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Most films about high school football players usually fall into one of two categories: glossy jock romance or locker-room sex farce. This one defies the odds and scores both as decent character study and decidedly unsentimental sports melodrama. It's not only a helluva coming-of-age yarn, but also, like Paul Newman's Slapshot, it's a bracing look at the hopes and dreams of blue-collar survivors. Tom Cruise plays a mill-town football star determined to escape the same traps that ensnared his parents. Craig T. Nelson, in a terrific villain role, is the coach who takes revenge when Cruise's ambitions drift a little too close to home. Michael Chapman, Martin Scorsese's favorite cinematographer, made his directorial debut with this gritty little winner, which benefits from being shot on location in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and which is set to a great Jennifer Warnes-Chris Thompson theme song. Lea Thompson and Christopher Penn co-star. In 1983, another Cruise vehicle had even better moves: Risky Business. --Glenn Lovell ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Cruisin With the Wrong Moves
This movie has a good young cast. From this point on the word "good" will no longer appear in this review. This movie is more like a "nice try" picture. As these types of pictures go, it is cliche ridden and dial down the center. From the opening shot of the film one thing is clear: there is a factory, and it does not look like a slap happy good time to work there.

Young Tom Cruise plays Stef, a factory worker's son in a factory workers' town. The only way out of this town, hence not working at the factory the rest of your life, is to get a football scholarship to college. Stef happens to be good at football, so he won't have to work at the factory right? Well, it is clear that he and the coach (Craig T. Nelson) are not always on the same page. So, of course, the pressure is building. The best schools aren't calling, his girlfriend (Lea Thompson) won't sleep with him, and his best friend (Chris Penn, also a football player) is having a baby (which means he will work in the factory). Something has to give? It does, in the big game. Where else?

This movie is just perfectly ordinary. The attempt to get into the characters mostly makes no sense. And when it does it is just typical diologue we have heard a thousand times before. It seemed like Cruise was almost forced to self-destruct and then someone decided that it couldn't end on a downer. The ending is laughable it is so forced and out of place. With a cast like this, given they were young, I expected more.

So why did Cruise do this movie? Good question. He made another film the same year that dealt with similar subject matter, a teenager trying to get into college and the powers that are working against him. It is called Risky Business and it successful in all the areas that All the Right Moves fails. See Risky Business, forget this movie. I'm sure Cruise would like to.

Tom Cruise + Lea Thompson= Great viewing
You get to see Tom Cruise before he exploded and Lea Thompson like you will never see her again. Add Craig T. Nelson as coach Nickerson (what a stetch) and you can't help but have a very good movie. The plot is pretty predictable with a couple sad twists. The only thing I was disappointed in was there were not as many football scenes as I would like. But anybody who grew up in a blue-collar small town where football was king will appreciate this show.

WORTH A VIEWING
I recently bought 'All The Right Moves' on DVD after not seeing this film for a good number of years. And I must say I recommend this film, it's worth a viewing and I think one will even return and want to view it again. Tom Cruise is classic, he does what he does best-his likability. Lea Thompson is adorable and a talented actress as always. Worth the buy!
by Justine ryan!

"You are really f*#%ed man." "No son...you are."
Best exchange of dialogue in motion picture history!

"He's got to make all the right moves."
Because "Risky Business" gets all the attention for being Tom Cruise's breakout film, Michael Chapman's "All the Right Moves" has often been unfairly overlooked or just outright forgotten. That is a shame because Cruise's "other" coming-of-age film is a highly entertaining effort that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as his more high profile projects.

Cruise plays Stefan Djordjevic, a high school football player who dreams of being awarded a college scholarship in order to escape a future in the steel mills. However, Stefan's short temper often gets the best of him and his relationship with his high school coach (Craig T. Nelson) becomes strained after he participates in an incident that leaves the coach's house vandalized. With the help of his high school sweetheart, Lisa (Lea Thompson), Stefan starts to get his act together and ultimately gets his life back on track.

"All the Right Moves" proves that Tom Cruise had tremendous screen presence from the very beginning. His scenes with Nelson and Thompson provide dazzling hints of greater things still to come. Nelson, who may be better known for his comedic side, turns in an especially strong supporting performance as the coach who is both Stefan's tormentor and supporter at the same time. The story of the small-town kid dreaming to escape his surroundings for better things has been told so many times on television and film in so many different ways that it would be easy to dismiss "All the Right Moves" as just another tired re-telling. However, a familiar story is still engaging if told well and this film is proof of that. ... Read more

Reviews (41)

I Liked It
I just finished reading the reviews of Clan of the Cave Bear, and for the life of me, I can't understand why everyone despises this movie. I liked it. I happened to catch it a few years ago on some cable channel, and it fascinated me enough to go out to try and find the book upon which it was based. Imagine my delight to see that Ms. Auel had written even MORE books about Ayla! I now own all 5 books (and what a great day it was when The Shelters of Stone was finally released!) and the movie. I can't wait till the final book she is working on is finished. If it had not been for the movie, though, I would never have known of Ms. Auel's wonderful books, and it saddens me that she reportedly did not like the movie at all. Granted, they did not have all the special effects when this was made that they have now, but overall, I believe it was a sincere effort.

