''Eddie'' is a 1996 American

sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...

starring

Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...

and

Frank Langella Frank A. Langella Jr. (; born January 1, 1938) is an American stage and film actor. He has won four Tony Awards: two for Best Leading Actor in a Play for his performance as Richard Nixon in Peter Morgan's '' Frost/Nixon'' and as André in Flor ...

. The film was directed by Steve Rash. Goldberg and Langella began a five-year relationship during its production.

Plot

The

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

are also-rans in the NBA, their roster filled with players who either lack talent or are too distracted by off-the-court issues. Nonetheless, limousine driver and rabid fan Edwina "Eddie" Franklin attends every Knicks game in the nosebleed section of

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...

. During halftime of a game, Eddie is one of three fans picked to win a chance to be the honorary assistant coach of the Knicks for the second half by sinking a

free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the restricted area. Free throws ...

, which she does. She quickly gets on the nerves of head coach John Bailey, whom she had

heckled A heckler is a person who harasses and tries to disconcert others with questions, challenges, or gibes. Hecklers are often known to shout encouraging comments at a performance or event, or to interrupt set-piece speeches, with the intent of di ...

earlier. Eddie is eventually charged with a

technical foul In basketball, a technical foul (colloquially known as a "T" or a "tech") is any infraction of the rules penalized as a foul which does not involve physical contact during the course of play between opposing players on the court, or is a foul by a ...

for stepping onto the court during an argument between Bailey and a referee, and she is ejected from the Garden, to the fans' dismay. Eddie's popularity piques the interest of the new Knicks owner, "Wild Bill" Burgess. After he forces Bailey to quit, Burgess names Eddie the new head coach. The decision is received with skepticism and derision. However, she eventually is able to connect with the players both off and on the court to earn their respect. Eddie is able to lead the Knicks into postseason contention; the winner of their game against the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

, now coached by Bailey, will receive the final spot in the NBA playoffs. The night before the game, Burgess tells Eddie that if the Knicks win this game, he plans to sell the team to someone who intends to move the team to St. Louis. A conflicted Eddie must decide what to do when the Knicks take a one-point lead with just a few seconds to play. Realizing the consequences, she stops the game to announce Burgess's plan to the crowd at the Garden. Faced with the possible enormous backlash from the Knicks' fans, Burgess promises the crowd he won't sell the team or move them out of New York City. When play resumes, the Hornets have one last chance to win, but Larry Johnson commits a charge on the game-winning layup, nullifying the basket and giving the Knicks the victory and the playoff berth.

Cast

as Edwina "Eddie" Franklin *

as William "Wild Bill" Burgess * Dennis Farina as Coach John Bailey *

Richard Jenkins Richard Dale Jenkins (born May 4, 1947) is an American actor who is well known for his portrayal of deceased patriarch Nathaniel Fisher on the HBO funeral drama series '' Six Feet Under'' (2001–2005). He began his career in theater at the Tri ...

as Carl Zimmer *

Lisa Ann Walter Lisa Ann Walter (born August 3, 1963) is an American actress, comedian and television producer, best known for her roles as Chessy in the romantic comedy film '' The Parent Trap'' and Melissa Schemmenti on the ABC mockumentary sitcom '' Abbott ...

as Claudine * John Benjamin Hickey as Joe Nader *

John Salley John Thomas Salley (born May 16, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player, talk show host, and actor. He was the first player in NBA history to win championships with three franchises (since joined by Robert Horry, Danny Gree ...

as Nate Wilson *

Mark Jackson Mark A. Jackson (born April 1, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player. A point guard from St. John's University, he played for the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, Toronto Raptors, Utah ...

as Darren "Preachor" Taylor *

Malik Sealy Malik Sealy (February 1, 1970 – May 20, 2000) was an American professional basketball player, active from 1992 until his death in an automobile accident at the age of 30. Sealy played eight seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) ...

as Stacy Patton *

Dwayne Schintzius Dwayne Kenneth Schintzius (October 14, 1968 – April 15, 2012) was an American National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball player. He was born in Brandon, Florida and attended the University of Florida, where he helped lead the Florida Gato ...

as Ivan Radovadovitch * Rick Fox as Terry Hastings *

Greg Ostertag Gregory Donovan Ostertag (born March 6, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player. He spent most of his career with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball at the University of Kan ...

as Joe Sparks * Vernel Singleton as Jamal Duncan *

John DiMaggio John William DiMaggio (; born September 4, 1968) is an American actor. His various voice roles include Bender on ''Futurama'', Jake the Dog on ''Adventure Time'', Marcus Fenix in the ''Gears of War'' series, Dr. Drakken on ''Kim Possible'', H ...

as construction worker Players from several NBA teams played major roles, including

Alex English Alexander English (born January 5, 1954) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and businessman. A South Carolina native, English played college basketball at the University of South Carolina. He was drafted in the second ...

as the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central ...

