Road to Victory

My husband and I had the opportunity to catch this truly remarkable independent film at the Sacramento Film and Music Festival this past weekend.

We haven't stopped talking about it since then. I'm going to go first and then he gets his turn but we both agree this is film is quite special. From a female perspective I found it erotic, fascinating, and the subject matter so well handled that when the end credits rolled and the audience thumped their hands together I felt as if I had personally been on a journey with the main characters. Their acting was sheer brilliance and the story line is probably one Hollywood won't touch unless Allan Ball's name is attached to it but it's about time somebody got around to tackling this subject matter. The story is so thought provoking and so gently handled that I can't imagine this film staying simply on the festival circuit much longer, it should be given a broader audience. Looking around at other females in the audience I was stunned to see that their reactions seemed to mirror mine. I absolutely refuse to give away the ending, but from the middle of the movie until the credits roll this film just builds and builds. Furthermore, my husband and I are still arguing over a few questions the film deliberately doesn't answer! You will however, walk out of the theatre waiting for this film to hit the big screen so you can see this special treat again.

Now to my hubby's turn...

The storyline was extremely thought provoking and actually brings the viewer into the film to the point where I felt I was actually a part of it and experiencing the same things as the lead actor. We've all had tough decisions to make in life but maybe few of us men have had to experience the decisions presented in this film. First timers Mike Reilly and Julia Anderson are superb in their roles. Cinematically the use of voice over narrative, black and white and what appears to be some home video all complement a very professionally filmed piece. I'm eager to see some more of this new film maker's work in the future. I would encourage every father to see this film, especially if their son, regardless of age, participates in a contact sport.

I saw this film with my entire family at the Village D-Cinema in Lisbon. Some scenes are tough to watch sitting next to parents. I liked how the movie didn't try to make the main character seem like Superman. He was just trying to be good at being a football player but it screwed up his life. I expected him to win the Superbowl in the end, but the movie had a very serious feel to it.

Given how important family was to the film, the end made the other scenes that were uncomfortable to watch because of sexual stuff worth it. The football scenes were also good, and the strip club scenes were cool too, but it would have been better to see more naked girls.

I talked about this film to my friends a lot afterward, and I think I liked the film even better once I'd had a chance to think about it some more. I am looking forward to seeing it again, and hopefully showing other people so I can hear their opinions.

This is such a good movie! OK, this has got to be the most realistic relationship movie I have ever seen. I kept changing my mind about the couple the entire way through the movie. Sometimes I liked them, and then I thought they were horrible, and I wanted them to break up, and then I wanted them to stay together but thought they would break up, and then the ending was so sad, but it had this note of hope to it. I did not like the strip club stuff. I hate the way women degrade themselves for money or power over men, but I know they do it, and in this case, it totally fit the main character, Anna, who I just wanted to shake some sense into!

The other main character, Elliot, made me cry a couple of times. I just wanted to be there for him, but in real life I probably would have been too scared because he was so strong, and even when he was quiet, you could tell how angry he was.

I hope I never have a relationship like this, where we're mean to each other because we too insecure to know what to say.

I think that a lot of young couples should see this movie.

Saw this film at ReelHeart Film Fest with my boyfriend. We both liked this film, but for totally different reasons. He liked because he was an athlete in high school, and a little bit in college, so he completely identified with the main character. I thought it was more of a relationship film, which showed some of the realistic difficulties couples go through.

Given what the film is about (sexual dysfunction), some of the scenes were really tough to watch, but at the end of the film, we ended up walking out of the theatre hand in hand, not really saying much, but just thinking about the film.

I think this film would be good for couples to watch, especially young couples, or even old couples who find themselves going through a tough time. We talk about the film sometimes, and how what we saw relates to us (not that my boyfriend has ED!), but more how sometimes we fight because we're too proud to say that we're hurt. I don't consider myself a movie critic, but I liked this film for its message, and how I felt after I saw it.

I love chick flicks, and I don't apologize. So, I thought this would be a great way to break in my new boyfriend at the Sac Film and Music festival. However, this time, I didn't have to listen to him complain about the fact that I'd made him sit through a "chick flick." Instead, the contents of the movie lead to a rather honest discussion about our past relationships. In particular, some of the things that we'd said to someone we cared about that we wished we hadn't, and some of the things that had been said to us that we wish someone else hadn't.

I think what this movie really captured was the level of honesty so many "real-life" couples claim that they want. But the movie really did a good job of showing how damaging it can actually be to someone you care about if you just speak your mind, because the fact is that no-one is perfect, and if you decide to hammer on someone for their flaws, it's only a matter of time before they throw yours right back in your face.

This movie was different, in that the couple was drawn together by pain, and not some stupid Hollywood cute moment or childhood dream of Mr. or Ms. Perfect. It was something I could relate to, and it made me empathize with these messed up characters in messed up circumstances much more than the most of the chick flicks I usually love so much. I constantly wanted to believe that if i was in these characters circumstances that I would do a better job of handling it, but when my boyfriend and I started talking about the film afterward, we both started defending the other character's actions, him the male lead, and me the female lead, and I really had to wonder if I really would have reacted differently than these characters.

I dunno...I enjoyed this movie, but even more so, it really made me think. It's one of the few chick flicks that's for both girls and guys.