I caught APPLE PIE on ESPN and, as an avid ESPN viewer, thought that this film was unusual because it did not focus, as most sports films do, on statistics, career highlights, and pure athletic achievement. Instead, this film focused on the influence of mothers on their sons and daughters and lessons taught early on. Many of these athletes, who include some of the best athletes on the planet (Shaquille O'Neal, Mia Hamm, Grant Hill, Drew Bledsoe as well as a number of Olympic athletes) failed miserably early in their careers, either on the field or off. And it was often their mothers who helped them to overcome obstacles, who encouraged them to day dream, and who cheered them on when they lost. The movie is moving, but also very funny. Shaq teaches his mother how to ride a Harley and she teaches him run-way model posses. The film is also emotional and poignant. Erik Weihenmayer, the blind climber who climbed Mount Everest reflects on the loss of his mother. He says that he can't find her when he visits her grave. Instead he finds her in the crunch of show under his feet, in the warmth of the rock he climbs, and in the wind. This film is a wonderful piece of work. I was very moved.
