I have been traveling a lot during the last five years and have spent a lot of time in countries where rugby is THE national sport. I also attended my first game a couple weeks ago while visiting New Zealand, so when I saw "The Kick" listed on the in-flight entertainment system on my trip home, I decided to give it a watch.
As I suspected, this movie has very limited appeal across the globe. Unless you are a huge rugby fan or are a Kiwi (a term New Zealander's call themselves), it's probably not going to be very interesting. Of course, you have to like rugby but you also have to understand the rules and strategy (such as why it was important for the protagonist to kick the ball out of bounds near the beginning of the film). I also didn't think Stephen Donald's story was THAT unusual or outstanding compared to many other rugby greats. But, despite these reservations, this TV movie is well made and will thrill the right audiences.
By the way, the actor that played Donald was good but having him play a 17 year-old near the beginning of the film was ridiculous--he looks at least 30!
