Sixth player

At the beginning of the film, we are introduced to two brothers Antoine (Kadim Hardison) and Kenny Tylers ( Marlon Wayans ) in childhood (1986), playing in a basketball game. Their motto, invented by their mother (Sandra McClein) is “A and K: Until the end!” (A & K: All the Way). Their father, James (Harold Sylvester), coaches the team and sets up Kenny for the last attack, which can bring them victory, but Kenny, for fear of a miss, gives the ball back to Antoine, who misses. Later that evening, the brothers play basketball in the courtyard, where Kenny tries to cheer Antoine, who is still upset because of a miss. The father tells them that all they need to do is be together, and everything can happen. Then James reassures Kenny, saying that he would continue to take risks and throw the ball whenever he has a chance and was not afraid of misses.

Next we are being transferred at the present time. Antoine and Kenny study at the University of Washington , where they are leaders of the Haskis basketball team. The team goes to a nightclub to celebrate their last victory. At the club, Kenny meets with University Rep. Ar-Sea St. John ( Michael Michelle ).

In a guest match against UCLA , Antoine does a slam dunk after passing his brother and hangs on the ring, but suddenly loses consciousness and falls on the floor. He is taken out of the hall and transported to the hospital in an ambulance, but he dies on the way to the hospital. It turned out that he had a heart attack . After the match in the locker room, coach Pederson ( David Paymer ) tells Kenny and the team that Antoine has died.

In the next game, “Haskis" as a sign of respect, deduce the number of Antoine from circulation. The team begins to fall apart. Without a brother nearby, Kenny loses drive and is constantly pursued by the press. However, during one of the games, strange situations begin to arise that lead to an unexpected team win. Later, the spirit of Antoine appears in the locker room, which initially scares Kenny, but, in the end, he realizes that this is really Antoine. He explains that the reason he came back is because Kenny called him and that he is the only one who can see and hear him.

Kenny's teammates begin to ask him questions about his behavior (because they do not see Antoine). In the end, Kenny does not stand it and tells them about the return of Antoine, which leads them to bewilderment. The team reluctantly believes Kenny, but Antoine, using supernatural powers, quickly convinces them of his presence.

With the help of Antoine, the team begins to win and, ultimately, enters the NCAA for the first time in more than a decade. Meanwhile, relations begin between Kenny and Ar-Si, despite Antoine's attempts to prevent this, since he believes that Ar-Si is meeting with his brother only to receive from him a revelation that Antoine actually helps teamwork. Initially, this is true, but ultimately, it throws a sensational article.

The rest of the team begins to have concerns about how Antoine helps them in games. They quarrel with Kenny about this, and Luther LaSell, after the ball thrown with the help of Antoine, tells Kenny: "He was disrespectful in life and became even worse, like a dead man." Kenny tells his brother about this, which makes him furious and in a fit he smashes the locker room. Calmed down, Antoine tells Kenny that he never wanted to leave, because he had plans and things he wanted to do. Kenny tells the team that he wants Antoine to stay because he does not want to lose his brother again. However, in the Final Four against Georgetown , Antoine seriously injures their leader and close friend Kenny, Jerrod Smith (Flex Alexander). Ar-C comes to watch Kenny visit the player in the hospital, knowing that this is because of Antoine, since she discovered his spirit in the video of the game. She tells Kenny that, despite the fact that Antoine is dead, Kenny still allows him to win with the help of his life, to which he replies that she does not understand how hard it was for him to live his life without a brother. ARC understands, but says that Kenny will never really live unless he releases Antoine. After which, Kenny tells Antoine not to interfere during the game, otherwise they will voluntarily withdraw from the championship. Frustrated Antoine remains nearby, but does not participate in the game.

The team plays poorly in the first half of the final match. During the break, Kenny makes a speech to start a team, telling them that Antoine is still with them - in their hearts. The coach is glad that Kenny has finally become a leader, as he wanted, and Antoine in tears is proud of his brother. The team in the second half begins to catch up with rivals. Kenny makes a long throw in the last seconds of the match, which can bring the team victory, Antoine wants to help him, but Kenny asks not to touch the ball and, in the end, he gets into the ring. “Husky" win the championship for the first time. Having finished his work, Antoine returns to Heaven. Kenny stops him to live the last moment with his brother. Antoine tells Kenny that he is proud of him (since he never allowed Kenny to do something on his own), and that he will always be with him, as their father said in childhood. Kenny returns to celebrate with the team, and Antoine goes into the distance under many lights. Coach Pederson sees this and asks Kenny if it was Antoine (“This is our sixth player, right?”), Which Kenny admits to and says: “A and K: To the end!”.

• Marlon Wayans - Kenny Tyler
• Kadim Hardison - Antoine Tyler
• David Paymer - Pederson Trainer
• Michael Michelle - ARC St. John
• Kevin Dunn - Mikulski
• Gary Jones - Hertz
• Lorenzo Orr - Malik Major
• Vladimir Cook - Zigi Khrbachek
• Travis Ford - Danny O` Grady
• Jack Caruletva - Luther LaSell
• Chris Spencer - Jimmy Stubbs
• Kirk Bailey - Trainer Nicholls
• Sandra McClain - Camila Tyler
• Harold Sylvester - James Tyler

In the episodic role, the guy in the bar was played by then-unknown Will Sasso (credited as William Sasso). One of the Haskis players was played by Craig Wayans (a member of the Wayans movie dynasty ). Also in the film there are many basketball cameos (former players, coaches, commentators), such as Dick Vitale, Bill Walton , Brad Nessler, John Thompson, James Bruiser Flint, Nolan Richardson , Jerry Tarkanyan , George Raveling, Billy Packer, Todd Bozeman , Jim Harrick, Chris Marlowe, Lute Olson.

The film was shot in Seattle ( Washington , USA ) and Vancouver ( British Columbia , Canada ) from April 2 to May 17, 1996. ^[2] An estimated budget of $ 11 million. ^[3]

The film was released on March 28, 1997 and grossed $ 4,128,178 in box office receipts on its first weekend and $ 14,772,788 in total. ^[four]

At the Rotten Tomatoes , Sixth Player received a 23% approval rating and an average critical rating of 3.8 / 10 based on 13 reviews. ^[5] Roger Ebert said of the film: “This is another sports“ stencil painting. ” This is a story about a student basketball team that makes it to the NCAA finals with the ghost of their dead star. Do not talk about how predictable it is. Let's talk about how this is unthinkable ... Films like The Sixth Player are an example of first-level thinking in which directors get an easy, obvious idea and are content with it. ” ^[6]

The soundtrack was released on March 25, 1997 by Hollywood Records . He reached number 33 on the Top R & B / Hip-Hop Albums . ^[7]

• The 6th Man on the Internet Movie Database
• Sixth player on the Rotten Tomatoes website
• Sixth Player at Box Office Mojo