The Replacements revolutionized rock music for the 1980s and became an angsty voice for the disenfranchised members of Generation X with their music. With their hard rock sound and their self-deprecating lyrics, The Replacements were an early indication of what pop culture would be in the ’90s.
Because of their emotionally charged lyrics, their music has been put to good use as underscore for many films and televisions shows. From modern shows like Ted Lasso to classic comedies like Say Anything, the Replacements have proven to be a versatile musical act on both the big and small screen.
Tanner Hall (2009)
The Replacements are the perfect soundtrack for a great modern coming-of-age story, and Tanner Hall utilized its music perfectly. The film follows the coming-of-age of four different girls who all attend a boarding school in a run-down New England town.
“Kiss Me on the Bus” is The Replacements’ attempt at a love song, with an appropriate amount of hard rock flair. The song features lyrics with evocations of school through its references to a bus ride, this imagery matches perfectly with the film’s scholastic environment. Like the song, the film focuses on small, private moments between characters as well as budding sexuality.
Prozac Nation (2001)
Generally considered one of Christina Ricci’s best movies, Prozac Nation offered a hard look at the younger generation of the time. The film follows a talented high school student who hopes to pursue a career in journalism. Torn between her career and difficult home life, she turns to the drug Prozac but soon finds that it is running her life.
The character’s area of study is rock journalism, and considering the fact that the film takes place in 1985, it was only natural that The Replacements would appear. Their hard rock classic “I Will Dare” is featured prominently in the film and acts as a statement of the main character’s intentions. The song, like the film, is a statement of reclaiming one’s life from outside forces.
Saved! (2004)
Though The Replacements produced a lot of hard rocking classics, they were also known to have a softer side as well. Saved! is the story of a squeaky clean high school student who is ostracized by her entire friend group when she become pregnant.
“Skyway” is a thoughtful ballad framed around public transportation. The narrator sings about a nearly angelic woman who seems to be above the dirt and grime of the rest of the world. Like the main character of Saved! the character being serenaded is flawed, though it merely makes her more human and relatable.
Young Adult (2011)
The richness of The Replacement’s songs is often overshadowed by their hard rock sound, but Young Adult featured a song that perfectly mirrored the story of the film. The story follows a fiction writer who finds her career falling apart and her love life stalled. She returns to her small home town in an attempt to rekindle an old flame.
“Achin’ to Be” is a song about an abstract woman who suffers from being horribly misunderstood by the world around her. While the main character of Young Adult comes off as standoffish, she is merely struggling to be understood by a world that thinks they know her. Like most of Ivan Reitman’s best films, Young Adult is an intimate portrait of its main character.
Ted Lasso (2020-Present)
Though the series features a lot of catchy music, occasionally a rare b-side slips into the rotation on Ted Lasso. The show tells the story of an American football coach who is hired to turn around an extremely downtrodden English soccer team.
The episode “Beard After Hours” focuses on one of the show’s most likable characters as he spends a night on the town trying to deal with a playoff loss. The song “Nightclub Jitters” is certainly not one of The Replacements’ most well known songs, but it fits the episode well. Like Coach Beard, the narrator of the song is dealing with pressure to succeed at their job. In a way, the narrator’s stage fright is a lot like Beard’s own personal journey as a coach.
Jerry Maguire (1996)
Few films have had as packed a soundtrack as Jerry Maguire. The film follows a sports agent who has a crises of morals and decides to go into business for himself. With only one high profile client and a mountain of competition to overcome, Jerry hopes to become successful in his field while also adhering to his moral code.
Featuring music from artists like Bruce Springsteen, Jerry Maguire is filled with classic tunes. The Replacements’ “I’ll Be You” features prominently in the film and is more than just a memorable song for listeners to enjoy. The narrator of the song feels like the world is crashing around him and the only thing that keeps him going is his relationship. In a lot of ways, Dorothy and Jerry’s relationship is the anchor that keeps him going through his difficult journey.
Airheads (1994)
Though extremely popular within music circles, The Replacements found a much larger audience when their music appeared in popular films and TV shows. The film Airheads is the story of a trio of rock musicians who hold a radio station hostage in hopes of getting their demo tape played on the air.
Though the film is a raucous comedy, it also features a morose low point in which the characters seem hopeless. To underscore the scene, “Unsatisfied” by The Replacements is used to absolute perfection. The song not only captures the sad mood of the moment but also sums of the entire emotional state of the characters themselves–disenfranchised by a world that doesn’t care about them.
Can’t Hardly Wait (1998)
Occasionally, a song is so dynamic and inspirational that it shares a name with the film it is underscoring. Can’t Hardly Wait is the story of an entire graduating class of high school seniors who gather for one last raging party before they go their separate ways after school ends.
“Can’t Hardly Wait” is a song that had its name lifted for the movie, and it is an appropriate parallel to the story. The narrator of the song sings about his hopes for the coming future and how impossibly strange it all will be. Like the students who can’t wait for their lives to begin, the narrator of the song can’t wait for his life to improve.
Say Anything (1989)
While The Replacements found much success in the years after their run as a group, a few films got on the bandwagon early. Say Anything is the story of a love affair between two diametrically opposed high school students. One is the class valedictorian and the other is chronic underachiever from a broken home.
Acting as a mirror to the main character’s own emotions, the song “Within Your Reach” is a reflection of his nihilistic outlook on life. The only thing that keeps both the character and the narrator of the song going is the love of another. Though simplistic in its composition, the song stands strong behind its charged lyrics.
Adventureland (2009)
Though it was made years later, Adventureland perfectly captured the angsty mood of the time period that it takes place in. The film follows a recent college graduate who takes a dead-end job at an amusement park over a summer and learns a lot about himself and his future.
Capturing the restless angst of Gen-X, Adventureland has a rich soundtrack filled with classic tunes from its late 1980s era. Several songs from The Replacements are featured in the film but “Bastards of Young” perhaps stands out the most. If any song captured the thesis of The Replacements, it’s their lamentation of hopeless youth and dour futures in “Bastards of Young”. Within the film, the song speaks where the main character can’t, and is a scream of angst for a character who can merely whisper his rage.
