When the Game Stands Tall

Before I review the movie proper, let me just mention how pleasantly surprised my movie theatre-working friend was in seeing LSU football coach Les Miles as an audience member in the beginning of the movie with lines, to boot! I wasn't as surprised since I knew about it having read about his appearance in last Friday's review-by John Wirt-in the Red section of our town paper, The Advocate. All right, we both loved the various plays as depicted on screen of the games and were touched by many of the dramatic scenes of many of the teammates outside of the game. Oh, and the filmmakers did a good job of disguising New Orleans as a California town, too. I really don't have anything else to say except I recommend When the Game Stands Tall.

Bob Ladouceur (Jim Caviezel) has an unbelievable record at De La Salle High School in Concord, California. As the private high school's football coach, he has won an amazing 149 games in a row. Then, the team wins two more and finishes out the season with the conference crown and 151 win record. Amazing! It is shown, carefully, that this has to do with the coach's unique methods and abilities. Yes, he can recruit from a big area around San Francisco and Oakland. But, moreover, he inspires the athletes to work as a team and to write down their commitments to the sport and to a well-lived life. Very admirable this is. Two inner city players are rewarded with scholarships to the University of Oregon. But, things are not always perfect as they seem. For one, Coach Bob has neglected his family of wife, Bev (Laura Dern) and two sons, at times, causing his older son, the team's new quarterback, to smolder with inner anger. Then, Bob himself is a secret smoker, which results in a near-fatal heart attack. Its uncertain if he can continue coaching. Sadly as well, one of his players is killed in an act of random gun violence. Another player is being bullied and shamed by an abusive father. Then, even when Bob is given the chance to coach the team again, the band loses their first game in 152 tries! Will the team and Bob fall apart? This fine film is most inspiring and is based on an equally inspiring true story. Caviezel, one of this viewer's FAVORITE ACTORS, handles the nuances of his role very well and is a great hero on screen. Dern and all of the others, especially the teens, do outstanding work, too. With gorgeous scenery, wonderfully re-enacted football games and a well-paced direction, this film is tops for families, football fans, and those who want movies with a Christian theme. Rah, rah, rah, indeed!

Responding to the overtly religious criticism/ This movie was about a team that won 150 games in a row. It was based on real life coaching. (This was not a made up part of the story but intrinsic to the coach's point of view).

To leave family/faith values out of the movie would have been like telling the story of a journey without any information about how the characters were able to get from point A to point B when no one else in history had ever done so.

Nevertheless the movie wasn't just about the overall journey, but also included the individual stories of the coach and black and white students facing their own challenges.

The many football scenes through-out the movie were great fun to watch!

There was a local HS water polo team in our audience, attending this movie with their coach, and they were all revved up, animated, and having fun talking about it in front of the theater when the film was over. It's really all about Bob Ladocouer's coaching strategy "the brotherhood of the team" at DeLasalle HS, located in an East Bay suburb near Oakland, California. The school and coach are famous, at least in No. California, for their 151-game winning streak and subsequent regional titles. The movie depicts the true story of a racially and economically diverse bunch of young male athletes being able to overcome differences and personal challenges. Many develop their potential, grow in confidence and maturity, and strive for success in their lives after high school because of lessons learned from being part of a team with a coach and staff who, collectively led them to overcome the odds and become better than they thought they could be. There are scenes of real-life tragedy and triumph that are included as more of a backdrop to the story than a central theme, but aptly illustrate how "victims" in any situation can become "victors". There are a lot of long scenes of football bashing & crunching, which some may find "too long"...the actor who plays Coach Bob is low- key intense, rather than dramatic; dialogue is ordinary vs. Hollywood-ish, but in the end, a tribute to exceptional coaching is made, message received.

I found it entertaining and it left me with a warm feeling. Solid performances help to enhance this incredible story of sport and courage. This one is an austere, gripping movie about surviving against the odds. It tells the journey of legendary football coach Bob Ladouceur, who took the De La Salle High School Spartans from obscurity to a 151-game winning streak that shattered all records for any American sport. What I like best is how the director lets the actors breathe and the music lets the atmosphere live. It reminds me of some of those sombre Japanese films that were popular back in the 1990. By the end, we feel that we have learned a great deal about the characters and the community that produced them.