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Possums
Possums
Actors: Mac Davis, Cynthia Sikes, Greg Coolidge, Andrew Prine, Dennis Burkley
Director: Max Burnett
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Kids & Family
PG     2004     1hr 37min


     

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Movie Details

Actors: Mac Davis, Cynthia Sikes, Greg Coolidge, Andrew Prine, Dennis Burkley
Director: Max Burnett
Creators: Greg Coolidge, Max Burnett, Bob Roath, Donald Kushner, Leanna Creel, Michael Burns, Peter Locke
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Kids & Family
Sub-Genres: Comedy, Drama, Comedy, Family Films
Studio: Lions Gate
Format: DVD - Color - Closed-captioned
DVD Release Date: 09/07/2004
Release Year: 2004
Run Time: 1hr 37min
Screens: Color
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 0
MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Languages: English
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Movie Reviews

A feel good movie for all ages!
David | Dallas Tx. | 07/19/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Possums is a wonderful movie. I am 22 years old and I played college football at a division one level. I appreciate great football movies and I also appreciate movies that make you feel good. If you have family in town, or you have kids in the house and you want to have something that is great for people of all ages you need to buy Possums. I own a copy and I bought a copy for my parents. This is a movie that has comedy, romance, high school high jinks, and heart. I gave Possums 5 stars because it is truly a refreshing movie! I would recomend it to anyone who is looking for a great movie to add to their collection."
Possums is a rare film
brent been | Tahlequah, Ok | 03/16/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)

"Everyone should see this one. It is a rarity. There is absolutely no cussing, no nudity, no sex, and no violence in this one. You know how it is these days when you can't take the kids to see anything anymore. Film is Hoosiers-ish type fare with Davis as disc jockey who brings small town of Nowata together. I won't spoil anything, but it involves football and the come-together spirit of a small Oklahoma town. Barry Switzer appears as the "other" coach.(not his first film either--he appeared in an episode of coach and played a color commentator in Any Given Sunday)."
More than a football movie
Lost In Kansas | Arkansas City KS | 07/21/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)

"For over 30 years I taught in small towns in Texas where football is a god and a town's worth is defined by its football team. I know high school football inside and out. I know how it affects a town and I have been there on Friday nights watching high school football. So when one of my students told me that they had made a movie about high school football in a near by town in Oklahoma, I was interested in seeing it. Well it never came to a theater near us so I forgot about it. Sometime later I was in the video store and saw this movie on one of the bargin shelves and discovered it was the movie that my student had talked about.

The opening shot of the down town reminded me of many small towns and the crazy kid on the moped made me laugh because we had someone like that in our town. Now Mac Davis as an actor is a great singer, but he was from Lubbock, TX so I was willing to watch him. Let me say his acting style was perfect for this movie. I never once doubted that his character wasn't real. His laid back voice and mannerisms set me at ease and I felt like I had know him for ages. The three witlers in front of his store were dead on to some of the old farts in my town. It was like the towns that I had taught in and remembered fondly.

The idea of giving up football becasue they were tired of losing was not that far fetched for me, because my wife had taught at Whiteface TX and they lost 53 games in a row. The town and the school really thought about quiting football because they saw no hope for the future. So I could understand the kids frustration and how the town sort of "died."

When Davis got the "dumb" idea to broadcast the "games." I laugh and shook my head and thought this is a stupid idea for a movie. No one would be this stupid. It is at this time that the magic of this film began and it wasn't till it was over that I understood what happened.

Let me stop here and tell you this story: I got a VHS copy of this movie and I showed it to my class. Anyone who has a teenage kid knows that today's teenagers can not be quiet in a movie and talk to the movie. If the movie doesn't have sex, or violence,or cussing it "ain't no good!" I was really worried about showing it, but I went a head with it. Of course they started complaining and talking and when Davis began to broadcast the "games," oh did they hoot and holler and called it stupid. They acted like the adults in the movie and then I saw the magic begin. As the movie went along they started to get into the "games" and when the actors cheered, they did too.

