Cheering the underdog

Last weeks SFA and FA Cup exploits, particularly by Morton, remind me how much I love a good underdog story. I think it all originally stems from watching cheesy disney feel good flicks like Mighty Ducks and Little Giants with my brother when we were kids. You know the type, bunch of loser kids form a team to take on the well trained and well disciplined 'evil' enemy team. There's the usual sub-plots along the way of self-discovery, making true friends etc. but its all just leading up to that final third act where against all odds the good guys win in the end.

The formula is a simple one but its one still used to excellent effect in more grown-up fare like Mean Machine (orig + remake),Rocky (I - V),Major League, The Replacements, Any Given Sunday, Blue Chips and so on. These kind of movies usually get panned by the critics as formulaic crap without understanding that to the male sportsfan these are far more emotional movies than Bridget Jones and her pals could ever be.

The latest addition to the Rocky boxset hits cinemas in the next few weeks. Yes it'll be predictable, yes the premise will be slightly far-fetched and yes the acting won't be great but I guarantee there'll be many a man with a lump in his throat when THAT music kicks in and Rocky begins one of his inevitable training montages. Box Office Gold.