Joey Magidson
They don’t make many men like Bum Phillips, let alone professional football coaches. You didn’t have to be a fan of the Houston Oilers, or even care about the NFL, to know that he was one of a kind. The way he inspired his team, as well as a whole city, while leading the Oilers to the precipice of the Super Bowl was the stuff of Hollywood legend. That he wore cowboy boots, a big hat, and looked at his players as friends and family, as opposed to employees, really set him apart. The new documentary Luv Ya, Bum! is a very pleasing showcase for just how unique he was.
Luv Ya, Bum! is a very traditional doc about a very untraditional man, but it works. Football fans with some familiarity of his tenure coaching the Oilers will get a kick out of this, but really anyone who values a larger than life personality will appreciate the film. It’s a sports doc, sure, but the movie works on multiple levels.
The documentary is about Houston Oilers coach Bum Phillips, who captured the heart of an entire city. During the 1970s, the city of Houston was booming, though the team was not. Then, this man with the charm of an old cowboy yet the genius to be a great head coach, arrives on the scene. In short order, he turns the Oilers around. Embracing a culture that valued the players’ families, Bum crafted a roster that stood tall against the mighty Pittsburgh Steelers, a dynasty at the time.
Towards the end, the focus moves a bit towards the legacy of Bum, which was carried forth by his son Wade Phillips, a master coach in his own right, as well as his grandson, Wes Phillips. Three generations of coaches, all making their name in the game with their own unique sensibilities. Of course, no one did it like Bum.
Watching Bum in action is a lot of fun. Directors Sam Wainwright Douglas, David Hartstein, and Andrew Alden Miller do a strong job of showing you the magic of Houston and the Oilers fandom during this time period. The “Luv Ya Blue” era is the kind of thing sports fans can get onboard with, regardless of if you root for the team of not.Just listening to a player like Terry Bradshaw, who was the Quarterback of the rival Pittsburgh Steelers at the time, talking about his affection for Bum, really does say something about the man.
Luv Ya, Bum! is hardly groundbreaking, to be fair, but it’s solidly entertaining, as well as the rare doc that leaves you with a good feeling. Non-fiction cinema is rarely of the feel-good variety, so seeing this sort of flick is actually good for the soul. As a tribute to Bum Phillips and a brief period of time in Houston, it’s undeniably effective. The Oilers are long gone and Bum has passed on, but the legacy of both are still very much intact.
SCORE: ★★★
Comments
Loading…