The Last Champion

My husband chose this one because he loves sports movies, but I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed it. One of the best movies I've seen in years. Excellent drama, and a great overall redemption story. The lead actor who plays the John Wright character gives a heartbreaking performance, he had me in tears at a few parts, and the child actor who plays Michael was terrific. It's a story about a man who makes a mistake in his past, and has the opportunity for a second chance, but he has to first find a way to forgive himself. And the final wrestling match had us on the edge of our seats, and I'm not even a sports person! It gave me chills! Anyway, this is such a great movie I felt like I had to give it a review, because you will love this movie even if you're not a sports person. It's just a very good story, and the kind of movie that they just don't make anymore. I have a feeling this will be on our Christmas watch list every year. Give it a chance, you won't be sorry.

Disgraced former wrestling champ John Wright (Cole Hauser) returns to his hometown. He's an outcast among the town folks. He's back to sell the family home after the death of his mother. Michael Miller is the struggling student wrestler. His mother is a drunk and they are too poor to buy meat. He's caught stealing from the grocery store. When the supportive wrestling coach Frank Stevens dies, John is hired as the new coach.

This filled with emotional melodrama. I would prefer less on-the-nose melodrama. The villains are over-the-top villains. I do appreciate Cole Hauser trying to underplay his performance. It's probably the only way to do his acting in this case. It's good that his personal flaw isn't explained away or passed on to the bad guy. I was half-expecting that the villain had somehow forced John to take the steroids. At its core, this is a very simple story of redemption. Its simplicity is a great strength but it may have contributed to some simplification of the villain characters.

The people involved with the The Last Champion movie trailer should get a A plus plus. !! Incredible job. Editing and music overlay hit a home run. Definitely hit my emotional nerve. Great story....

This is the best movie I've seen in a long time, it touches on so many levels; family, loss, growing pains, addiction, life mistakes...redemption. And even though I didn't want the movie to end, the ending was perfect. 10 stars across the board! Thank you for such a beautiful movie. Happy Holidays!

Honestly this was a great movie with a beautiful story. I've heard people saying it was bad because "it didn't have enough wrestling." Well here's the thing... if you're looking to watch a high school wrestling match, I recommend going down to your local high school to do so, because this isn't what this movie is or is intended to be. This movie is about second chances, redemption, perseverance, and community, and it's portrayed through the use of a high school wrestling team and a former Olympic wrestler.

So if you're into sports related movies and love a good story to go along with it, this movie is for you and I highly recommend.