12 Mighty Orphans

12 Mighty Orphans is inspired by true events. I don't know if it was accurate or not but the movie is certainly entertaining and enjoyable to watch. You don't necessarily have to be a football (American Football that is) fan to appreciate this movie, although it helps. The cast was well chosen, they all did a good job playing their characters. It's an inspiring story that will touch a fair part of the audience. Not a bad movie on this subject.

Rusty Russell moves his family and takes a job at a home for orphans and learns as much from them of hope, opportunity and family as he ever imagined. Solid family film with plenty of teaching moments.

Triumphant sports stories about underdogs banding together to achieve victory are about as long in the tooth as Jerry Jones. As a trope, they can be an eye-rolling cliché. Done right, with honesty and sincerity, any of that artificial sweetener can be blinked away.

The inspired-by-true-events football movie 12 Mighty Orphans hits every one of those tropes with spectacular two-point conversions but the nobility of the story and the impressive lensing has this one avoiding any fumbles.

Luke Wilson plays coach Russell as the quintessential coach/surrogate father: quiet and thoughtful and totally Ted Lasso positive. The remainder of the cast is ably filled out by Martin Sheen reprising his role of President Bartlet, Wayne Knight as the deliberately-bad baddie, and a host of character actor and familiar faces like Treat Williams, Ron White, and a-blink-and-you'll-miss-him Robert Duvall.

Based on a book by Jim Dent, the story is stirring and serious enough to rise above the usual sports rhetoric.

This is a feel good movie, a movie that ups your spirit and inspires you never to give up in tough and dejected times. This is probably a story that most people haven't heard of and the fact that it brought hope to a nation during the great depression.... I'm very glad it's now on big screen. Great direction of wonderful characters most of which I've never seen and I really admired their performances in this movie. This is a must watch movie to appreciate where most of the things we know or teach originated from.... not forgetting this movie has one of the best inspirational quotes told in a story.

This is a mostly true, historically based story. Ft Worth Texas, late 1930s, families still suffering from the Great Depression, some were orphaned because of that. A new teacher and coach shows up, former athlete and WW1 hero, decides that playing high school football will help the boys cope with their somewhat hopeless situations. It seems that none of them knew how to play.

Some details were changed for dramatic effect but the movie is mostly accurate. Several of the boys went on to college and even pro football careers. Luke Wilson, himself a Texan, is good as the coach.

My wife and I watched it at home on DVD from our public library. We found it worthwhile.