"That's a nice-a donut."

Thursday, October 27, 2005

Something for Joey (1977)

The popular made-for-television movie Something for Joey chronicles the story of 1970s Penn State football running back John Cappelletti, the school's first (and, so far, only) recipient of college football's highest individual honor: the Heisman trophy. What makes this story more interesting than the typical sports tale is the close relationship between John and his younger brother, Joey, a young boy inflicted with leukemia.

The film starts out with Cappelletti (Marc Singer) as a promising sophomore on a very good team, but having to wait his turn in a crowded backfield that included greats Lydell Mitchell and Franco Harris. From the start, we see that John has a close bond with Joey (Jeff Lynas), who is given special treatment and even allowed inside the team locker room and to watch team practices. While John is caring for his younger brother, who is often sick - he stays home during the summer and comes home on many non-football weekends - Joey is John's biggest fan. The two share a deep bond, and it seems to carry them both further. By his senior year, John is the big star on a team that coach Paterno would consider one of his best ever. Just as the boast sunk in Titanic, John wins the Heisman and gives of the more memorable speeches in sports history, wherein he dedicated the award to his best friend.

Make no mistake; this is more of a friendly love story than a sports movie. The sports scenes are all taken directly from actual game footage (with the exception of a few brief practice scenes and some close-up crowd shots that were specifically filmed for the movie), and are shown in a concise, matter-of-fact manner. One of Something for Joey's better moments is when John promises four touchdowns to Joey for his birthday. He easily scores three, but is pulled prior to halftime. When word reaches JoePa about this, he is put back in and scores. (And he would later promise four again that season, and do it again!)

But the real emphasis is on the Cappelletti family. While Joey's parents and other siblings all get their share of screen time, with the exception of the mother, they are mostly just their to fill the story and are not given much characterization. Longtime actress Geraldine Page (who in later years would go on to win an Oscar for best actress) portrays the good-willed mother who must deal with the sickness and sadness, but still keep the family strong and support John along the way. Her role isn't showy, and is quite believable. I appreciated that, while there are some tender moments and it could certainly fit the bill as a "tear jerker" by the end, the movie never becomes too sappy or trite.

There are a number of interesting curiosities in the movie. First, of course, is a younger Steve Guttenberg playing one of the brothers. He gives an okay performance in the small role, but shows none of the flair and Shakespearean talent that he would later bring to the Police Academy movies. There is also plenty of nostalgia, mainly for fans of Dear Old State. One is the sight of Joe Paterno being depicted by someone else (Paul Picerni). He is just a minor aside in the John-Joey story, but it is humorous nevertheless. There are also a few shots of familiar landmarks on the Penn State campus from that time.

I don't buy into the saying that if you don't cry at the end of this movie that you aren't a human, or that you have no soul. But this is a good, solid movie that easily elevates itself above most television fare. Oh, and you think the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) is controversial now? Try the olden days, when the championship was awarded solely based on the polls, where an undefeated Nittany Lion squad finished 5th.

The Verdict: B.

Michael Bentley 10:43 AM

"That's a nice-a donut."

Thursday, October 27, 2005

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