FILM: SHAQ ATTACK

Blue Chips shots are off the markBlue Chips shots are off the markby Avi Steiglitz Nick Nolte stars in the film as Pete Bell, the gritty and dedicated coach of the fictional Western University Dolphins. His stark portrayal as coach of the Dolphins, a team that has gone from being a perennial powerhouse to cellar dwellers evokes images of Indiana University coach Bobby Knight. Distraught over a call against his team, Bell kicks the ball into the crowd as only Knight could truly do. After his first losing season at Western, Bell realizes that he must head out across the heartland in search of new talent. The problem is that these days new talent costs money. One recruit's mother, Mrs. Alva McRae (Alfre Woodard), demands a new house and job while another one's father wants a new tractor for the farm. Bell has no qualm telling a recruit whatever he wants to hear or even lying about his religious beliefs to match those of the recruit. But he's not necessarily willing to sacrifice his standards for victories by paying for players. Interspersed throughout the movie are some legitimate issues concerning the corrupting influence TV money has had on college basketball, but they get diluted by everything else. A lot of time is wasted on a weak subplot about Bell's relationship with his ex-wife (Mary McDonnell). She does have some good lines showing her hoops knowledge (She's always telling Pete he needs more help on the boards), but her sole purpose in the film seems to be to tutor one of Bell's recruits for the SAT. One of the movie's pleasant attractions is NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal, whose performance in his film debut is worthy of the hype that surrounds him. The man who can do no wrong - except shoot free throws, that is - dazzles in his role as Neon Bodeaux, a raw talent with no organized basketball experience but who can dunk with authority over anyone. He scores even off the hardwood. Within moments of entering a kindergarten class, he wins over the affection of the kids. The warmth the gentle giant exudes is so genuine that even the audience can feel it. Larry Bird, one of Shaq's predecessors as an NBA legend, even makes an appearance in the film as himself when Bell drops through Bird's hometown of French Lick to recruit another white pure shooter (former Indiana star Matt Nover) from amidst the cornfields and cow chips of Indiana. Despite Friedkin's efforts to make the game footage in the movie feel like March Madness, basketball afficionados will be rather disappointed. The action looks as if it's been cut and pasted together. Considering the multitude of talented former college stars brought in for the filming, there is no reason the games should appear simulated. Blue Chips finally draws to a close with Bell delivering a rambling monologue about the evils that have come to be associated with prime-time collegiate athletics. It becomes almost criminal that the film does not delve deeply enough into this subject during the rest of the film. Blue Chips inevitably shirks its responsibility to bring awareness to the money-hungry nature of college athletics. The filmmakers' attempt to go for a thunderous jam is bricked off the rim.