Metacritic reviews

Coming on the eve of the 9/11 anniversary, this snapshot of middle America is a worthwhile addition to the cultural conversation.

Fordson, however, does not condemn the United States. It rather proudly affirms the American dream, reclaiming it for Muslims who see no conflict between their patriotism and their faith.

For most of its running time, Fordson wanders far from the gridiron to offer overall impressions of a close-knit community of Arab-Americans who, in the wake of 9/11, often have found themselves targeted and stereotyped as militant Islamists or worse.

Thankfully, the kids' complicated impulses resist such packaging, whether they're catcalling head-scarved co-eds outside the local gas station or channeling racial resentments into extra hard hits.

The biggest travesty isn't that the movie fails to stir "Rudy"-caliber emotions. It's that there was a meaningful story hiding behind the guise of a less serious genre.

In the documentary, the game is a make-believe war of pent-up frustrations linking race, nation, and manhood, one which teenage boys named Mohamed can actually win.