Susan Granger’s review of “SECOND STRING” (TNT television movie: Wed. Dec. 18)
The sports underdog genre is perennially one of the most popular – and this is the triumphant story of some Buffalo Bills benchwarmers who tread a rocky road to the Super Bowl. Veteran Bills’ coach Dichter (Jon Voight) has finally assembled his Dream Team and they’ve successfully made it to the playoffs when the superstar offensive squad, led by Doug Flutie, is hospitalized with a rare and serious case of food poisoning. The only reserve quarterback available is Dan Heller (Gil Bellows), a former Notre Dame football star who’s trying to make it as an insurance salesman. Dichter loathes him because, in the past, they could not work together. But now he’s forced to put the fate of the first playoff game in Heller’s hands while he negotiates for a more “acceptable” quarterback. For awhile, only Heller’s gung-ho wife (Teri Polo) and best friend, wide receiver Gerry Fullerton (Richard T. Jones), seem to be in his corner. Then the self-doubting second-stringers respond to Heller’s encouragement, discovering plays and perfecting moves they never dreamed possible. Think of “Rocky” and “The Bad News Bears.” Written by Tom Flynn and directed by Robert Lieberman (“The Dead Zone”), it’s about everyone having a spark of greatness within. It’s just a matter of believing in the possibilities, working hard, and never giving up, despite the criticisms of others. Cameos by some of football’s most familiar faces – Mike Ditka, Chris Berman, Donovan Greer and Van Miller, radio voice of the Buffalo Bills – enhance its credibility. On the Granger Made-for-TV Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Second String” is an exhilarating 7. Rated 14-L, it premieres on TNT cable on Wed., Dec. 18, at 8 p.m. with encore times scheduled on Dec. 20, 21 and 22nd.
