History Film / LittleGiants

* DidNotThinkThisThrough: Danny thought he could keep Spike and his Dad from finding out he's not the "Coach O'Shea" they're looking for. All Kevin has to do is show up to expose the ruse.

!!Tropes evident in ''Little Giants'' include:

* OlderThanTheyLook: Spike is ten years old but is a foot taller than his teammates and looks like he's almost in high school.

** During one point in the game, Becky knows that the Cowboys are going to give the ball to Spike, and makes a last second call to properly defend against it. The look on Kevin’s face is priceless.

** At the end of the film on the game's final play, Spike's worrid reaction after he celebrates tackling Becky, only for her to reveal the truth to him.

* HesBack: With Kevin’s convincing, Becky drops out of the team and becomes a cheerleader, hoping to impress Junior, which almost everyone, including Junior himself, calls her out on. It isn’t until [[spoiler:Spike purposefully injures Junior to get him out of the game]] that she throws down her pom-poms, goes into the locker room, and comes back out in her football gear.

* TenMinuteRetirement: Becky decides to quit football and become a cheerleader in the hope that Junior will like her better that way. She comes back [[spoiler:when Spike [[UnnecessaryRoughness hits Junior after the whistle.]]]]

'''Kevin''': That's no cheerleader. That's my niece, Becky. She's pissed.

-->'''Spike:''' No mercy!\\

* ChickMagnet: Devon Sawa's character Junior Floyd attracts every girl in this film, allegedly even the older ones. Becky becomes a cheerleader, thinking he'll notice her more.

* ShoutOut: Kevin uses [[Franchise/ArchieComics Veronica and Archie]] as a reference to answer a question from Becky.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Kevin seems to teeter on this throughout the movie, especially where Becky is concerned.
-->'''Becky:''' Hey, Uncle Kev?\\
'''Kevin:''' What?\\
'''Becky:''' Do you think I'm pretty?\\
'''Kevin:''' (Matter-of-factly) No.\\
'''Becky:''' (Frowns)\\
'''Kevin:''' (Smiles; just as matter-of-factly) I think you're beautiful.\\
'''Becky:''' (Smiles)

When Kevin begins starting a pee-wee football team, he cuts several underperforming kids, including Danny's daughter Becky O'Shea (Shawna Waldron). When the Cowboys try to bully the underdogs, Becky comes to their rescue and improvises the taught that [[StartMyOwn they're forming their own team]], coached by her dad. While both Danny and Kevin are incredulous at the idea, Kevin's condescension gets to Danny, and he and Becky decide to actually do it. However, league rules state a town can only have one team, so the two agree for their teams, Kevin's Cowboys and Danny's Little Giants, to play a game to decide who shall be the town's official team.

* HateSink: The Hammersmiths. Spike is a JerkJock who insults his teammates to their faces and is openly sexist to Becky because she's a girl, and his father is exactly the same way and is proud of how his son is turning out, talking him up like some sort of football TykeBomb that he's trained to be a football player since before Spike could walk. And they stoop to purposefully injuring Junior to secure their win, something that infuriates even Kevin.

-->'''Becky:''' Hey, Uncle Kev?
-->'''Kevin:''' What?
-->'''Becky:''' Do you think I'm pretty?
-->'''Kevin:''' (Matter-of-factly) No.
-->'''Becky:''' (Frowns)
-->'''Kevin:''' (Smiles; just as matter-of-factly) I think you're beautiful.
-->'''Becky:''' (Smiles)

* OhCrap: When Junior Floyd is injured by a underhanded hit from Spike, she drops her pom poms, dons a uniform and joins in to replace him. Then we see Kevin with this reaction.
--> '''Spike's Dad''': Whats that cheerleader doing with a helmet on?\\

-->'''Spike:''' No mercy!
-->'''Becky:''' No ball.
* OneOfTheBoys - Becky "The Icebox" O'Shea is the only girl at the tryouts. She later laments this status when she thinks it makes her unattractive.

