[yasr_overall_rating]
The life story of legendary basketball coach Don Meyer.
I was never a big fan of Judge Reinhold. He was part of the ensemble cast that made up the three “Beverly Hills Cop” movies and branched out on his own in the ’80s and ’90s, starring in such forgettable fare like “Vice Versa,” “Ruthless People,” and “Baby on Board.” He seemed much more adept at functioning as a component of a bigger cast, instead of serving as the lead of one. Basically, he never impressed me as an actor and I honestly think the last film I saw him in, was the dreadful 1994 sequel, “Beverly Hills Cop III.” When I saw the trailer for “My Many Sons,” he looked almost unrecognizable in the role of coach Don Meyer, and that was either going to be a good thing, or a bad thing. Thankfully, and much to my surprise, it was the former. Bald, and pudgy, Mr. Reinhold literally steals the show with a nuanced performance, combining charisma and complexity, a bold move but one that ultimately pays off.
The story plays out like so many other sports-themed movies, the hard-nosed coach, the eager students who want nothing more than to please him, and his own family, who love and support him but ultimately, have to tolerate his verbal and sometimes physical outbursts towards his players on the court. Don Meyer was a legendary college basketball coach who set the bar for the most wins for any men’s coach in NCAA history but he was also very tough on his players, demanding physical and mental greatness from each and every one of them. He cared about their form but also motivated them to do well in their studies outside of the game, and if their grades suffered, they were off the team. Having grown up with a verbally abusive father, who treated him like he would never amount to anything, he treated his own family with a tough and strict demeanor, wanting them to attain greatness and instilling into them, to the best of his abilities, the resourcefulness he believed they needed.
In 2008, after a car crash, his lower left leg had to be amputated because of complications that arose from the accident but in doing so, they discovered previously undiagnosed carcinoid cancer, a terminal condition. He eventually went back to coaching, retiring in 2010. At the age of 69, in 2014, Meyer died from cancer at his home in Aberdeen, South Dakota. While the film’s closing credits roll, you see real life footage of Meyer in action on the court, shouting and coaching his players and as a testament to the acting prowess of Judge Reinhold, an actor that I have come to respect as a result of his performance in this movie, he nailed Meyer’s mannerisms and eccentricities unequivocally. After watching “My Many Sons,” and discovering the multitude of young men who over the years had nothing but praise and devotion to him, the film’s title, which I originally felt was a corny, movie-of-the-week salutation, finally made sense to me. Highly recommended.
Available on DVD October 4th
