It may be full of cliches and corniness, but you can’t help but love this movie’s heart. It stays true to itself and its story the whole time and never overuses its elements. The film’s theme of not being about the individuals, but about the team, is displayed no better than during the credits when it doesn’t pamper us with a “where are they now” segment.
While the balance between each subplot could have been a little bit smoother, the way the film starts at the end of one season and transitions to a newer squad come the following season is unique. If you don’t know the story you won’t see where it’s all going–although that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t get predictable at times.
It’s more spiritual than your average sports film, but never comes off as preachy. While it takes notes from Coach Carter (my favorite sports movie) it keeps its own identity–which is unavoidable when talking about a true story that’s as unique as this one.
A lot of the time movies like this come off as pseudo-insightful, but this one is a lot deeper than you’re going to expect. And the story never gets buried under the fluff. Sure I agree that it could have had a better title, but When the Game Stands Tall is moving for anyone who was a part of a sports team.
Twizard Rating: 90
The Twizard 