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The Program

Play trailer Poster for The Program R 1993 1h 53m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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43% Tomatometer 21 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
A college football coach (James Caan) forfeits all but winning to get his troubled team to the big game.
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The Program

Critics Reviews

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John Petrakis Chicago Tribune Jan 24, 2014
2/4
Those are fairly standard story lines in a football movie, so that leaves the assorted relationship subplots, which frankly, are worse. Go to Full Review
Brian Lowry Variety Mar 26, 2009
Most of the focus is on Sheffer, whose character is too enigmatic, while Epps , Berry and Swanson gamely try to pull for extra dramatic yardage but can't do much with their underwritten roles. Go to Full Review
Janet Maslin New York Times Aug 30, 2004
The Program is a routine Joe College movie, with the added twist that Joe College is Joe Kane (Craig Sheffer), a prime contender for the Heisman Trophy. Go to Full Review
Malcolm L. Johnson Hartford Courant Jun 4, 2018
While The Program has its light-hearted moments, it mostly crunches along as a problem-oriented sports soap opera. And Ward has a difficult time pulling together all his disparate elements of his story... Go to Full Review
Jim Schembri 3AW Nov 27, 2015
3/5
Very good, revealing film about the extraordinary pressure of modern competitive sport and the man who has become something of a negative role model, even though his backstory as a cancer survivor does allow room for sympathy. Go to Full Review
Chuck O'Leary Fantastica Daily Oct 9, 2005
2/5
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Audience Reviews

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Edward B @CanonsburgPA 3 days ago As a former football player, this movie is as REAL as it gets! Some say that it is a parody of FSU. I loved every dimension of the movie. See more Christian K @ckacar Jul 9, 2026 A toothless college football movie laden with genre stereotypes, poor acting, and stale direction. This will not be a Jimmy Caan performance that I remember, he embodies a college football coach so poorly its shocking. I want to give a specific shoutout to 'Eastern State University' and their schedule here as they try to get bowl eligible for the first time in 3 years and also win their conference championship (????). They played Miss State, Michigan, Boston College, Texas, UNC, Iowa, and Georgia Tech. I can only assume the producers could only take what they were given in terms of willing university's to participate. See more Carlos I @carlosFibarra May 20, 2025 Meh, The Program is a pretty run-of-the-mill football drama. It deals with all the familiar tropes without having much original to say. It'll do in a pinch if you're starved for this kind of movie. See more David Y @RT50563930 Jun 23, 2024 Remember they took the scene out from the movie cause kids were doing it. This movie NCAA would love for you to skip. Ahead of its time. There’s not a stone untouched in this movie. From boosters, to new recruits coming in, media coverage, mental health, family struggles, steroids & much more. One of One Football Movie!!!. See more Alex @RT76390822 Mar 7, 2024 Absolutely mind blowing. I was off the age that the main character went here.. this is insane! See more Steve D @RT35616104 Feb 21, 2023 You have seen it all before but it works. See more Read all reviews
The Program

My Rating

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Movie Info

Synopsis A college football coach (James Caan) forfeits all but winning to get his troubled team to the big game.
Director
David S. Ward
Producer
Samuel Goldwyn Jr.
Production Co
Touchstone Pictures
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 5, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$22.8M
Runtime
1h 53m
Sound Mix
Stereo, Surround
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