I remember seeing this movie when I was a kid and I thought I would get it for my children. They haven't stopped watching it yet. Now that I'm older, I still enjoy this movie. Tim Conway is so funny. What can I say about Jan-Michael Vincent? I love him as an actor!
August 10, 2008As a teen, I really enjoyed this movie. The acting was so-so and it's not packed with action but it was a fun movie. I would say that the whole family could probably watch this movie and find something that they enjoy in it. Just a simple, good old fashioned, feel good movie.
June 25, 2008This is a cute, innocent Disney movie that, in general, holds up quite well 35 years later. John Amos is fantastic as the over-eager coach who wants to end his losing streak by recruiting a Tarzan-like natural athlete, named Nanu, from the jungles of Africa. Roscoe Lee Browne is also great as Nanu's witch doctor godfather. Jan-Michael Vincent is charming as the athletic young man, even managing to make the obligatory Tarzan dialogue sound innocent rather than dopey. Of the entire movie, only Tim Conway's "funny" scenes didn't make me laugh, which surprised me since I usually like his work. I think it was because these scenes seemed to be inserted into the movie without any real purpose, and the humour was just slapstick instead of developing from the character. As a sad commentary on modern athletic competition, what most dates this movie is the lack of steroid-induced muscular development in the college athletes that Nanu is competing against!
Recommended to anyone who wants to watch a funny and sweet feel-good movie, suitable for children and adults of all ages.
May 14, 2008 |  | Every video library should have this classic |  |
The World's Greatest Athlete movie, based on the delightful book, is a light-hearted and clever cinematic treasure that I am pleased to be able to see, in adulthood, as it was one of my favorite movies as a child. My daughter absolutely loved it. This is a rare find that Disney had put out on DVD and an exceptional work that takes you back to a relative time of American innocence in the year 1973. My favorite scene is the witch doctor, Nanu's godfather, doing the social rounds at a coctail party at a physician's conference in his honor. Treat yourself to this.
February 14, 2008| | | Jan-Michael Vincent Saves the Day | |
I recently watched it again and it holds up very well. It is quite funny and still works today. A lot of credit has to go to John Amos as Coach Sam Archer. He gave this silly but entertaining film a lot of character and its his vision to make jungle boy Jan-Michael Vincent the next sports super star to give new life to all his coaching efforts. Jan-Michael Vincent really looked good in this Disney movie. Jan-Michael Vincent could have been a very good star. Too bad things turned bad for him. These were his glory days. He makes a great Disney hero in THE WORLD'S GREATEST ATHLETE. This film really looks great on DVD and it truly is a lot of fun
May 21, 2007More reviews at Amazon.com ...
Daily Birthdays
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