I remember that the original movie made me cry but nothing could prepare for this remake. The movie was emotionally gripping and compelling. I cried hysterically through the last half of the movie feeling the pain and disappointment that the young Piccolo was going through. I was impressed by the way Brian stood strong and full of faith all the way up to the end.
I thought that both actors did an incredible job, but I was most impressed with Sean Maher's performance. He was believable as the care-free loving husband and competitive spirited football player.
This movie really is worth your time, and I can guarantee you that at least one tear will be shed for this tragic and compelling story
An adequate remake of the true story of Brian and Gayle
This version is an adequate retelling of the story of Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers, and Piccolo's fight with cancer. When I saw it I was somewhat let down, since it seemed to lack the emotional punch and era realism of the 1971 original.
I found the combination of Billy Dee Williams and James Caan to be a more believable and approachable duo than Sean Maher and Mekhi Phifer. Though the newer version is worth a look, I wouldn't run right out and buy it without seeing it first.
In summary, this movie presents a good retelling, but, in my opinion, lacks the emotional punch and character development of the 1971 original.
This or the original is fine...KNOW BRIANS SONG!
Brian Piccolo was a strong football player. He was good friends with the man whose job he competed for, Chicago Bears Running back Gale Sayers.
Based in part on the autobiography of Gale Sayers, an Football Hall of Fame inductee and one of the finest halfbacks in the history of the game, this made-for-TV drama recounts the true story of Sayers (Mekhi Phifer) and his friendship with fellow Chicago Bears player Brian Piccolo (Sean Maher). In the mid-'60s, when Sayers joined the Bears, he was not welcomed by all members of the team, but soon developed a friendly rivalry with Piccolo, a running back who was gunning for the same place on the team as Sayers. Sensing a tension between the two men that might be used to make better players, coach George Halas (Ben Gazarra) decided to make Sayers and Piccolo roommates at training camp and on the road - a decision that quickly became controversial, since Sayers was African-American and Piccolo was white. However, rivalry grew into respect, and when Sayers suffered a serious knee injury, Piccolo became the man who helped guide him through the difficult process of rehabilitation. Sayers not only returned to the team, he become a star player, but in time it became Sayers' turn to help Piccolo when Brian learned that a lingering illness was actually cancer.
A remake of one of the most acclaimed made-for-TV movies ever (with James Caan and Billy Dee Williams as Piccolo and Sayers), Brian's Song also features Elise Neal as Linda Sayers and Janessa Crimi as Lori Piccolo, the players' wives.
While women shed more than a few tears over Love Story back in 1970, men had their equivalent with Brian's Song on TV. This biopic about the Chicago Bears' Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers is no mere sports film. It's one of those transcendent stories that struck a rare cultural nerve, a sensitive film about love, friendship, cancer, racial harmony, and football that came along at just the right time. James Caan is at his free-spirited best as Piccolo, and Billy Dee Williams is very charming as the quiet Sayers destined for superstardom. Roommates and rivals, these two rookies soon become best friends because of their competitive natures and complementary personalities. When Piccolo becomes stricken with cancer, his relentless will to live inspires the talented Sayers to reach... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): James Caan - Billy Dee Williams Director(s): Buzz Kulik DVD Release Date: Released the 08 August 2000 Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $14.94 Your Price: $11.95YOU SAVE $2.99!
Buy it
This 1993 film by David Anspaugh (Hoosiers) is slowly building a reputation as a minor highlight of '90s movies. Based on a true story, Rudy stars Sean Astin as Rudy Ruettiger, a blue-collar kid whose father (Ned Beatty) worships Notre Dame football but who would never dare to dream that any of his sons could be a part of the team. The film is entirely about Ruettiger's ceaseless if sometimes wavering commitment toward that goal, despite tremendous obstacles in physical stature, education requirements, the dismissiveness of coaches, poverty, his father's envy, and endless delays of one kind or another. This is the sort of film that looks back on a life and says the battle was its own reward, not the glory. Astin is very moving as a boy who becomes a man and watches his world... More Info about this DVD Director(s): David Anspaugh DVD Release Date: Released the 26 September 2000 Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $14.94 Your Price: $10.99YOU SAVE $3.95!
Buy it
High school football rules in Massillon, Ohio. In this blue-collar community, dubbed "Touchdown Town" in a 1951 newsreel, the Washington High Tigers are a cradle-to-grave passion. Team boosters visit maternity wards and bestow footballs to newborn "little Tigers." A mortician offers customers Tiger theme caskets. This winning documentary, ranked by ESPN.com as among the six best sports documentaries of all time, chronicles the Tigers' pivotal 1999 season--its 106th!--in which the team's success or failure on the field could impact an upcoming tax levy to save the town's beleaguered schools. Filmmaker and Massillon native Kenneth Carlson is no mere cheerleader. He tackles the touchy issue of priorities (some parents hold promising eighth graders back so they will be bigger and stronger)... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Kenneth A. Carlson DVD Release Date: Released the 24 September 2002 Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $22.95 Your Price: $20.66YOU SAVE $2.29!
Buy it
Director Robert Aldrich had a knack for depicting outsiders with originality and authenticity. Much like The Dirty Dozen, The Longest Yard is a popular fable about integrity and group unity. It possesses a requisite toughness along with the loneliness that accompanies the outsider status. Compromise is never easy in an Aldrich film. There's always a bitter price to pay.
Burt Reynolds, in peak form, plays a former pro quarterback ostracized for shaving points. After beating up his girlfriend and resisting arrest, Reynolds winds up in prison, where he's taunted by warden Eddie Albert to help his semiprofessional team of guardsmen win a championship. Naturally, the inmates despise Reynolds, and naturally he redeems himself in one of the great movie football matches of all... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Burt Reynolds - Eddie Albert Director(s): Robert Aldrich DVD Release Date: Released the 10 May 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $14.99 Your Price: $11.99YOU SAVE $3!
Buy it
