Facing the Giants

Okay I understand this a preachy and churchy movie , but what y'all need to understand from it's even if you don't believe in god you can stil have "faith" and dedicate toward a goal, like actually do what you need to do with the mindset that things will work it out, because hard work and discipline make a difference, think about it. The coach got "rewarded" because people acknowledged him and his efforts, and if you grew up on a church family you relate a lot. Also really good acting, allowing the emotions to flow through the screen.

The movie was well worth my time. I would encourage anyone who is looking for a good uplifting movie to check this one out. the characters are easy to relate to and the underlying story is very heartwarming. If you are having a bad day, or even if you are having a good day, this would be a great film. I left the movie feeling uplifted and full of hope!! The spirit of the movie is a bit reminiscent of "Pay It Forward". One word of warning, although the film does make you laugh in parts, you will need to bring your own box of tissues. After watching the film, I found out that the film was shot with only 1 camera. I honestly did not notice while watching the movie. everyone should be able to find a part of themselves in at least one of the main characters.

Make no mistake, this is not a polished Hollywood product. All of the actors are novices. The story is neatly packaged, but so what.

The thing that comes out of this film is the people playing the characters are real. I don't mean their performances are necessarily the greatest, but they are real in how they present the material.

There are too few films out there like this that are specifically intended to be for the Christian community. Nothing wrong with that. Films are allowed to imbue the filmmaker's belief's all the time. Funny that is an issue when it comes to Christianity.

Everyone here puts everything they have into this film and it shows. The leads are the better actors, rightfully so, and they bring an air of authenticity to their roles.

For the most part, the games are shot very well. There are instances when the action looks staged, but for the most part it is nicely done. The locations are all authentic south, as well they should be. Everyone has a real southern accent, not overly done Hollywood take on it. The story is not complex and it doesn't take a great sleuth to know all will be right in the end. But then again, that is the intended message; through God all things are possible.

I highly recommend this film to any youth director looking to show a film to their youth.

There are enough things wrong with this movie that I should rate it a 2 but I love this movie so much I can overlook the flaws very easily. I've seen it so many times I've now lost count. First, what's wrong with this movie.

1.) With the exception of the main character, there are very few women in the picture. Grant Taylor has a wife, there is a teacher and there also is a clinic featuring 2 women but other than that, none of the boys seem to have a mother. Matt has a father as does David but neither boy has a "mom," although David's father does wear a wedding ring. A small point but a mighty one.

2.) The African-American coach is one step above "Steppin Fetchit" or "Amos & Andy." He talks in a rather lazy fashion and seems a little bit slow although he isn't. When he gives David a "unique" way of remembering how to get the ball in between the goal posts or when he keeps up with Larry, his coaching partner, in a game of one-upsmanship of famous names, you see how intelligent he is but for much of the movie, he seems to be a bit of a doofus. In this day and age of political correctness, it's NOT a good idea to portray an African-American character as slow or dim-witted.

3.) Coach Taylor's hair. C'mon, guys, you could have done better with the front of his hair than what we see. It makes the coach look stupid, dorky - kind of like a Jim Carrey character.

Now, what's Right about this movie:

1.) God. There is lots of "God Talk" in this movie and I don't mind. This is a fundamentalist Christian view of God and may seem somewhat simplistic but it works, at least in this movie. Too bad real life isn't that easy (trust God and you'll get what you want). I'm Roman Catholic but I found the "God parts" very inspirational, although somewhat hokey at times. 2.) The acting. While it's not Laurence Olivier in "Hamlet," you really believe Alex Kendrick as Coach Taylor and Shannen Field as Brooke. Some scenes are heartbreaking and others are very funny. But all in all, it's a delightful pairing of 2 obvious believers. 3.) Let's face it, some of those young football players are CUTE, especially David and Zach. Clean-cut, with short hair and decent clothes (David even wears a tie to the final game!) without looking like nerds or geeks. That's refreshing.

All in all, I love this movie. Ii'm not a football fanatic and so I fast-forward some of those scenes. Other readers have pointed out football mistakes; I wouldn't know and I really don't care. To me, this movie isn't so much about football as it is about faith. It would be far worse if the mistakes were in faith instead of football. When I find myself feeling down and this movie is on, I watch it and I'm immediately uplifted. There aren't too many movies that can say that. And I doubt this movie will ever air on network television --- too much religion - GOD FORBID. That's a shame, though, because it's an uplifting, inspiring movie and many young people would benefit from watching it.

Well, this movie was a shock to see and to hear. Among the thousands of mainline films I have watched over many years, this is the first I've seen with a modern-day story that was unapologetically Christian. It actually used Jesus and God's name as you would hear in a sermon in church. Of course, the fact that "Hollywood" didn't make this film is understandable; it was produced, directed, written, etc., by a Baptist church in Georgia.

But - surprise - it's available in good quantities at the video stores and actually has the production values of a big-budget Hollywood film. In other words, this looks nice and, for the most part, is adequately acted even though amateurs do the acting. The only one I thought sounded wooden, unfortunately, was Alex Kendrick playing the main character: coach Grant Taylor, the Shiloh Christian High School football coach. Kendrik directed and wrote this film, so kudos to him for all that wonderful work....but an actor, he ain't. Real-life University of Georgia football coach Mark Richt makes a guest appearance and he sounded very relaxed and convincing, as a professional actor would sound. They should have given Richt the main role!

Yes, the story is hokey, especially at the end at the last football game, but what Hollywood movie isn't? It's just a little far-fetched to anyone who knows football. At any rate, the action scenes were well-done and very realistic looking.

To see a movie with this many inspirational and profound Biblical statements was a "revelation" and really nice to see (hear). Hokey or not, there are several moments in this film that should drive most viewers to tears. If not, check your pulse.

The main message of the movie: "All things are possible with God," is a good one and one everyone, including Christians, need to be reminded of periodically. Secular people who don't want to hear anything positive about God or the Bible, or who are just plain biased against Christians, will hate this film and wouldn't last 30 minutes watching it. I have a very good friend who is in that category and I couldn't recommend the film to him, because he'd be in the bathroom puking his guts out after a half hour. However, if you are more tolerant, or are a follower Of Jesus Christ, then you will find this film inspiring and emotional and worth your time.