While the football themed film, "THE REPLACEMENTS" has enough drama and good-spirited humor to appeal to a larger audience than just football fans, it's not as intelligent or engaging as "NORTH DALLAS 40" or "THE LONGEST YARD". 
Gene Hackman gives a confident performance as Jimmy McGinty, a coach trying to make the best of a football league strike.  He marches to a different drummer than most.  Whereas most teams are hiring semi-pro players, McGinty elects to search "anywhere" to find the right asset for the team. Keanu Reeves stars as the quarterback , and while he's actually good, it's really the lesser known supporting players that make the film entertaining.
There are plenty of hilarious situations involving the "replacement"
cheerleaders.  In one funny scene, the head cheerleader inquires about the dancing background of two recruits.  They respond with "does lap dancing count?"  Brooke Langton, star of the underrated, canceled USA series "THE NET," all but steals the film as the love interest of Reeves.  She has an instantly attractive persona and there's never enough of her on screen. 
WARNER BROS.HOME VIDEO has presented a pristine transfer for "THE REPLACEMENTS."  The 1.85:1 aspect ratio is enhanced for 16:9 screens. There's great clarity in every scene, with perfect color values.  Fleshtones are natural.  The contrast is great.  The shadow detail is terrific with perfect discernment of blacks and grays.  There are no artifacts, and there's no oversaturation of colors. 
The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundmix is extremely active.  While it's not as
creative or thunderous as a football film like "ANY GIVEN SUNDAY," this is a comedy, and surround effects are used to further a gag, more than for atmospheric effect.  The full scope of the sound effects design comes into play even more by boosting the musical selections, of which there are many.

Director Howard Deutch provides a running commentary.  While it's insightful for aspiring filmmakers, it's not very engaging as are many other
soundtracks for simple admirers of the film.  There's also an HBO
featurette: "HBO FIRST LOOK:THE REPLACEMENTS."  Another segment, "MAKING THE PLAYS: AN ACTOR'S GUIIDE TO FOOTBALL" explores the preparation for actors in their roles of athletes.