Review by Memphis Soccer Mom
Nashville screenwriter and filmmaker Dave Christiano obviously did not select the subject of his newest movie REMEMBER THE GOAL on the popularity of meta-tags. He has courageously embraced perhaps the least well-known and least popular team sport in high schools, and written a script about something that barely existed forty years ago in America: a girl's high school sports team. It opened on screens Friday, Aug 26, trailing the Rio Summer Olympics.
Runners everywhere may have to tie on their sneakers and do a little cross country jaunt of their own to find one of the select theaters screening it. REMEMBER THE GOAL is showing this week in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee (Bartlett & Nashville), Texas and Auburn, New York. Click on state map to see which theaters at //www.fiveandtwopictures.com/theaters-map/
Though there was one all female sport teams in America in 1866 at the college level, it was not until the Title IX Educational Amendment passed in 1972, with these words: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance", that a revolution of sorts was launched in sports for women.
'In 1972 there were fewer than 32,000 women competing in intercollegiate athletics, according to an Associated Press article. Today more than 110,000 women participate in college sports and the number of female athletes in high school has increased from about 300,000 to 2.13 million. (See //www.pbs.org/pov/trueheartedvixens/timeline/)
The narrative feature takes place on a campus as did favorite films like Good Bye, Mr. Chips (Peter O'Toole-'69), Mr. Holland's Opus (Richard Dreyfuss), and more recently Blind Side (Sandra Bullock). The girls' sport team angle differs from A League of their Own (1992) starring Geena Davis and Tom Hanks in the fictionalized account of the first real (AAGPBL) professional women's baseball league in 1942, as the team in REMEMBER THE GOAL is not historically bound, with big stars giving their names to the production.
The majority of the cast appear to be fresh faces and newcomers. Under the direction of Mr. Christiano, each line is clearly articulated and believable. I was impressed by the minimal distractions from the story line by props, sets, costumes, or irregular camera movements. Each scene had what it needed to work and nothing excessive.
I found the pace steady, deliberate and in keeping with the tag line of the movie, "Cross Country is a lot like Life." This independent filmmaker utilized the beauty of sunlight in nearly all the scenes. Using high quality digital film equipment of the Ari Ultra Primes and Zeiss Super Speeds MK I lenses shot on a 4K Red Epic, the result is a visually stunning movie.
The story line of the movie follows the basic screen formula of a character beset by troubles while trying to reaching a goal. In this case the lead character is a woman, a new coach only a few years older than her students. She has to endure many challenges to her authority which the typical male coach would not. A few subplots provide instructive examples of Christianity at work, the warp and woof of this film's fabric.
The movie raises some interesting discussion points, such as obedience to parents, which is a Biblical teaching. The girls on the cross country team are caught in a bind between following the rules of the coach who is acting in loco parentis, a long honored tradition, and obeying conflicting advice of parents who choose to question this coach's methods. There is no foul language in this movie despite heated arguments.
This is a movie set in the here and now. People have a lot of freedom and have to make choices about how to respond to undesirable situations which come up. But these conflicts are about words and actions, rather than guns, bullets and violent explosions.
While some may question why the coach's did not justify her strategy or brag about previous accomplishments, others may understand that could have placed a heavy burden on the team. The coach makes the decision to let her actions speak for themselves. She obviously embraced teachings about controlling hurtful words or was taught it wasn't her place to argue with or contradict her employer and this belief inspires Coach Smith-Donnelly's reserved, controlled responses during emotionally challenging moments. Again, a discussion point to consider for viewers of this thought-provoking film.
I enjoyed the music in the film. During the final race for the State Title, I would have liked to have seen a boom, or drone view shot from overhead, and a little longer milking of the money shot at the end of the State Meet, perhaps slow motion. But the scene brought me to tears as it was anyway. And everyone knows the budget limitations an independent filmmaker faces, as opposed to the big studios.
This family movie illustrates the verse I Corinthians 10:31, "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God's glory." The film is rated PG by MPAA.
