Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 1.85:1, Theatrical Version, Trailers
Get ready for friendly passes, romantic fumbles and passionate touchdowns in this "bawdy and lively romantic comedy" (Variety)! Starring Burt Reynolds, Kris Kristofferson, Jill Clayburgh, Robert Preston and Burt Convy along with a host of real NFL players, Semi-Tough is an uproarious "comic free-for-all" (Playboy) that skewers everything from pro football to EST!. Sexy Barbara Jane Bookman (Clayburgh) and wayward pro football players Billy Clyde (Reynolds) and Shake (Kristofferson) have been best friends--and roommates--for years. But when Shake finds enlightenment with a wacky philosophy called "IT", Barbara Jane finds herself falling in love with his new confidence. Soon engaged, Shake and Barbara Jane make a mad dash for the alter. But as Billy Clyde watches from the sidelines, wondering if he wants "IT" too, he suddenly realizes that what he really wants is Barbara Jane! And when Shake begins to have second thoughts about marriage, and Barbara Jane fails to get "IT", Billy Clyde discovers--in the most hilarious romantic interception ever captured on film--that to score true love, sometimes all you need is a sporting chance and all the right moves.
"Riotous! Hilarious! Provocative!" The Hollywood Reporter
Editor's Note
Michael Ritchie revisits the satirical territory of 1975's SMILE with this hysterical comedy about professional football, New Age lifestyles, and bizarre health remedies. Teammates and roommates Billy Clyde "B.C." Puckett (Burt Reynolds) and Marvin "Shake" Tiller (Kris Kristofferson) find their lives upended when they both begin to fall for the same woman, Barbara Jane "B.J." Bookman (Jill Clayburgh). Making matters even worse is the dangerous knowledge that B.J. just so happens to be their coach's daughter. Eventually, things get even weirder when Shake finds himself falling under the hypnotic spell of a wacky cult leader. All the while, the team is trying to win a game on the field, even if the players can't seem to keep their lives together when the pads are off.Ritchie's sensitive approach to the potentially two-dimensional material is what makes SEMI-TOUGH such a rewarding viewing experience. This, coupled with the superb performances by his all-star cast (most notably Kristofferson and Reynolds), as well as the toned-down script by Walter Bernstein (adapted from Dan Jenkins's novel), adds even greater poignancy to the lighthearted proceedings.
Plot Summary
SEMI-TOUGH is an easygoing satire about two football stars who contend for the same woman, who just happens to be the coach's daughter. The film contains numerous parodies of the self-improvement craze of the 1970s.
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