance at redemption when he is hired to direct the basketball program at a high school 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.

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Critics Consensus

It may adhere to the sports underdog formula, but Hoosiers has been made with such loving craft, and features such excellent performances, that it's hard to resist.

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Chris Stuckmann

ChrisStuckmann.com

02/17/2021

A

This film has so much heart. Every time I watch it, I am on the verge of tears for almost the entire runtime.

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Steven D. Greydanus

Decent Films

10/29/2008

A-

The filmmakers are at the top of their game.

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Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

08/01/2008

Hackman is wonderful as an inarticulate man tense with the struggle to curb a flaring, mysterious anger.

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Richard Freedman

Newark Star-Ledger

Dec 30

There's an awful lot of basketball, not but much human interest in this "Rocky"-like treatment of the sport.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 22

3.5/4

Much of its appeal comes courtesy of Gene Hackman, whose work here -- a canny mix of aw-shucks bluster and below-the-surface slyness -- was a warm-up for the career-best performance he would deliver in 1988's Mississippi Burning.

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Justin Brown

Medium Popcorn

03/26/2025

4/5

I love a good sports movie. There's a formula to them, which this film actually went a bit against. I really enjoyed the historical accuracy of how they used to play basketball in the '50s.

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Jace E

@thefilmguy 6d

How this movie made me feel in one word: Inspired. A great story, a solid score and a feel-good ending, what more could you ask for in a sports film? While there are plenty of cliches and the coach doesn't have many redeemable qualities, you can't help but feel inspired at the end of this one. Best Character: Shooter Best Quote: "I'll make it" - Jimmy Chitwood Best Scene: The Final Game Best Piece of Score: "The Coach Stays" Note: I kept counting the number of boys on the bench. Turns out there is a deleted scene where we re-gain a player.

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Chris B

@Papa13070 May 15

A movie that defines the idea of the underdogs rising to meet the challenge of greatness, Hoosiers gives the audience something to cheer for. A tough-as-nails coach with a heart of gold, a team of farm boys with dreams of making it to the state finals, a small town pinning their hopes on their little high school - the movie has it all. It is well-paced, and is not overladen with side-plots and frivolities. There are no doped-up, foul-mouthed players, no need for gratuitous "party hearty" shots of the players behaving like hedonists or abusing their opponents. Some sports movies may trade in that stock and be considered "great" for it; this film doesn't and it's better for it. Superbly cast, superbly acted, and superbly executed. A worthy addition to the library of any sports film fan. This is a classic that will be talked about years and years from now. This is an example of why we love movies.

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Brad H.

@twstr988 May 10

One of the best movies ever made.

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thiago S

@Thiagostone Apr 26

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Tim A.

@TimmyTaco Mar 27

Greatest movie of all time.

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Margie M

@DrManifold Feb 6

I'm not a basketball fan - but I LOVE this movie. Based on a wonderfully true story. . . It is brilliant, heartbreakingly beautiful and leaves one with the hope of possible impossibilities.

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David Anspaugh

Director

Gene Hackman

Coach Norman Dale

Barbara Hershey

Myra Fleener

Dennis Hopper

Shooter

Sheb Wooley

Cletus

Fern Persons

Opal Fleener

Hoosiers: Official Clip - Coach Meets His Team

1:58

Hoosiers: Official Clip - Measuring the Massive Gym

1:54

Hoosiers: Official Clip - God Wants You on the Floor

1:01

Hoosiers: Official Clip - Benching Rade on Principle

2:09

Hoosiers: Official Clip - Jimmy's Final Shot

2:13

Hoosiers: Official Clip - Shooter Runs the Picket Fence

2:09

Hoosiers: Official Clip - David and Goliath

2:08

Hoosiers: Official Clip - Coach Offers Shooter a Job

2:07

Hoosiers: Official Clip - Ollie Sinks His Free Throws

2:14

Hoosiers: Official Clip - Your Coaching Days Are Over

1:50

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Synopsis

Failed college coach Norman Dale gets a chance at redemption when he is hired to direct the basketball program at a high school 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.

Director: David Anspaugh
Producer: Angelo Pizzo, Carter DeHaven
Screenwriter: Angelo Pizzo
Distributor: Orion Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
Production Co: Hemdale Film Corporation [us]
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 14, 1986, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 20, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $25.8M
Runtime: 1h 54m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo