EVERYBODY'S ALL-AMERICAN. Directed by Taylor Hackford; written by Tom Rickman; produced by Taylor Hackford, Laura Ziskin and lan Sander. Starring Jessica Lange, Dennis Quaid and Timothy Hutton. Rated R.
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You don't have to be a kid to enjoy a good fairy tale. In fact, if you're a younger moviegoer, you probably won't like Everybody's All-American; there's too much crying and kissing and not enough action. But it's an enjoyable movie for the "older" set.
What could be more like a fairy tale than this basic story? Two-time All-American running back marries Magnolia Queen college sweetheart. Marriage and family life have their ups and downs, but true love sees them through upheavals.
Perfect casting and superb performances lift Everybody's All-American into the above-average movie category. Quaid is Gavin Grey (the "Grey Ghost"), a straight arrow if there ever was one, idolized by everyone. And Lange is Babs, who looks the part of homecoming queen if anyone does, and who wants nothing more from life than just to be Mrs. Gavin Grey.
These two fine actors obviously look the part of the couple everyone envies. The range of their talent is also apparent long before Everybody's All-American is over. They grow from college age to middle-age, progressing from a kind of innocent wisdom to a compromise with harsher realities. And they are both excellent at every step of the journey.
The supporting cast is good, too. From Carl Lumbly as a black player who could have been as good as the Ghost, to John Goodman, who gives his best in a series of fine portrayals. He's Lawrence, Gavin's not always likeable best friend and partner.
Hutton's character, Gavin's nephew Cake (the origin of the nickname is unclear), is a little odd. He's both good friend to Gavin and what seems to be best friend to Babs, who, one supposes, doesn't have any girlfriends to confide in. But in spite of his somewhat artificial nature, Cake is a likeable guy.
The movie's look, especially early on, is a lot of fun. Fifties fashions, cars and ambience are faithfully recreated. And football fans will enjoy the fond, nostalgic way the game is treated.
November 23, 1988