Wildcats
A determined high school track coach takes charge of a struggling football team and challenges the men who doubt her.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- bawdy
- good-natured
- casual comedy night
- sports movie marathon
What critics said
Critics generally found Goldie Hawn appealing but judged the film a superficial, formulaic sports comedy weakened by cardboard conflicts and dull football staging.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Molly applies for and takes over a high school football coaching position despite ridicule from staff, players, and her former husband.
Molly must turn a resistant football squad into a functioning team while proving her competence as a coach.
The film uses bawdy humor, familiar underdog beats, and football competition to frame Molly’s challenge.
The film places a white female coach at the center of a predominantly Black school football team, a framing later discussed as a white-savior structure.
Films like Wildcats, and why
The Bad News Bears
underdog sports comedy centered on a determined coach and a difficult team
A League of Their Own
warm, irreverent sports comedy featuring an unconventional female coach challenging expectations
Private Benjamin
1980s comedy about an independent woman resisting institutional and gender expectations
Movie Details
- Director
- Michael Ritchie
- Release Date
- 1986-02-14
- Runtime
- 106 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (231)
Cast
- Goldie Hawn
- Swoosie Kurtz
- Robyn Lively
- Brandy Gold
- James Keach
- Jan Hooks
- Bruce McGill
- Nipsey Russell
- Mykelti Williamson
- Tab Thacker
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Wildcats about?
- A determined high school track coach takes charge of a struggling football team and challenges the men who doubt her.
- What is Wildcats like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Wildcats as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Wildcats violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Wildcats as mild.
- What did critics think of Wildcats?
- Critics generally found Goldie Hawn appealing but judged the film a superficial, formulaic sports comedy weakened by cardboard conflicts and dull football staging.
- Which films are like Wildcats?
- Films with a similar feel include The Bad News Bears, A League of Their Own, and Private Benjamin.
- How long is Wildcats?
- Wildcats runs 106 minutes.
- Where can I watch Wildcats?
- In United States, Wildcats streams on Philo.
