Necessary Roughness

National Broadcasting Company (NBC) | Release Date: September 27, 1991

CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION

45	METASCORE Mixed or average reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews

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Mixed:

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Critic Reviews

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Roger Ebert

I’ve seen versions of the plot of “Necessary Roughness” in almost every other movie ever made about an underdog sports team - but I fell for it again this time, because it was well done, and because the movie doesn’t try to pump itself up into more than it is, a good-humored entertainment. Read full review

EmpireKim Newman

Although adequately put together, this is entirely unnecessary as a movie, with nothing to add to its limited interest sub-genre, no surprises at all in its by-the-numbers script, and no credit at all to the various servicable members of the cast. Read full review

Stephen Holden

If the movie were a farcical free-for-all ridiculing the hyper-competitive world of college football, it might be amusing. But it can never decide whether to be an athletic answer to "National Lampoon's Animal House" or icky-inspirational like "Rocky." Read full review

TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)

While NECESSARY ROUGHNESS admittedly traverses highly familiar territory, with few surprises, it does deserve to be appreciated as a genuinely entertaining, albeit old-fashioned, college football yarn that's great fun to watch. Read full review

Jay Boyar

The whole movie, in fact, is one big blooper. Read full review

Rita Kempley

An infectious albeit formulaic game of Cinderella football, this happy athletic romp seems to know just how wheezy it is, but the team grunts "hut, hut," and puts it right on the numbers anyway. It's "Hoosiers" with a pigskin pumpkin and a lot more sis-boom-bah. Read full review

Kevin Thomas

The film itself is a genial, slight, entirely predictable football comedy, but it serves Bakula well. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

Essentially, this is a football version of the equally contrived and only slightly less hokey baseball comedy Major League. Read full review

Marjorie Baumgarten

I wish that movies, like scholastic football, could be judged on a "no pass, no play" basis. Read full review

Clifford Terry

An amiable comedy about a patched-together football squad, tries to do just that, comes up short after half time, but hangs on well enough to beat the spread. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

This tale of a 34-year-old quarterback's return to college football is marginally less funny than wearing a jock-strap on your head, and less original than putting Ralgex down your opponent's shorts. Read full review

John Hartl

This sports comedy starts out as a rowdy delight in the tradition of "Slapshot," but it loses its sense of the outrageous and quickly turns ho-hum. Read full review

Gary Thompson

Necessary Roughness has the right kind of rambunctious spirit for this kind of picture -- even if it's not quite as inventive as similar movies like the recent baseball send-up, Major League. Read full review

Desmond Ryan

The muddled huddle that is Necessary Roughness is one long fumble strewn with offensive lines. Read full review

Jay Carr

Essentially, the film's strategy is to fight predictability with bonehead amiability, and on this level it's a crowd-pleaser. [27 Dec 1991, p.28]

Susan Wloszczyna

At least Necessary Roughness strays from the usual game plan, but it ends up strictly Bush league. [27 Sept 1991, p.2D]

Steve Persall

Perhaps the NCAA should investigate how Necessary Roughness ever made it to the big screen. The movie-making team that fielded this fiasco would receive more sanctions than the universities of Florida, Oklahoma and Houston combined. [27 Sept 1991, p.13]

Mick LaSalle

The premise might sound gimmicky, but it's realized honestly and specifically. [27 Sept 1991, p.D6]

William Arnold

A pathetic sports comedy that aspires to be a college-football version of "Major League" and doesn't even get close. [27 Sept 1991]

Gene Siskel

Hector Elizondo and Robert Loggia are fine as the team's coaches. [27 Sept 1991, p.C2]

Ted Mahar

Roughness at least has a few good laughs in the formula. [30 Sept 1991, p.D08]

H.J. Hirchhoff

Just enough laughs to make up for predictable plot. [1 Oct 1991]

Juan Carlos Coto

Necessary Roughness, a football comedy of unnecessary blandness, has the same problem as the Miami Dolphins: It dies in the second half. [3 Oct 1991, p.F4]