Look this is not a great movie. This is a sweet movie, an enchanted movie, a feel good movie. a movie that makes you smile and remember things that were good.

If you have lived your whole life in a city then don't watch this movie. You won't undertand its charm. Those of us who live and grew up in small towns this one is for us.

Oh yes the music is wonderful and it is a shame that you can't get a cd of it.

This movie is about small towns, thier unique values, and the people who choose to live there."
Old fashioned, a bit slow, but good for the family
McGillicutty | The Sooner Nation | 09/20/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)

"Set in the real town of Nowata, Oklahoma. "Possums" tells the story of a hardware store owner (Mac Davis) who's hobby is calling the games of his old high school team on the radio. When the townfolk comes to the conclusion that the team should be disbanded because they haven't scored a point in 13 years, Davis decides to stay on the radio anyway and make up the games, having the Nowata Possums win the state championship. Unfortunately, the real state champs hear about this and challenge the Possums to an actual game. Can the real Possums overcome impossible odds? Will Mac Davis's son come back and help dear ol' dad with coaching the team? Can Mac Davis drink any more root beer without exploding? You'll just have to find out for yourself in this family-friendly film.

I'll admit I'm a bit biased because I live in Oklahoma and have been through Nowata a time or two. Also, I knew someone who was on the production staff and she even makes a cameo in a scene where a high school group is listening to Davis's radio call of the imaginary game. She's on the far left and her hair is so extremely combed-over that you can't see her face....needless to say she's a bit shy.

Anyhoo, "Possums" is an interesting 45 minute film stretched into an hour 'n a half. The sub-plots are very cliched (the distant son, the "big" game, etc.) and the film never convinces you that the Possums imaginary win as state champions has captivated the state of Oklahoma to the degree needed to make you believe that the real coach of the state championship team would drive hundreds of miles out of his way to make the challenge. It didn't help that I saw this film immediately after "Election", a far superior film that handled a similar situation much better.

I will give the film credit for avoiding a completely cliched ending, though. But ultimately "Possums" just doesn't have enough interesting things going on to fill up it's admittedly short running time. Funny thing is, I think this could be the basis for a decent tv sit-com.

Mac Davis is fine as the hardware store owner, but he lacks the overall acting skill needed to pull off a fairly complicated role. Jay Underwood is his distant son who comes back to help the team and also does an okay job. The Mayor (Andrew Prine) is appropriately stuffy, but still likable. The other notable of the cast is former Oklahoma football coach Barry Switzer, who plays the head coach of the real state champs. As hard as he tries, he just couldn't deliver the long-winded monologue with any conviction. But hey, he looked great on the sidelines and his legendary status (at least in this state) is secure.

The guy who steals the picture is veteran character actor Dennis Burkley (who usually plays bikers), he spends all day sitting in front of the hardware store with his buddy spinning stories and helping Davis along, a really good performance.

"Possums" is a nice, but ultimately forgettable comedy that's fine for family viewing.

Tidbits:
- The real name of the Nowata football team is the Ironmen.

- Pretty much all the outdoor locations are real. Mac Davis's "hardware store" is located right across the street from the Nowata City council office.

- The back of the VHS version of "Possums" lists Mac Davis's main movie credit as "Dallas North Forty", instead of the actual title "North Dallas Forty". I felt a bit sorry for Mac Davis over this, even though I got a real kick out of it.

- This film won the Heartland Film Festival's "Crystal Heart Award"...whatever that is.

- This film is J. Max Burnett's only credit as writer & director so far. My understanding is that this was his "dream" film.

- The shy young lady I mentioned earlier said that Jay Underwood, in an apparent effort to impress a group of kids on the set, told them that he was the star of "The Boy Who Could Fly". The kids just kept staring at him, obviously having never seen the film and still not impressed.

"