* OrderedToCheat: Spike's dad tells his son to take Junior out. He does after the whistle, only getting a 15 yard penalty for it (and no ejection). Kevin O'Shea [[EvenEvilHasStandards severely dresses down Spike's dad]] afterwards. Kevin points out to Spike's dad as soon as Becky walks on the field that she's pissed because of that.

* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: A {{tomboy}}, a black kid who can't catch, a chessplayer, and a boy that dresses like a cowboy are amoung the members of the Giants team.

* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Becky goes on this against Spike after Junior is injured.

* TenMinuteRetirement: Becky decides to quit football and become a cheerleader in the hope that Junior will like her better that way. She comes back when Spike [[UnnecessaryRoughness hits Junior after the whistle.]]

* UnnecessaryRoughness: The officials seemed to do little but whistle plays dead, with the only penalty in the game the late hit on Junior. Many holding and facemask penalties went uncalled against the Giants throughout the game. An example would be that Zoltec's {{Fartillery}} would constitute a false start, and the "acid indigestion" pills would pull an Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty.

* KavorkaMan: Danny manages to attract a wife hot enough to birth Becky ''and'' Patty Floyd all while operating a failing service station, being rather plain looking, and also very short.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: While Kevin O'Shea certainly isn't evil (more just a bit of an arrogant jerk), we see that even though he wants to win the big game, he wants to do so fair and square and calls out Spike's father on his actions.

This is the story of two brothers, Kevin (O'Neill) and Danny (Moranis) O'Shea. One was blessed with the kind of raw football talent given to those who were born to bask in gridiron glory. The other... not so much. As the two grew up and made families of their own, Danny stood in the shadow of the pedestal the residents of their hometown had placed upon Kevin.

That all changed one day when Danny's daughter, Becky O'Shea (Shawna Waldron) wanted to try out for the local pee-wee football team, the Cowboys, coached by her uncle Kevin. Unfortunately, despite the fact that she is often acknowledged as the best player in the entire town, she is passed over simply because...she's a girl. Not wanting to back down, she [[StartMyOwn proceeds to form her own football team with the other kids not deemed good enough to make the Pee Wee Cowboys team]]. They manage to get Danny as their head coach and name themselves "The Little Giants". Inevitably, they go up against the Cowboys in a game to decide which team gets to stay as the town's correspondent in the Pee Wee League as two teams can't play from the same town.

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: If not for Spike hitting Junior, Becky wouldn't have returned to the Giants. He even ''taunted'' her moments after the deed was done.

No relation to the Creator/AbbottAndCostello film ''Little Giant'', nor with anyone from ''Manga/{{Haikyuu}}'', or the trope LargeRunt.

No relation to the Creator/AbbottAndCostello film ''Little Giant''.

** The Giants get one when Becky walks into the locker room in her cheerleader outfit.
** And an amusing one when Jake's mom walks him in when they're trying on the football gear.
** And at the end of the film on the game's final play, Spike's reaction after he celebrates tackling Becky, only for her to reveal the truth to him.

* SicklyNeuroticGeek: Jake's status as this is made worse by his [[MyBelovedSmother overprotective mother]]. Nubie is perfectly healthy and both geeks have a role in the final play of the game: Nubie draws it up (With John Madden's help) and Jake [[spoiler:scores the touchdown off of it]].

* WhenYouComingHomeDad: Johnny's dad is often away on business. When Danny sees him arrive at the big game, he calls a play featuring Johnny. Johnny delivers "a brilliant piece of running", right into his father's arms.

* UnderdogsNeverLose: [[spoiler: Come back from a 21-0 halftime defeat? Yes.]]
* UnnecessaryRoughness: The officials seemed to do little but whistle plays dead, with the only penalty in the game the late hit on Junior. Many holding and facemask penalties went uncalled against the Giants throughout the game. An example would be that Zoltec's {{Fartillery}} would constitute a false start, and the "acid indigestion" pills would pull an Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty.