Celtic Pride

Two loyal Boston Celtics fans let their devotion cloud good sense. Facing a crucial game, they hatch a harebrained scheme to tilt the championship in their team’s favor by sidelining the rival’s star player. What starts as a ridiculous gambit spirals into a web of chaotic misadventures that draws in bystanders, bookmakers, and a wary coaching staff, turning a neighborhood rivalry into a full blown spectacle. Damon Wayans stars as Lewis Scott and Daniel Stern as Mike O’Hara, trading quips with Dan Aykroyd who plays Jimmy Flaherty, while Gail O’Grady appears as Carol O’Hara and Christopher McDonald as Coach Kimball. The film leans on Boston flavor, buddy energy, and streetwise humor as complications pile up and loyalties get tested.

Directed by Tom DeCerchio, Celtic Pride released in 1996 with a screenplay by Judd Apatow and Colin Quinn. It uses a local sports vibe to fuel farce, anchoring its laughs in familiar faces and a city that chews on game day.

Celtic Pride captures a slice of 1990s Boston sports culture, with barroom banter, rivalry rituals, and the pressure of a playoff push shaping the jokes. It produced a few lines and moments that crop up in conversations about that era’s sports comedies, particularly among audiences who remember the city’s playoff mood.

Reviews were mixed, with some critics appreciating the cast energy and sharp exchange, while others found the plot stretched. The film probes how fierce fandom can blur ethics and community norms, exploring what fans will do when loyalty to a team becomes a personal crusade.

Awards: The movie did not receive major nominations or wins. Its legacy rests with the ensemble and its snapshot of 90s sports mania, rather than with industry honors. The humor may feel dated to younger viewers, but its premise still sparks a knowing smile.