' coach,

, and Rick Fox.

Dennis Rodman Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Known for his fierce defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best reboundin ...

, Muggsy Bogues, Vinny Del Negro,

Vlade Divac Vlade Divac ( sr-Cyrl, Владе Дивац, ; born February 3, 1968) is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former player who was most recently the vice president of basketball operations and general manager of the Sacramento Kings ...

Bobby Phills Bobby Ray Phills II (December 20, 1969 – January 12, 2000) was an American professional basketball player. He played shooting guard and small forward for the National Basketball Association's Cleveland Cavaliers and Charlotte Hornets. A nat ...

J. R. Reid Herman "J. R." Reid Jr. (born March 31, 1968) is an American basketball coach and former professional player who is an assistant coach for the Monmouth Hawks men's basketball team. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the C ...

, Terrell Brandon, Brad Daugherty, Mitch Richmond,

Avery Johnson Avery DeWitt Johnson (born March 25, 1965) is an American basketball television commentator and former player and coach who most recently served as head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team. He is currently an NBA and college ...

Corie Blount Corie Kasoun Blount (born January 4, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player born in Monrovia, California. Career A 6'9" power forward/center, Blount starred at the University of Cincinnati during the early 1990s, where he he ...

, Larry Johnson, Randy Brown,

Olden Polynice Olden Polynice (born November 21, 1964) is a Haitian former professional basketball player. He played center for the Seattle SuperSonics, Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit Pistons, Sacramento Kings, and Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Associatio ...

, and Scott Burrell appeared as themselves.

Gary Payton Gary Dwayne Payton Sr. (born July 23, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who played the point guard position. Widely considered one of the greatest point guards of all time, he is best known for his 13-year tenure with ...

, Anthony Mason,

Herb Williams Herbert L. Williams (born February 16, 1958) is an American former basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for eighteen seasons from 1981 to 1999. Williams served as the interim head coach and the assistant coach of the NBA ...

, and

John Starks John Levell Starks (born August 10, 1965) is an American former professional basketball shooting guard. Starks was listed at 6'5" and 190 pounds during his NBA playing career. Although he was undrafted in the 1988 NBA draft after attending four ...

appeared as streetballers. Kurt Rambis appeared as the head coach of the Lakers. Chris Berman, Marv Albert and Walt Frazier also appeared in the movie as broadcasters.

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

Rudy Giuliani Rudolph William Louis Giuliani (, ; born May 28, 1944) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 107th Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as the United States Associate Attorney General from 1981 to 19 ...

Ed Koch Edward Irving Koch ( ; December 12, 1924February 1, 2013) was an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, film critic, and television personality. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was ma ...

, Fabio, and

David Letterman David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He hosted late night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982 debut of ''Late Night with David Letterman' ...

also appeared in the movie.

Gene Anthony Ray Gene Anthony Ray (May 24, 1962 – November 14, 2003) was an American actor, dancer, and choreographer. He was known for his portrayal of dancer Leroy Johnson in both the 1980 film '' Fame'' and the 1982–1987 ''Fame'' television series ...

(who played Leroy in both Fame the series and the 1980 film) also features as associate choreographer, one of his last credits before his death in 2003. During the production of the film Goldberg and Langella started dating; their relationship lasted until 2001.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

the film holds an approval rating of 17% based on 35 reviews, with an average rating of 4/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Whoopi Goldberg may demonstrate that she can coach a basketball team with the best of them, but not even she can whip this dreary script into shape." Audiences polled by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data. Background Ed Mintz founded Ci ...

gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

gave the film one and a half stars.

was nominated for a Razzie Award as Worst Actress for her performance.

Soundtrack

A soundtrack containing hip hop and R&B music was released on May 21, 1996 by Island Black Music in conjunction with

Hollywood Records Hollywood Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label focuses in pop, rock, alternative, hip hop, and country genres, as well as specializing in mature recordings not suitable for the flagship Walt Disney Records ...

. It peaked at 119 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and 44 on the

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eddie (Film) 1996 films 1990s sports comedy films Adultery in films American basketball films American sports comedy films Films scored by Stanley Clarke Films about women's sports Films directed by Steve Rash Films set in New York City Films shot in New York City Films shot in North Carolina Films shot in Texas Hollywood Pictures films PolyGram Filmed Entertainment films New York Knicks African-American comedy films 1996 comedy films Cultural depictions of Vlade Divac 1990s English-language films 1990s American films Films about National Basketball Association