Directed by:
McGScreenplay:
Jamie LindenCinematography:
Shane HurlbutComposer:
Christophe BeckCast:
Matthew McConaughey, Matthew Fox, Anthony Mackie, David Strathairn, Ian McShane, Kate Mara, January Jones, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Arlen Escarpeta (more)Plots(1)
Football is a game that knocks you down, then expects you to get back up. Life hit the West Virginia town of Huntington and its Marshall University even harder. When it did, Jack Lengyel came by to help pull them onto their feet by taking the job no one wanted: rebuilding the Marshall football program only months after a plane crash wiped out Marshall's beloved Thundering Herd. Matthew McConaughey portrays Lengyel, the energetic, compassionate coach of inexperienced players whose chances of victory are slim and none. They'll go with the slim. And as they do, their true-life story of heart, healing, and football will thrill and inspire you. It's game day. Time to play till the whistle blows! (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (1)
The sympathetic ode to American football works thanks to three things. Matthew Fox's brilliantly sad face, Matthew McConaughey's enthusiastic expression, and McG's music video-esque and inventive direction, which fits perfectly with the genre. Unfortunately, the screenplay is just a collection of clichés, where sad survivors utter suffering life wisdom ("Do you know I was baptized right here in Ohio?"), matches are won in the last second, and everyone who didn't want Marshall to try to return to the football carousel will eventually soften. The viewer won't find a single surprising moment here, but with the touching music in the background, those two hours will pass calmly.
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