Coach

This movie is about a very sexy Olympic track star who is hired to coach a high school boys' basketball team. Similar to Goldie Hawn's WILDCATS, it stars Cathy Lee Crosby in the title role, and she does as about as well as the script allows. I think Racquel Welch would have been a better choice, but considering the film's apparent TV movie budget, they probably couldn't afford her. Cathy Lee does look great in every shot, but we never get to see her completely nude. The story is pretty predictable, to say the least, offering no surprises. A young and lucky Michael Biehn has the male lead role. He is the star on the team and also the love interest for Cathy Lee. Keenan Wynn has a few amusing scenes as the rich old man who runs the athletic program and doesn't think a woman should coach sports. This point is brought up throughout the film, and, needless to say, is dated. Ironically, Cathy Lee doesn't put her team through any unorthodox practice sessions; she doesn't do anything a male coach wouldn't do. There is a funny subplot involving a tall and not-so-bright player who undergoes hypnosis in order to pass his classes and play like pro basketball player Sydney Wicks. It looks like everyone had a good time making this film, but the only real reason to see it is for Cathy Lee Crosby. She's not that great an actress, but she has a dazzling smile, beautiful hair, and a very tan body.

Desperate to improve the performance of their boys basketball team, Granger High School hires two time Olympic medallist Randy Rawlings as coach without checking the gender of their new employee. When the school's sexist principal Fenton Granger (Keenan Wynn) discovers that he has unwittingly hired a woman (Cathy Lee Crosby), he is keen to get rid of her, but finds that he is legally bound to let her have the job—at least until she messes up, something that he tries to ensure will happen sooner rather than later.

An attractive 'fish out of water' teacher slowly earning the respect of both her stuffy peers and her unruly students: not exactly the most original idea for a film, but I still found Coach an interesting watch if only for the fact that Crosby's character acts in a seriously inappropriate and unprofessional manner, first by striking up a sexual relationship one of her underage players (played a young Michael Biehn), and then by throwing all of her sporting principles out of the window by allowing her team to win their final match using underhanded means. And all with zero consequences for the naughty woman!!!

A supposedly responsible adult with such dubious moral standards is so unusual in a movie like this that I find it hard not to enjoy just a bit, despite a bland script and lifeless direction doing their utmost to convince me otherwise.

A high school principal (Keenan Wynn) with a losing basketball team unwittingly hires a coach who turns out not only to be a gorgeous blond woman (Cathy Lee Crosby) but a catalyst for their new winning ways. Are you really surprised? Along the way a romance grows between the coach and the team's star player Jack (Michael Biehn). The police are never notified.

Packaged along with other Crown International Pictures as a grindhouse movie really does this film no service. This can easily be edited into a television movie of the week. Cathy Lee Crosby looks great as coach Randy Rawlings especially in her skimpy outfits but I expected more than mere titillation from an R-rated film. A side plot involving a dorky center who is hypnotized by his teammates into thinking he is former NBA player Sydney Wicks is the actual reason for the team's new success rather than Cathy Lee's coaching. Too much tease and not enough sleaze makes this a major disappointment.

I found the DVD version of this movie at a rummage sale. The basic premise is an affair between a teacher/coach a student. The acting is weak and the plot razor thin.

This movie had all the depth and plot development of an adult film.

If you are looking for an academy award winner, this movie is not for you. It's just a fun romp back to the late '70s, when movies like this were geared to the teen/drive-in "party crowd" audience. Cathy Lee Crosby as the "hottie" coach that has an affair with one of her students is what made the movies at the drive-ins stand out from whatever was playing at the indoor theatres & even on TV! The fact that Crown International released this movie is also a testament that you know you're going to be in for something special. If you are a fan of B movies/classic drive-in movies, this one would be a valued addition to your video library.