Hoosiers is a classic sports movie that set a standard for every sports movie that came later.

Its plot can be pigeon-holed in several ways. At its core, it's a Cinderella story, a sports underdog tale, an example of the Davids confronting the Goliaths. It can also be seen as a fish-out-of-water story, when you focus on the outsider coach coming to a small, insulated town that is proud of its traditions.

But this coach has a rebel-vs-the-rulebook dilemma going on, too. He's not just an outsider: he's a potential change-maker. And all of these dramas added together create a complete and compelling experience for just about any viewer to follow.

The setting is the fictional town of Hickory, Indiana. Its high school is getting ready for the 1951-52 basketball season. To merely say that basketball is important in the Midwest is to diminish its cultural hold entirely. It is an obsession, a way of life, an attempt to grasp at a possible glimmer of local fame. [Reviewer aside: I lived for eight years in northern Illinois and witnessed "our" team go to the state playoffs in Peoria. It's an exhilaration, when it happens to you and to people you know.]

Principal Cletus Summers (Sheb Wooley) has just hired an old college friend, Norman Dale (Gene Hackman), to teach history and civics, and to be the new coach for the Huskers. Right away, Hickory residents and students alike question this choice. One of Coach Dale's biggest skeptics is vice principal Myra Fleener (Barbara Hershey), who does her research and learns that Coach Dale has "a past." Whether she chooses to use this information against him or not remains to be seen.

Even if their towns are surrounded by farmland, Midwestern basketball fans are smart and savvy. They know the game inside and out. The Hickory townsfolk believe that they have personal stakes in their team and whether or not their hometown kids win games. At first, they think the coach's strategies are unconventional and flat out wrong. Just look at how he treats their best player, Jimmy Chitwood (Maris Valainis). Can Coach Dale ever win over both the town AND the opposing teams? And what about winning over Myra Fleener?

While he is definitely a tough guy both on and off the court, the coach shows a softer side after he meets Wilbur "Shooter" Flatch (Dennis Hopper). Shooter is the town drunk and the father of Everett (David Neidorf), one of the Huskers. And back in the day, Shooter could shoot basketballs. He's followed the Hickory team ever since, and he has valuable insider knowledge. Coach Dale gives him an assignment. After all, doesn't everyone deserve something better? Doesn't everyone deserve another chance?

Nostalgia is a powerful pull. So is music. Jerry Goldsmith's evocative soundtrack carries us through all of the emotions of the landscapes: from the serenity of the autumn cornfields, to the brashness of the crowded gymnasiums. If you find yourself getting chills on your arms or getting tears in your eyes, don't worry. You're all too human. Goldsmith was nominated for an Academy Award for this marvelous musical score. (And Hopper was nominated for best supporting actor, too.)

The athletic portion of the Hoosiers plot was inspired by the real-life Milan Indians, of Milan, Indiana. They beat the Muncie Central Bearcats by two points, 32-30, to win the 1954 state basketball title. But every state has a Hoosiers-like story. And most schools have past championship memories that their alumni love to recall. These are the "Glory Days," as Bruce Springsteen sings of them. You may be reminded of the ones you've witnessed yourself, during your lifetime, as you watch this film. And if you went to a small school, you'll recognize the people and their expectations here. This film is utterly relatable and practically participatory.

Again, Hoosiers set a high bar for subsequent sports movies. In fact: if some of the scenes or dialogues look or sound familiar to you, then it's because of the parodies or copycats you've encountered, that came after it.

If you like basketball -- or any team sport at all -- then this film should be required viewing. Time has not soured its presentation, either. Remember that it was made in the 1980s but was set in the 1950s. And remember that what residents of southeastern Indiana know as the "Milan Miracle" can still happen today.