- Eddie (film)
Infobox Film
name = Eddie
caption =
director =Steve Rash
producer =Mark Burg David Permut
writer =Steve Zacharias Jeff Buhai Jon Connolly David Loucka (story & screenplay)Eric Champnella Keith Mitchell (screenplay)
starring =Whoopi Goldberg Frank Langella Dennis Farina
music =
cinematography =
editing =
distributor =Hollywood Pictures
released =May 31 , 1996 (U.S. )
runtime = 100 min.
country = USA
awards =
language = English
gross = $31 million (U.S. )
preceded_by =
followed_by =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0116168"Eddie" is a 1996 sports
movie starringWhoopi Goldberg andFrank Langella . It was a mediocre success grossing $31,387,164 in the US.Tagline: "The Newest Coach In The NBA Has Got The Knicks Right Where She Wants Them."The film was directed bySteve Rash .Plot summary
The
New York Knicks are an also-ran in the NBA, filled with players who either lack talent or are too distracted by off-the-court issues. Nonetheless, limousine driver and rabidNew York Knicks fan Edwina "Eddie" Franklin, (Whoopi Goldberg ), attends every Knick game with a small group of fellow fans seated in thenosebleed section ofMadison Square Garden . During halftime of one game, she is one of three fans picked to win a chance to be honorary head coach of the Knicks for the second half by sinking afree throw , which she does. She quickly gets on the nerves of head coach John Bailey (Dennis Farina ), who she heckled earlier. She is eventually charged with atechnical foul for stepping onto the court during an argument between Bailey and a referee, and Bailey has her ejected from the Garden, to the dismay of the fans. Eddie piques the interest of the new Knicks owner, "Wild Bill" Burgess (Frank Langella ), and after forcing Bailey to quit before a game, names Eddie the new head coach.At first, the decision is received with skepticism and derision. However, she eventually is able to connect with the players both off the court and on the court and earns their respect. She is able to lead the Knicks into playoff contention; the winner of their final game of the season, against the Charlotte Hornets, who Bailey became coach of after his dismissal, will receive the final spot in the
NBA playoffs . The night before the game, Burgess tells Eddie that if the Knicks win the game, he plans to sell the team to a group who intends to move the team to St. Louis. During the game, the Knicks take a one-point lead with just a few seconds to play, when Eddie, realizing the consequences of the situation, stops the game to announce Burgess' plan to the crowd at the Garden. Faced with the possible enormous backlash of the Knicks' fans, Burgess tells the crowd he does not plan to sell the team or move them out of New York City. When play resumes, the Hornets have one last chance to win the game, 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 list
Cameo appearances, and major roles were played by players from several NBA teams, including the late
Malik Sealy as Stacy Patton,Alex English as theCleveland Cavaliers ' coach,Mark Jackson as the Preacher,John Salley as Nate Wilson, other teammates include portrayals by real NBA playersDwayne Schintzius ,Greg Ostertag , andRick Fox .Muggsy Bogues ,Vinny Del Negro ,Vlade Divac ,Mitch Richmond ,Avery Johnson ,Corie Blount , andDennis Rodman appeared as themselves.Gary Payton , Anthony Mason,Herb Williams , and John Starks appeared as streetballers.Kurt Rambis appeared as the head coach of the Lakers.Marv Albert andWalt Frazier also appeared in the movie as broadcasters.Other celebrities have appeared in the movie, including
Donald Trump ,Rudy Giuliani , and former New York City MayorEdward Koch .Trivia
The scenes that take place at New York's
Madison Square Garden were filmed at theCharlotte Coliseum (which was demolished by implosion on June 3, 2007) in Charlotte.The Charlotte Coliseum was made to look like Madison Square Garden by placing ads for New York businesses on its walls.The lead role in this film was originally offered to
Billy Crystal , who turned it down. The producers did not want to change the title of the film (or the lead character's nickname), so the character's first name was changed to Edwina when Whoopi Goldberg was cast in the part.Notes
1. http://www.mrcranky.com/movies/eddie.html . See also http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/eddie.htm#kempley .
References
External links
*imdb title|id=0116168|title=Eddie
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