I think I have been enjoying my time off from HM Magazine a little too much. I’m really enjoying the chance to come home from a job and do nothing the rest of the night. No more staying up and worrying about how to keep a magazine alive in a media-crushing world. But when football is involved, my attention gets perked up just like a dog and the command, “Squirrel!” This movie promises high school football action, education and golden years nostalgia and football, football and football. Who knew it would revolve around faith?
As much as my muso friends will cringe when hearing it, but football is an inspirational and mighty game. I am so thankful for it and so into it. Football is like war. Football is like life. Football is simply a game, but competition is so fun when you throw yourself into it. Football is one of those physical sports (like many), where you can immerse yourself into it and get “lost” (in a good way), forgetting about the stress of your everyday grind and focus on the task at hand. It’s a team sport, so it teaches wonderful lessons about brotherhood, loyalty, responsibility and pursuing dreams.
While this movie doesn’t have the rough edge of Varsity Blues or Friday Night Lights, it focuses on an amazing 151-game winning streak that is almost other-worldly. It’s nice to get a bird’s eye view (adapted from real life) of what the pressure and success was like. While slow-moving and predictable at times, it still tugged on your heart like a player pulling down his facemask to reset his bearings for the next play.
I enjoyed the humorous personalities of the coaches and players, as well as the glimpse of American high school life. The adversity during the movie plays out well, though its grip on the viewer will vary depending on his/her devotion to football and God (a blurry line for some, apparently). If you’re like me (a sentimental sap that loves redemption, heroism and sacrifice), there’ll be plenty of lump-in-throat moments. If you’re a cynical scenester, forget about it.
Once the action is over and you discover whether or not the team could recover from its faltering under the weight of this heavy record, there are all kinds of behind-the-scenes extras and documentaries on the real De La Salle High School. In retrospect, I’d give it a B+ and look forward to watching it again.
Check out the trailer.
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