MovieChat Forums > Mr. Mom (1983) Discussion > 'the Lions-It's preseason'

'the Lions-It's preseason'

posted 17 years ago by hereminton
3 replies | jump to latest

The other thing I'd like to point out for Mr. Mom in its 25th anniversary year, you may remember at the beginning of the movie when Jack is talking to some of his male collegues at the auto factory right before he is laid off, and he ask if they're worried about the Lions, then says don't be, it's the preseason, they'll be fine. He was referring to the Detroit Lions, the city's pro football (NFL) team. The movie (and thus this scene) takes place in August, so it was during the NFL's preseason. I actually don't know what their record was in it, though do know the preseason in virtually never an indicator of how NFL teams will do in the following regular season. And this was actually 1983, and I do remember how they fared that season. And it was pretty good, as they went 9-7, won the old NFC Central (now NFC North minus Tampa Bay), and after a first round playoff bye went to San Francisco to play the 49ers on December 31, 1983, and lost 19-17 when their kicker missed a field goal on the last play of the game. Thus they came within a single play of going to the NFC Championship Game that season (in Washington vs. the Redskins). And the 1983 Lions were also the last team other than Chicago to win the NFC Central for six years (until Minnesota in 1989). And they were the last Lions team to make the playoffs and have a winning record for 8 years (when the 1991 Lions went 12-4, won the division and went to the NFC Championship Game). So Jack Butler was very prophetic when he said that, he was obviously a very good auto engineer, but apparently he also knew football pretty well.

"I happen to be a vegetarian". Lex, from Jurrasic Park

[–] mcfly-31 17 years ago

Though I'd add that Jack was usually talking out of his a** most of the film in an attempt to fit in. "Yeah, 220, 221, whatever it takes."; "Me and my wife we saw Rocky...uhhh, I don't know which one..."; and the "Hey, it's preseason" is another good example by writer John Hughes that Jack often tries to wing it when speaking of things he has no knowledge of.

Though, true, he does inadvertantly predict a good season.

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] msu96 16 years ago

I don't think he was very prophetic at all. I mean, the Lions are the worst team in the NFL over the past 10 years and have only 1 playoff win in 50 years! Any bit of success during those 50 years was typically 1 year every 3-4 years would they would sneak into the playoffs at 9-7 and lost eheir first game. They never put together any sort of lasting success. So, I think mcfly-31 was correct in saying that Jack was probably just talking out of his a$$.