The Mighty Macs

Many movies today even ones promoted as "family" movies contain such severe hints of innuendo and subtext that parents can hardly be sure if any of them are actually appropriate for their children. This movie gives what even Disney hasn't done in a very long time, and that is offer a film with morals, a message and humor that parents can actually feel good about letting their kids watch. A lot of movies called "kids movies" have PG ratings because of the presence of some crude humor and possibly suggestive behavior. This movie is rated G for a reason and anyone going into this should be aware of that. This rating means there isn't really going to be anything rude or vulgar at all so audiences be aware, if you're looking for something with bad language or innuendo then this movie most likely isn't a good bet.

As I wrote in the review of "McFarland USA" I enjoy always the films based on a true story and specially when the film tells how people give the best of themselves in a sport (Cross-country,basketball, soccer,baseball,etc). That's is the case in "The Mighty Macs" when Cathy Rush will encourage the girls of the Immaculata College to build a team and to fight for a national basketball championship. Basketball is above all a team sport and the film shows the long way of this tiny team towards the glory. Also this film is about friendship, friendship between the nuns and Cathy and friendship between the players and Cthy.

First let me confess, I fell in love with Carla Gugino in the first 'Spy Kids' movie. She is absolutely beautiful and she can act, too!

Here she is Cathy Rush , only 23 and just married. Her husband is an NBA referee thus travels a lot. Cathy had played some basketball but no coaching experience. To give her something to do, rather than just stay home when her husband was on the road, she applied for the girls basketball coaching job at a small Catholic girls college in the Philadelphia area. This is the true story of how she took this rag-tag bunch of girls, taught them principles of achievement, and went on to establish a winning basketball program.

David Boreanaz is her husband, Ed Rush. Pretty Marley Shelton (of 'Pleasantville' fame) is Sister Sunday who is having grave doubts about her vocation, but becomes the assistant coach. Ellen Burstyn is super as the mother superior of the college, Mother St. John .

The DVD also has an interesting extra which includes not only the real Cathy Rush but also some of the members of her early 1970s championship basketball teams.

Aside from just a good story, Cathy Rush and her teams represented the leading wave of the transition from the old style girls basketball (3 forwards and 3 guards, each set only playing half-court) to the new style that we know today.

Good movie!

Edit June 2019: Just watched it again on Amazon streaming, it was just like seeing it fresh, totally enjoyable viewing.

I saw the Mighty Macs in a preview screening tonight, and came away impressed.

First, the themes, or messages, of the movie are good ones. The movie is about a small, cash-strapped girls' school that hires a basketball coach who has visions of greatness. She tries to bring the team around to her vision. So the first theme explored is the theme of staying the course, overcoming obstacles and struggling through adversity. That theme is pretty standard fare for these underdog stories, but it is done well here, and it is all the more resonant because the movie is based on a true story.

The second theme, as I see it, was about the emergence of women in sports and in life in general, and I liked the way that this theme was presented. Nowadays in movies and in the media I often see the raising up of a woman represented by radical cosmetic makeovers or some other reference to external appearance. In the Mighty Macs, the theater actually laughed when they first saw the girls' uniforms. And in one scene, one of the girls on the team who had very little money was called out by someone outside the team for her rundown clothing. Rather than gang up on her, the team rallied to that girl's help. And rather than getting new uniforms so they could be elevated by the clothes, it was the other way around – their inspired play elevated the uniforms, and now the dowdy uniforms are fondly recalled (I know because we got some nice literature from the school at the screening).

Finally, and it's sort of a side note, I liked that there were nuns in the movie, lots of them, and they were not cartoon characters. The movie showed their different personalities; their individuality even amongst their identical appearance, not unlike the team itself. At one point, one of the nuns described her journey toward her vocation, and the treatment of it was entirely respectful. It dignified rather than ridiculed her choice. That should not be remarkable at all, but to me it was, as I almost now expect to see nuns ridiculed.

A fine, fun movie for the whole family.

This is a great film!!!! Take the Family !! This was very similar to what happened in my all girls school that I attended in 1960. My whole family loved this film!! I wish there were more films like this one!! The perseverance of the girls and the Mother Superior and also especially the coach is remarkable.We were moved to tears at times. Why can't Hollywood make more movies like this??? Maybe they will wake up and make some classic movies again. We would go to the movies more often if they would make them like this one. There are some independent film makers out there maybe we will see more of these kind of movies lets hope so!! I will be watching to maybe see some change in our movies.