Save your money, buy the book
As so often happens with screen adaptations of books this one is a real loser. From start to finish the writers/producers seem to have taken the general plot outline and characters and dropped most of the actual story.
It will do all right as a way to spend an afternoon if you haven't read the book (at this writing the paperback is $2 cheaper)but too much is so unlike what Ms. Auel wrote. I know that lot's of detail had to be removed for times sake but at what cost to the story? Little Ayla's orphaning resembles the book as does her discovery by the Clan but the way the Neanderthals behave isn't like the book. I don't even remember all of the scenes but when Ayla gives birth to her son Durc, that's conpletely different, although good. Later in the story when Ayla's adoptive mother Iza (Pamela Reed unrocognizable in makeup)is too old and frail to go to the CLan Gathering Ayla is sent in her place, they made a real mess of that one.
Daryl Hannah is very well cast as the adult Ayla, she's the best reason to watch ths movie.

This is a better movie than the video sales represent

Rated R: Not for sale to persons under age 18.
Studio: Warner Studios
Video Release Date: September 1, 1998

Cast:

Daryl Hannah ... Ayla
Pamela Reed ... Iza
James Remar ... Creb
Thomas G. Waites ... Broud
John Doolittle ... Brun
Curtis Armstrong ... Goov
Martin Doyle ... Grod
Tony Montanaro ... Zoug
Mike Muscat ... Dorv
John Wardlow ... Droog
Keith Wardlow ... Crug
Karen Austin ... Aba
Barbara Duncan ... Uka
Gloria Lee ... Oga
Janne Mortil ... Ovra

Lycia Naff ... Uba
Linda Quibell ... Aga
Bernadette Sabath ... Ebra
Penny A. Mesa ... Ika
Penny Smith ... Ika
Joey Cramer ... Young Broud
Rory L. Crowley ... Durc
Nicole Eggert ... Middle Ayla
Emma Floria ... Young Ayla
Pierre Lamielle ... Brac
Mary Reid ... Ayla's Mother
Samantha Ostry ... Young Uba
Shane Punt ... Young Vorn
Christiane Boyce ... Baby Durc
Catherine Flather ... Baby Durc
Amy Cyr ... Young Girl #3
Colin Doyle ... Young Boy
Natino Bellantoni ... Gorn
Rick Valiquette ... Voord
Alan Waltman ... Norg
Paul Carafotes ... Brug
Salome Jens ... Narrator
Bart the Bear ... The bear

The setting is prehistoric, and the theme revolves around the clash between Neanderthals and pre-human Cro-Magnons, who supposedly existed side-by-side for some time, the one destined for extinction and the other for our ancestry.

The film has drawn so much attention among my friends and family that I thought for awhile that it was destined to be a "cult" film.

Daryl Hannah plays a Cro-Magnon girl who is abandoned in infancy and raised by Neanderthals, who are jealous of her blond good looks and intelligence, which they don't understand.

I would suggest that you watch this one first without the kids, as some parts are pretty explicit, but the language is clean--except that they have their own, of course: as in, "ug! uga boo uga boo boo ugga"--but it is a thought provoking film, nevertheless.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

In some ways, better than the book
Few movies are as good as the books they're based on, but this is one of them. This movie actually improves on the book in that it takes out most of the soap-operish qualities of the original, even though it does, by necessity, edit and change the story a bit. It's difficult to make a popular and appealing movie about cavemen. Most people even get bored watching National Geographic. I disagree with the Amazon review; the subtitles are anything but laughable, and the sign language used seems plausible and natural. There are not a lot of caveman movies, but this one, along with Quest For Fire, is one of the best. Anyone watching this movie or reading the book will learn a lot about the lifestyle of our ancestors. The story elements make it entertaining for all ages, and the scenery is gorgeous.

