The plot for this film is a standard one we often see in high school or college sports stories, with a new coach taking on the difficult task of building a winning team out of a bunch of malcontents and losers. With Goldie Hawn in the role of Coach Molly McGrath, I was surprised and maybe even a little shocked with the amount of locker room humor and foul language thrown her way. In more than one case, I thought she should have been more assertive in her response, but then again, there wasn't anybody around to back her up if any one of the players took a cheap shot at her. Oddly enough, this was the first time I can remember seeing Nipsy Russell in a movie. I recall catching him in any number of variety shows of the era, and he was something of a regular on those old Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts. His gig was reciting his own brand of poetry which was clever and witty. I thought he would come up with some rhymes here, but he didn't come across with any.

If nothing else, the film is notable for the first movie appearances of both Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson, both quite recognizable, even if they were thirty years younger. A sidebar to the story involving Coach McGrath's impending custody battle for her teenage girls is adequately resolved after causing a bit of consternation to the coach and players. Without a doubt and totally expected, Molly's football team pulls one out for the championship in the last game of the season, beating her rival in a bit of a revenge grudge match after Dan Darwell (Bruce McGill) thought he pulled a fast one by getting Molly hired at Central High. You didn't have to be a football fan to see that coming at the start of the picture.

If you folks remember that John Wayne/Donna Reed film Trouble Along The Way, Wayne is a divorced father living with his little daughter Sherry Jackson who has learned all about sports especially football from her dad who was a football coach. Imagine Sherry growing up to be Goldie Hawn and you have an idea of her character in Wildcats.

She wants to invade the male preserve of the boys sports because she knows a lot about the game, it comes naturally from her dad. But it isn't that simple and the only job she can get is in Principal Nipsey Russell's inner city school a really rough place.

Some future big names like Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson are some of Goldie's players. Best however is Tab Thacker one mountain of a kid critical to defense, but Thacker requires special motivation.

She also has custody issues with her most uptight ex-husband James Keach and his extremely prissy wife Jan Hooks. Those kids from her team try to help, but mess things up.

This one is really Goldie's show she has a fine comedy part with a bit of family drama thrown in. Basically because she has invaded that male holy of holys, the boy's locker room.

It's a good comedy, Goldie Hawn really shines.

Goldie Hawn is her usual fizzy, feisty self playing a football-crazy coach trying to whip a high school team into shape. The young men are made up of delinquents and goof-offs, but can Goldie work her magic on them before the big game? "The Bad News Bears"'s Michael Ritchie directed, and it's the kind of comedy knock-off you'd expect from any Hollywood hack but Ritchie (hopefully he was well paid). Supporting cast is unusually good, with Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes in early roles, Swoosie Kurtz doing her likable sisterly bit, Nipsey Russell nicely low-keyed as a school official, Jan Hooks wonderful as the new woman in Hawn's ex-husband's life, and handsome Bruce McGill as the enemy coach (although he gets the worst scenes, particularly at end when he's forced to shout "Search his jock!" and then roll around in the mud). Hawn herself has an embarrassing moment nude in the bathtub, and the sub-plot with her boring ex is just time wasted on the clock, but her forthright comic performance just about saves "Wildcats" from the cookie-cutter bargain-bin. ** from ****