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Tom Cruise, Craig T. Nelson, Lea Thompson, Charles Cioffi, Paul Carafotes ... see more see more... , Chris Penn , Sandy Faison , Paige Lyn Price , James A. Baffico , Walter Briggs , Leon , Victor Arnold , Gary Graham , Kyle-Scott Jackson , Dick Miller , Terry O'Quinn , Mel Winkler , Donald A. Yanessa

High school athlete Tom Cruise would do anything to escape the dull provincialism of his home town. Cruise's bullying coach Craig T. Nelson cajoles Cruise into seeking an athletic scholarship to a maj... read more read more...or university. Inevitably, the boy begins to question his goals in life, and soon his soul is the object of a tug of war between Nelson and Cruise's girlfriend Lea Thompson. The first directorial effort for cinematographer Michael Chapman, All the Right Moves was photographed by Jan DeBont, who'd later direct such box-office bonanzas as Speed and Twister. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flixster Users

38% liked it

11,823 ratings

Critics

53% liked it

19 critics

R, 1 hr. 31 min.

Directed by: Michael Chapman

Release Date: October 21, 1983

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DVD Release Date: March 5, 2002

Stats: 327 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (327)

  • phubbs1
    October 27, 2011
    phubbs1
    Bit of a classic Cruise machine this, backed up by a sterling cast including Craig T. Nelson, Lea Thompson and Chris Penn. Its a solid gruff story about a blue collar town that is kept alive by the local steel mill and how all the local kids wanna escape the town and reach for th... read moree stars, grimy and emotional? check!

    I've always found the US school system quite amusing actually and this film really bugs me to tell the truth haha. I'm not sure if its really like this or if it was but football seems to be SO important in US schools, it runs peoples lives and they take it so so seriously that it can make or break their future. This is the plot within this film, football is Cruises live and because he insults the team coach he gets chucked off the team and practically loses his life plans in the process.

    What is also so odd about it (if its like this I don't know) is the fact the school coach seems to decide wether you can go to a better school or not no matter what grades you have, even though you are going for a football scholarship surely your grades count? bizarre!. So whilst watching I can only feel total confusion and frustration at the US school system hehe I just wanna say to Cruises character, forget football and just do what you wanna do, you have the grades.

    Besides this its a good film and well acted, Cruise goes over the top as per usual but he clearly shows talent when compared to other guys of his own age. Thompson is beautiful and such a dream as always whilst Nelson is quite unnerving as the hardass coach, he fits those kind of roles so well.
  • movieguru12
    June 11, 2011
    movieguru12
    Great sports movie/love story!!! Tom Cruise is also so cute in this movie and Lea Thompson is adorable. Also it has a good story too about never giving up. I love it! :) I could watch it over and over. :) :) :)
  • ajv2688
    January 14, 2011
    ajv2688
    A fantastic teenage drama, I loved seeing Cruise and Thompson together in this movie, I love this movie.
  • erika250
    December 27, 2010
    erika250
    this film was totally unrated . It was so touching and really good acting.
  • ythelastman89
    November 29, 2010
    ythelastman89
    The Varsity Blues of its time and an extremely effective story about goals and dreams. It's a lot more serious and dynamic than one might expect. Much of that goes to Tom Cruise's great performance as a very tangible high school football player who just wants to escape his family... read more profession of working at the coal mine. This is about the pain and hardship that goes into getting what you want and doing everything you can to survive. Some might call it sappy, but I call it amazing.
  • deano
    August 12, 2007
    deano
    Emotional drama of a high school athlete's life for anything to escape his boring home town. Tom Cruise makes an excellent performance in his character role and Lea Thompson does a wonderful supporting role as a high school athlete's girlfriend.
  • garyX
    March 5, 2007
    garyX
    Once more Tom Cruise struggles with teen dilemmas and I find it almost impossible to give a shit.
  • michaelcorleone
    February 21, 2007
    michaelcorleone
    Tom Cruise flaunts his natural energy and charisma in this sappy melodrama. The concept is interesting, but the supporting cast is extremely weak. Lea Thompson is particularly abysmal as Cruise's annoying girlfriend. Really badly written dialogue, too.
  • moviefan1725
    September 17, 2009
    moviefan1725
    Tom Cruise plays a high school football player who is desperate for a college scholarship to escape his small Pennsylvania home town. It's a typical coming of age story brought to life by a full roster of very believeable characters. Cruise shows, even in this very early performa... read morence, that he's one of the most solid, and dependable actors around. He's surrounded by a host of familiar character actors like Lea Thompson as his girlfriend, Craig T. Nelson as the coach, and the late Chris Penn as his best friend. The cinematography really drives home the small town feel. Filmed in a Pennsylvania steel town, almost every shot in the movie is overcast, and it almost always appears to be raining. Symbolic perhaps of the many struggles of the young characters. An ironic bit of history for the movie...although it was released in 1983, the same year as Risky Business, it was actually filmed BEFORE that film was made. It went unreleased by the studio, until Business made Cruise a superstar overnight. Then 20th Century Fox decided to try and make a profit of Cruise's sudden fame, and put the movie into theaters.
  • paj85
    February 19, 2012
    paj85
    A nice little coming-of-age film about a high school boy that transforms from irresponsible, selfish football player to compassionate, goal-oriented man. Tom Cruise and Lea Thompson have a nice chemistry throughout the movie. Unfortunately, there were several "this actually hap... read morepens in high school?" moments and the end seems to come to a screeching halt. There is nothing earth-shattering about this film but it makes a nice one-time watch.

View All All the Right Moves Reviews

Critic Reviews

Richard Corliss
August 7, 2007
Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine

his naive little movie hopes to prove itself the Flashdance of football. Full Review

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The movie gets into the dynamics of the high-school student body and into the tender, complicated relationship between the Cruise character and his girlfriend (Lea Thompson). Full Review

Janet Maslin
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times

For all its air of realism and grit, the film has a fairy-tale quality. Full Review

Ian Nathan
August 7, 2007
Ian Nathan, Empire Magazine

Cliched and clunky. Not really a great showcase for Cruise or Chris Penn. Full Review

August 7, 2007
TV Guide's Movie Guide

This cliche-riddled picture was the directorial debut of veteran cinematographer Michael Chapman, who took no risks in his first time out. Full Review

Douglas Pratt
June 15, 2007
Douglas Pratt, DVDLaser

he 1983 film presents a fairly realistic portrait of high school life and is best at evoking the rhythm of emotions that come with overcast autumn days, factory layoffs, high school football and young...

Emanuel Levy
April 4, 2007
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Marred by a fake happy ending that negates the predominantly gloom mood, this small-town fable is cliche-ridden, though it's nicely shot and well-acted by Tom Cruise as the restless, stifled hero just... Full Review

John A. Nesbit
February 26, 2007
John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews

Cruise has always been an underrated actor, but this is early "non wacko" Cruise

Geoff Andrew
June 24, 2006
Geoff Andrew, Time Out

Passable teen/sports movie. Full Review

Walter Chaw
April 13, 2002
Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central

An ending so unlikely in that forlorn uplift way that an insulin shot should be offered as part of the DVD's packaging. Full Review

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  • He played a fighter pilot, a pool shark, an Irish hottie, had all the right moves and that was all before the war of the worlds.   Answer »
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  • what ties these three films together? 1. Do the _______ Thing 2. All the ______ Moves 3.The ______ Stuff  Answer »
  • Which movie, even just for a second, can you see Tom Cruises penis? (tee hee)  Answer »
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