raleighgranprix

This movie really tells it like it is, I appreciate it as well if the '50s version is made more conservative by being made some decades ago. Someone also said boxing always looks better in black and white, perhaps the same can be said for baseball. Really a lot here to think about, I don't think much is left for our imagination really. Back when it was made, it was a bold undertaking. It's timeless as well. I really do feel it gives a good feel for one undergoing mental problems as well as the relationship to the father. The nature of this film is not limited to appeal to baseball fans. It is more like baseball is a backdrop and an allegory that many of us can relate to.

Simply put, I like this movie because it really, really does give one a feel for the 'old time' game... and in fact, showing actual games might have taken away from the story line. I know we get that in movies like Goal but in one of the best Soccer/Football movies ever, The Damned United, it is kept at a minimum. Besides that, a lot of people praise The Damned United but that movie in the end is based very loosely on the David Peace book, a work of fiction to begin with, the movie was a great improvement on the book.

Those who enjoy reading about soccer/football in the old days like the William Hill sports book of the year; "My father and other working class heroes" or books on Sirs Tom Finney or Stanley Matthews most likely will find this movie very entertaining. And I have to say, it is a quite moving and introspective motion picture as well, a bit more of a somber movie. Perhaps a parallel to an American sports movie might be to compare it to the great "Fear strikes out" where the sport itself is a bit secondary to the plot. I'm not a Manchester United fan at all, but with this movie, I could envision other soccer/football movies that might not always be following the "Team overcomes great odds and wins" i.e. "Rocky" formula.

Years ago, there use to be a dramatic Christian TV show called 'Faith for today', having seen it makes me think that these kinds of new movies are a bit of a modern version of that genre, dramatic Christian programming while at the same time, I have to say, it is not 'overtly' Christian in it's message vs. in comparison say 'Facing the Giants' but only in that Wake Forest is a Christian University, the "Deacs", Demon Deacons. Also in one scene in the Abbate household, I believe one might see a cross on the wall but even that seems a bit unfocused in the background and then, there is a short part in the Church but no "Bible Thumping" by any means.

One should not be expecting a Hollywood production. You have to think outside the box. The movie has a message and in the end is moving and does recount that story well. The football action is fairly well done when it shows games. I give it 6 stars as being on the plus side of average. For a "football movie", I'd rate it as about 7 stars actually, interesting when you think of Wake Forest as I do as mainly a basketball power which they are vs. football. It may not be 'Brian's song' or 'The Knute Rockne story' but it might be slightly reminiscent of the feel of those movies and I would think of it as being more along the lines of 'We are Marshall.' It's definitely worth a try. Yeah and parts of it do make me a bit teary eyed. Also, from a sports angle, the parts with South African trainer Steve Uria are good, it makes me think of some of the real exercise parts of the movie 'Hoosiers.' Honestly, if you are into sports, the exercise portions may be something you want to try for yourself. Wake Forest is more famous for it's basketball teams, even at the football game, I saw some of the student supporters jumping up and down which is something I tend to see all the time watching basketball games of some Universities like, I've got to say it, Duke University. So, in the final analysis, I think there is quite a bit to this movie and it is worth watching.