daryl hannah's best performance in her career
with the exception of her nasty turn in blade runner, daryl hannah gave her best & most underappreciated performance here in hollywood's adaptation of auel's earth children novel. while perhaps not as spiritual(or a religious experience as tom has written), the clan of the cave bear is a beautifully choreographed story with many unrealized rewards. orphaned as young girl, ayla is adopted by iza(played beautifully by pamela reed)under the clan of the cave bear. ayla grows up to understand the ways of the clan but never truly feels as if she is a part of the family for fear of angering the spirits. in a time & place where neanderthals existed prior to cro-magnons, ayla learns very quickly that knowledge is forbidden to anyone but great leaders(or leaders to be) & weaponry is completely forbidden to women. she discovers too what many women discover later in life & tries to stay alive in a male dominated land. with the exception of one gory & violent hunting scene where the clan attacks a cave bear or a brutal rape scene, this film could've easily been a family classic perhaps worthy of many viewings. i disagree with tom in that clan is certainly not a film for lovers of traditional pop culture or popcorn films in general. there is a certain degree of knowledge & common sense which one must have to appreciate or even respect such a film as this. unfortunately, this film will never go down in history as anything truly memorable but i've found the film to be compulsively watchable & i'm actually incoined to read one of the books in the earth children series now after having watched this twice on dvd. for anyone interested in pre-historic dramas or feministic films with women in caves, clan is a marvelous film for you & at a reasonable cost too. ofcourse, daryl hannah completists will most likely want to own this one as well & who could blame them. this is absolutely better than her mermaid performance in splash. long live the legend of ayla which should inspire, strengthen, & encourage us to survive in a strange land. ... Read more

Description

A Viking warrior avenges his father's death against the forces of darkness in an epic action-adventure. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Take it for what its worth
Truly an interesting movie. To honestly review this movie is difficult as the movie was lucky to even be produced. Becuase of its limited budget, the effects are there but will leave you yawning more than anything else, and the acting is ok, but could have been better (or worse).

Still, understanding that the movie had almost everything working against it, it deserves to be given some slack. Besides, the story is one of the better movie plots I have seen in the past few years and the scenery is beautiful. Furthermore, the buildings are authentic to the time period and the movie leaves behind most historical fiction movies for historical accuracy.

A little slow, but still good.
It was great to see the sagas come to life on the screen. The Icelandic sagas are so rich, it was about time someone made a movie similar to them. The sagas make 'The Hatfields and McCoys feud' look like child's play. Very realistic props, attitudes and characters. Ralf Moeller was good enough for 'Gladiator' right? I just wish it could have been more exciting like 'The Thirteenth Warrior'.

the most realistic movie on vikings to date!
As a historical student on the viking age, I found this movie very close to what I studied. It has very few flaws and I must admit that seing the movie makes you crave for a trip to Iceland as the scenery is beautiful. Of course this is a low budget movie, so the chieftains'army isn't as big as it should but the costumes are quite adequate to the place and period(good research). The saga itself is wonderfully woven dispite the (I must admit...) average (very average...) acting by a couple of actors but some of them I would like to see in another movie as they reached me for their excellent "role-play". I have not seen any anachronism as to the weapons, armor, use of iceland ponies, clothing, buildings, social values and demeanour. A must see for every viking enthousiast, viking age student and re-enactors!!!

an accurate Viking film
This film the is the most accurate I have seen about the Vikings. I did not notice any anachronisms. The actors were good, and the plot was good.

Visually beautiful, somewhat interesting but poorly scripted
There is a good film to be made about Vikings and their many sagas, but this production is not it. Visually beautiful, somewhat interesting but poorly scripted, the film was better than I had expected given its negative internet reviews. Actually Iceland seems to be stunningly attractive and superb cinematographer turned first time director Michael Chapman does a good job in showing it and keeping the action moving. But the plot is too convoluted, the narration stultifyingly dull. There are moments that almost work like when a Viking's family wait stoicly for death in a burning hut. Thank goodness for the gore and nudity which makes it bearable, but only just. Musclebound Ralf Moeller (TV's Conan) is not that bad, a low rent Schwarzenegger but he doesn't embarrass himself. Well worth a video rental (once) but not a keeper. ... Read more

Reviews (41)

I Liked It
I just finished reading the reviews of Clan of the Cave Bear, and for the life of me, I can't understand why everyone despises this movie. I liked it. I happened to catch it a few years ago on some cable channel, and it fascinated me enough to go out to try and find the book upon which it was based. Imagine my delight to see that Ms. Auel had written even MORE books about Ayla! I now own all 5 books (and what a great day it was when The Shelters of Stone was finally released!) and the movie. I can't wait till the final book she is working on is finished. If it had not been for the movie, though, I would never have known of Ms. Auel's wonderful books, and it saddens me that she reportedly did not like the movie at all. Granted, they did not have all the special effects when this was made that they have now, but overall, I believe it was a sincere effort.

Save your money, buy the book
As so often happens with screen adaptations of books this one is a real loser. From start to finish the writers/producers seem to have taken the general plot outline and characters and dropped most of the actual story.
It will do all right as a way to spend an afternoon if you haven't read the book (at this writing the paperback is $2 cheaper)but too much is so unlike what Ms. Auel wrote. I know that lot's of detail had to be removed for times sake but at what cost to the story? Little Ayla's orphaning resembles the book as does her discovery by the Clan but the way the Neanderthals behave isn't like the book. I don't even remember all of the scenes but when Ayla gives birth to her son Durc, that's conpletely different, although good. Later in the story when Ayla's adoptive mother Iza (Pamela Reed unrocognizable in makeup)is too old and frail to go to the CLan Gathering Ayla is sent in her place, they made a real mess of that one.
Daryl Hannah is very well cast as the adult Ayla, she's the best reason to watch ths movie.

