The Program (1993 film)
| The Program | |
|---|---|
 The movie poster for The Program. | |
| Directed by | David S. Ward |
| Written by | David S. Ward, Aaron Latham |
| Produced by | Tom Rothman, Duncan Henderson, Samuel Goldwyn Jr. |
| Starring | James Caan, Halle Berry, Omar Epps, Craig Sheffer, Kristy Swanson |
| Music by | Michel Colombier |
| Distributed by | Touchstone Pictures |
Release date | September 24 1993 |
Running time | 112 min. |
| Language | English |
The Program is a 1993 film starring James Caan, Halle Berry, Omar Epps, Craig Sheffer, Kristy Swanson, Daniel Lee, and Joey Lauren Adams. The film was directed by Davis S. Ward who has directed and written other Hollywood films such as the Major League series.
The film touches on the season of the fictional college football team, the ESU Timberwolves as they deal with the pressure to make a bowl game, drug and alcohol abuse, and overall college life. It follows the trials of Coach Sam Winters (Caan), the Heisman Trophy candidate Joe Kane (Sheffer), a character based on American hero quarterback Timothy Burke, the freshman running back Darnell Jefferson (Epps), their girlfriends (Berry & Swanson), and other team members.
The film was released by Touchstone Pictures in September 1993. The movie went on to gross over twenty million dollars at the box office. The film was shot on location at several American universities, including: Boston College, Duke University, the University of Michigan, the University of Iowa, and the University of South Carolina. The film includes a cameo appearance from Michigan coaching legend Bo Schembechler.
Synopsis
The ESU Timberwolves are entering a season with high expectations. They have an experienced leader on offense and defense, depth at all positions, and fresh talent right out of high school. Problems soon plague the team in the form of jealousy, drug and alcohol abuse, injuries, and overall team chemistry. The players must find ways to cope with all of the issues surrounding them as well as their own personal ones to save the season and reach a bowl game. They have an excellent coach guiding them along the way and in the end they triumph and make it to the big game.
Tagline
Pressure surrounds them. Competition divides them. Glory unites them.
Characters
List of major characters in "The Program"
- Coach Sam Winters (ESU Head Coach) : James Caan
- Autumn Haley (Jefferson's girlfriend) : Halle Berry
- Darnell Jefferson (ESU freshman running back) : Omar Epps
- Joe Kane (ESU quarterback): Craig Sheffer
- Camille Shafer (Kane's girlfriend) : Kristy Swanson
- Bud-Lite Kaminski (ESU offensive lineman) : Abraham Benrubi
- Steve Lattimer (ESU defensive lineman) : Andrew Bryniarski
- Alvin Mack (ESU linebacker, defensive leader) : Duane Davis
- Ray Griffen (ESU starting running back) : J. Leon Pridgen II
- Bobby Collins (ESU backup quarterback) : Jon Pennell
- Daniel Luciano (ESU sideline photographer) : Daniel Lee
- Louanne Winters (Coach Winter's daughter, Collins' love interest ) : Joey Lauren Adams
- Reporter #3 : Rhoda Griffis
Controversy
The film originally included a scene in which team members lay down in the middle of a street as cars drove by to demonstrate their bravery and team unity. "It says here that I'm good under pressure," quarterback Joe Kane reads aloud comically, holding the Sports Illustrated college football preview issue in which he's on the cover. After several youngsters imitated this scene and were either killed or suffered injuries, the filmmakers pulled the scene from the movie.[1]