{ "id": "ephynzkwyx", "slug": "the-comebacks", "title": "The Comebacks", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": 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"excerpt": "The Comebacks is a 2007 American sports parody comedy directed by Tom Brady, starring David Koechner as a losing coach seeking redemption with a team of misfits.", "snippet": "The Comebacks is a 2007 American sports parody comedy directed by Tom Brady, starring David Koechner as a losing coach seeking redemption with a team of misfits.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-2007-to-2008.yr-2007", "markdown": "# The Comebacks\n\n**The Comebacks** is a 2007 American sports parody comedy directed by [Tom Brady](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-brady), in which a chronically losing college football coach, Lambeau Fields ([David Koechner](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-koechner)), takes a final chance at redemption by leading a team of misfits at Heartland State University toward a championship game against the Lone Star State Unbeatables.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/comebacks) It was produced by Tapestry Films and Fox Atomic and released in wide theatrical distribution on October 19, 2007.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/comebacks)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Release | October 19, 2007 (wide theatrical); distributor Fox Atomic[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/comebacks) |\n| Director / writers | Tom Brady; screenplay by Ed Yeager and Joey Gutierrez, with story credits for John Aboud, Michael Colton, Adam Jay Epstein, and Andrew Jacobson[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/64199) |\n| Cast | David Koechner (Lambeau \"Coach\" Fields), Carl Weathers (Freddie Wiseman), Melora Hardin (Mrs. Fields), Matthew Lawrence (Lance Truman), Brooke Nevin (Michelle Fields)[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/comebacks) |\n| Rating and runtime | PG-13, re-rated on appeal from an original R; 84 minutes theatrically[3](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-comebacks) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790804/) |\n| Box office | Estimated $20,000,000 budget; $5,554,594 opening weekend; $13,539,154 worldwide gross[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790804/) |\n| Critical reception | 10% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (31 reviews) and 33% on the Popcornmeter; Metascore of 25 on Metacritic[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/comebacks) • [5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-comebacks/critic-reviews/) |\n| Alternate title | Released in some listings as \"Sports Movie\"[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790804/) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot and premise\n\nLambeau Fields is presented as the worst coach in the history of college football. At the request of his admiring colleague Freddie Wiseman ([Carl Weathers](https://www.edgepedia.org/carl-weathers)), he returns from retirement to coach the Comebacks, the team at Heartland State University, recruiting a roster of campus misfits that includes an egocentric receiver ([Jackie Long](https://www.edgepedia.org/jackie-long)), a quarterback ([Matthew Lawrence](https://www.edgepedia.org/matthew-lawrence)) whose beer-swilling father (Nick Searcy) performs drag acts at truck stops, and a sideline rover named iPod (Jermaine Williams).[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/comebacks) • [6](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-oct-22-et-comeback22-story.html) Fields's unorthodox training methods improbably work, and the team reaches the playoffs against the Lone Star State Unbeatables, coached by Fields's onetime assistant.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/comebacks) • [6](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-oct-22-et-comeback22-story.html) Subplots involve Fields's wife Barb (Melora Hardin), who fears he will again neglect the family, and his daughter Michelle (Brooke Nevin), who attracts two of his players.[7](https://www.catholic.org/news/ae/movies/story.php?id=25819)\n\nThe film's name for its protagonist borrows the name of the [Green Bay Packers](https://www.edgepedia.org/green-bay-packers)' home stadium, [Lambeau Field](https://www.edgepedia.org/lambeau-field).[3](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-comebacks)\n\n## Parody targets\n\nThe film spoofs inspirational sports movies, with reviewers identifying references to *Rocky*, *Remember the Titans*, *Friday Night Lights*, *Field of Dreams*, *Rudy*, *Hoosiers*, *Stick It*, *Blue Crush*, *Radio*, and others.[6](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-oct-22-et-comeback22-story.html) • [8](https://www.fandango.com/the-comebacks-100531/movie-overview) It also parodies *The Usual Suspects* and, unusually for the genre, mocks *Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story*, which is itself a sports parody; the Austin Chronicle's Josh Rosenblatt took this as a sign of the \"pilfering, postmodern, post-ironic age of cinema.\"[3](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-comebacks) • [9](https://moviesanywhere.com/movie/the-comebacks) The film was marketed as being from the creators of *Wedding Crashers*.[3](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-comebacks)\n\n## Reception and box office\n\nThe film was a critical failure. Its Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus calls it \"full of groin-centric humor and tired sports clichés\" and \"poor even by parody movie standards.\"[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/comebacks) On Metacritic it scored 25, with 8 of 13 critic reviews negative, 4 mixed, and 1 positive; the Boston Globe's 63 was the highest score, while Variety gave 30 and called it \"an exceptionally lame genre parody.\"[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-comebacks/critic-reviews/) [Entertainment Weekly](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment-weekly)'s reviewer ranked it below *Daddy Day Camp*, *Baby Geniuses 2*, and *BloodRayne*.[9](https://moviesanywhere.com/movie/the-comebacks) Common criticisms were that the film treats a reference to another movie as a joke in itself and relies heavily on sexual and scatological humor.[10](https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Review-The-Comebacks-pass-for-sports-spoof-2533528.php) • [7](https://www.catholic.org/news/ae/movies/story.php?id=25819)\n\nAgainst an estimated $20 million budget, the film opened to $5,554,594 in the United States and Canada and finished with $13,349,927 domestically and $13,539,154 worldwide, meaning international receipts accounted for only about 1.4 percent of the total.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790804/) • [11](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0790804/credits/)\n\n## Versions and production details\n\nThe theatrical cut runs 84 minutes. An unrated home-video version is substantially longer at 1 hour 47 minutes, with several new scenes, reedited scenes, and different angles.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790804/) The film was shot in California, with the closing football game filmed at [California State University, Fullerton](https://www.edgepedia.org/california-state-university-fullerton).[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790804/) Anthony B. Richmond was the cinematographer, Alan Edward Bell the editor, and Marc Fisichella the production designer.[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/64199)\n\n## References\n\n1. [The Comebacks, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/comebacks)\n2. [The Comebacks (2007), AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/64199)\n3. [Parents' Guide to The Comebacks, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-comebacks)\n4. [The Comebacks (2007), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790804/)\n5. [The Comebacks critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-comebacks/critic-reviews/)\n6. [A sports comedy that doesn't bring its A game, Los Angeles Times (October 22, 2007)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-oct-22-et-comeback22-story.html)\n7. [The Comebacks, Catholic News Service via Catholic Online (November 1, 2007)](https://www.catholic.org/news/ae/movies/story.php?id=25819)\n8. [The Comebacks, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/the-comebacks-100531/movie-overview)\n9. [The Comebacks, Movies Anywhere](https://moviesanywhere.com/movie/the-comebacks)\n10. [Review: 'The Comebacks' pass for sports spoof, San Francisco Chronicle (October 21, 2007)](https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Review-The-Comebacks-pass-for-sports-spoof-2533528.php)\n11. [The Comebacks (2007), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0790804/credits/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 2007 to 2008 › Released in 2007*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/the-comebacks", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/the-comebacks.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"The Comebacks\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/the-comebacks. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[The Comebacks](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-comebacks)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/the-comebacks](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-comebacks). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"The Comebacks\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/the-comebacks. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "The Comebacks is a 2007 American sports parody comedy directed by Tom Brady, starring David Koechner as a losing coach seeking redemption with a team of misfits." }