This is a better movie than the video sales represent

Rated R: Not for sale to persons under age 18.
Studio: Warner Studios
Video Release Date: September 1, 1998

Cast:

Daryl Hannah ... Ayla
Pamela Reed ... Iza
James Remar ... Creb
Thomas G. Waites ... Broud
John Doolittle ... Brun
Curtis Armstrong ... Goov
Martin Doyle ... Grod
Tony Montanaro ... Zoug
Mike Muscat ... Dorv
John Wardlow ... Droog
Keith Wardlow ... Crug
Karen Austin ... Aba
Barbara Duncan ... Uka
Gloria Lee ... Oga
Janne Mortil ... Ovra

Lycia Naff ... Uba
Linda Quibell ... Aga
Bernadette Sabath ... Ebra
Penny A. Mesa ... Ika
Penny Smith ... Ika
Joey Cramer ... Young Broud
Rory L. Crowley ... Durc
Nicole Eggert ... Middle Ayla
Emma Floria ... Young Ayla
Pierre Lamielle ... Brac
Mary Reid ... Ayla's Mother
Samantha Ostry ... Young Uba
Shane Punt ... Young Vorn
Christiane Boyce ... Baby Durc
Catherine Flather ... Baby Durc
Amy Cyr ... Young Girl #3
Colin Doyle ... Young Boy
Natino Bellantoni ... Gorn
Rick Valiquette ... Voord
Alan Waltman ... Norg
Paul Carafotes ... Brug
Salome Jens ... Narrator
Bart the Bear ... The bear

The setting is prehistoric, and the theme revolves around the clash between Neanderthals and pre-human Cro-Magnons, who supposedly existed side-by-side for some time, the one destined for extinction and the other for our ancestry.

The film has drawn so much attention among my friends and family that I thought for awhile that it was destined to be a "cult" film.

Daryl Hannah plays a Cro-Magnon girl who is abandoned in infancy and raised by Neanderthals, who are jealous of her blond good looks and intelligence, which they don't understand.

I would suggest that you watch this one first without the kids, as some parts are pretty explicit, but the language is clean--except that they have their own, of course: as in, "ug! uga boo uga boo boo ugga"--but it is a thought provoking film, nevertheless.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

In some ways, better than the book
Few movies are as good as the books they're based on, but this is one of them. This movie actually improves on the book in that it takes out most of the soap-operish qualities of the original, even though it does, by necessity, edit and change the story a bit. It's difficult to make a popular and appealing movie about cavemen. Most people even get bored watching National Geographic. I disagree with the Amazon review; the subtitles are anything but laughable, and the sign language used seems plausible and natural. There are not a lot of caveman movies, but this one, along with Quest For Fire, is one of the best. Anyone watching this movie or reading the book will learn a lot about the lifestyle of our ancestors. The story elements make it entertaining for all ages, and the scenery is gorgeous.

daryl hannah's best performance in her career
with the exception of her nasty turn in blade runner, daryl hannah gave her best & most underappreciated performance here in hollywood's adaptation of auel's earth children novel. while perhaps not as spiritual(or a religious experience as tom has written), the clan of the cave bear is a beautifully choreographed story with many unrealized rewards. orphaned as young girl, ayla is adopted by iza(played beautifully by pamela reed)under the clan of the cave bear. ayla grows up to understand the ways of the clan but never truly feels as if she is a part of the family for fear of angering the spirits. in a time & place where neanderthals existed prior to cro-magnons, ayla learns very quickly that knowledge is forbidden to anyone but great leaders(or leaders to be) & weaponry is completely forbidden to women. she discovers too what many women discover later in life & tries to stay alive in a male dominated land. with the exception of one gory & violent hunting scene where the clan attacks a cave bear or a brutal rape scene, this film could've easily been a family classic perhaps worthy of many viewings. i disagree with tom in that clan is certainly not a film for lovers of traditional pop culture or popcorn films in general. there is a certain degree of knowledge & common sense which one must have to appreciate or even respect such a film as this. unfortunately, this film will never go down in history as anything truly memorable but i've found the film to be compulsively watchable & i'm actually incoined to read one of the books in the earth children series now after having watched this twice on dvd. for anyone interested in pre-historic dramas or feministic films with women in caves, clan is a marvelous film for you & at a reasonable cost too. ofcourse, daryl hannah completists will most likely want to own this one as well & who could blame them. this is absolutely better than her mermaid performance in splash. long live the legend of ayla which should inspire, strengthen, & encourage us to survive in a strange land. ... Read more