Football: A Woman's Guide

So, you think that a Hail Mary is an opening to a Catholic prayer, assume that "backfield in motion" is a disco dance, and are constantly confused when your pet lummox (partner/spouse) says "there's only 3 minutes left in the game" (but is still sitting there screaming a half-hour later)? Welcome to the wonderful world of armchair football, a decidedly interactive sport. Using a hypothetical scenario involving a game between the "Hugs" and the "Kisses," writer-director Rebecca Ayers takes female viewers through the admittedly semi-complex rules of the game, basic offensive and defensive positions and strategies, scoring possibilities, and penalties, relying on such easily understandable analogies as...uh...shopping in a mall. Although some ladies will find this a tad condescending and rather too cute by half, the biggest drawback here is not the tone, but the fact that not one single frame of football action is shown throughout the entire video (granted, NFL footage is probably not cheap; still, you don't make a birdwatching video and neglect to show any birds). Better arranged than Pink Side of Sports: Football (VL-5/89) and A Spectator's Guide To Football (VL-1/92), but still not quite the ne plus ultra of football guides for women (or, for that matter, men). Optional. (R. Pitman)