When I think of TV shows I watched as a kid, Married with Children always come to mind. We all loved Al Bundy (Ed O’Neill) whether want to admit it or not. Right in the middle of his fame as Bundy, O’Neill grew up in a small town, went to be a college superstar, on top of winning the Heisman Trophy as best college football player. All that glory went to his head and he somehow becomes the guy who runs the greatest little kids football program ever. People worship the ground he walks on and whatever he wants, he gets. I honestly thought he was perfect for the role. He can come across as a jerk and pull it off flawlessly. He has so much swagger for being a superstar, you can’t help but laugh when things don’t always go the way he expects.
Things get turned upside down when he cuts his niece from the football team, despite being the best player in the town. She sets out to create her own team and we get a typical kids sports movie from the 1990’s. There are plenty of funny moments when the kids who are not good try to outsmart the good players who are like the “bad” guys. Then there is the typical parents head to head competition and this one is more personal than usual since the head coach(Rick Moranis) of the misfit’s team is the brother of O’Neill’s character. These two have always been at odds because of their different personalities.
The final showdown happens after several attempts by each team to sabotage the other. Personal dramas reach an all-time high when egos get in the way and turn a little kids game into so much more than it needed to be. Little Giants follows the script of all the kid’s movies from the decade, so there are no big surprises here, except fun for the whole family. 5/10
Ten Stars or Less 