The Comebacks (Unrated)

Rating: Unrated

Starring:

David Koechner as Lambeau “Coach” Fields

Carl Weathers as Freddie Wiseman

Melora Hardin as Barb Fields

Matthew Lawrence as Lance Truman

Brooke Nevin as Michelle Fields

Nick Searcy as Mr. Truman

George Back as Buddy Boy

Noureen DeWulf as Jizminder Featherfoot

Jesse Garcia as Jorge Juanson

Jackie Long as Trotter

Robert Ri’chard as Aseel Tare

Martin Spanjers as Randy Randinger

Jermaine Williams as IPod

Finesse Mitchell as Titans Coach

Will Arnett as Mailman

Special Features:

Commentary by director Tom Brady

On The Bench deleted scenes

Featurettes

– Coach Koechner

– Million Dollar Booty

– The Karaoke Kid

– Heartland Hotties vs. Lone Star Naughties

– A Laugh of Their Own

– Razor Blades of Glory

– The Mighty Dicks (Andy Dick outtakes)

– White Men Can’t Cheer

Other Info:

Widescreen (2.35:1)

Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound

Spanish Language

Spanish and French Subtitles

Running Time: 107 Minutes

Synopsis:

The following is from the DVD cover:

“The producers of ‘Wedding Crashers’ score huge laughs with the Unrated Edition of ‘The Comebacks,’ including more ballsy added footage you couldn’t see in theaters, plus an all-star lineup of outrageous special features!

You’ll laugh till you punt watching this hilarious spoof comedy that tackles the most memorable scenes from your favorite sports movies. It’s the story of Lambeau Fields (David Koechner), an out-of-luck coach trying to lead a ragtag team of fumbling footballers to victory before his long-suffering wife (Melora Hardin) leaves him and his sexy gymnast daughter (Brooke Nevin) gets bent out of shape!”

“The Comebacks” is unrated. The original was rated PG-13 on appeal for crude and sexual content throughout and some drug material.

The Movie:

If I had to describe “The Comebacks,” it’s the equivalent of “Scary Movie,” but it parodies sports films. You’ll find randomly strung together jokes featuring “Bend It Like Beckham,” “Remember the Titans,” “Stick It,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Miracle,” “Field of Dreams,” “Radio,” “Blue Crush,” “Gridiron Gang,” “Dodgeball” (?), “Rudy,” and more. You get the idea.

Some of the jokes are funny. For example, the father of the star quarterback tells his son not to embarrass him on the field, then he walks out of the house dressed in drag as Cher. In another scene, Fields takes on Dennis Rodman in basketball in order to win his way out of prison. When the ball goes over the fence, Rodman tells Fields to get it as it bounces in the window of a waiting cab outside the open prison gates. Moment like these did make me laugh.

However, there’s a lot that just wasn’t funny. Fields makes endless gay jokes that get old pretty quickly. The film also stops at one point as the film turns into a music video for “Don’t Stop Believing.” In a film full of random stuff, that was pretty random. The numerous sports movie references just weren’t funny, either. Like with “Scary Movie,” the movie jokes don’t always work. Just because you make a joke about another film, it’s not necessarily a good laugh.

The cast is good, but they deserved better material. David Koechner was great in “Anchorman” and other comedies. I love Melora Hardin from “The Office.” Will Arnett, Dax Shepard, and the other cameo guests are also funny in other movies. Here, it’s just kind of sad to see them stoop to the “Scary Movie” level of comedy.

The Extras:

You’ll find a fair number of bonus features on this DVD. There’s a commentary by director Tom Brady. A large batch of deleted scenes can also be found. Several of them feature alternate takes and more ad-libbing by the cast. Rounding things out are a ton of short featurettes, most of which show the cast clowning around on the set or trying out alternate dialogue in scenes.

While you’ll often find that the unrated versions of DVD’s have all the bonus features of the rated versions, that’s not the case here. The theatrical version has “Fox Movie Channel Presents ‘In Character with David Koechner'”, a Varsity Black N’ Blues behind-the-scenes featurette, and Fox Atomic viral videos.

The Bottom Line:

Only watch “The Comebacks” if you enjoy the “Scary Movie” series. Otherwise, pass on this one.