12 Mighty Orphans

The story in "12 Mighty Orphans" is true....or at least mostly true. But like so many other films based on true stories, huge liberties were taken here and there to make the story more cinematic. So, while it is true that the orphans' home did field a team with only 12 players and they EVENTUALLY were champion calliber, much of the timeline has been condensed and things 'adjusted' (Franklin Roosevelt never had any involvement in the story and there was no evil rival coach).

If you look past the changes as well as a couple cliches typical of sports films, the story still is inspirational and fascinating. I just wish films presented exactly what happened...warts and all. But despite this, the film still makes a nice family inspirational picture.

Those looking for an entertaining movie will find that in "12 Mighty Orphans", but only if you accept the liberties taken with the timeline. The movie portrays Rusty Russell arriving at the Masonic Home in 1938, putting together a football team and leading to an apperance in the state championship that season. In reality Coach Russell arrived at the Masonic Home in 1926. He built the program into a quality outfit that reached the state championship game against Corsicana in 1932. That game ended in a scoreless draw with the state title awarded to Corsicana in the tie breaking system of penetrations inside the opponents 20 yard line. My guess is producers opted to take liberties with the timeline in order to insert President Franklin Delano Roosevelt into the story. In reality Coach Russell and his Mighty Mites made their only state championship apperance before FDR took over the White House. The movie is well worth watching. Stay seated to read the closing credits that complete the story. Then go back and research the rest of the story about the Masonic Home and the extraordinary circumstances of those young men and women who called the place their home.

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.

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.