We Are . . . on a movie kick
Hubby and I watched We Are Marshall, starring Matthew McConaughey, Mathew Fox, and David Strathairn, this week. I thought this movie was very well-done, and the story was inspiring.
At Marshall University in West Virginia, the "Thundering Herd" football team, along with a collection of boosters, parents, etc., is flying back from an away game when their plane crashes, killing the some 75 souls on board. The university and its town are crippled by the loss and want to suspend the football program at the school. However, a small number of remaining players organize a student protest to keep the game alive at Marshall. After many fruitless phone calls, the university president (Strathairn) finds a new coach - Jack Lengyel (McConaughey). Lengyel convinces former assistant coach Red Dawson (Fox) to return, and the NCAA grants the university the right to play freshmen. Lengyel and Dawson then fill their team with new recruits and begin playing football again.
This movie is based on a true story, and I became misty-eyed more than once as I watched it. I cannot imagine the horror of losing so many in the prime of their lives. It must have been a nightmare, both for the town and for the school.
Performances are very good, and though the cast boasts several "stars," I thought the best performance of the film was given by Anthony Mackie. Mackie plays Nate Ruffin, one of the remaining football players. Ruffin was not at the away game due to an injury. It is his determination to keep the football program going that makes it a reality. He had some wonderful scenes with McConaughey and Fox, and, in my opinion, he walked off with the movie.
Only one scene seemed pushed to me. Just before the new team's first home game, Lengyel brings the players to the graveyard where the victims of the crash are buried. He makes a speech there that inspires the new players. I didn't buy it. I don't know if it was the writing or the delivery, but it came off as maudlin and strained.
Other than that, though, this movie was right on target. I highly recommend.
At Marshall University in West Virginia, the "Thundering Herd" football team, along with a collection of boosters, parents, etc., is flying back from an away game when their plane crashes, killing the some 75 souls on board. The university and its town are crippled by the loss and want to suspend the football program at the school. However, a small number of remaining players organize a student protest to keep the game alive at Marshall. After many fruitless phone calls, the university president (Strathairn) finds a new coach - Jack Lengyel (McConaughey). Lengyel convinces former assistant coach Red Dawson (Fox) to return, and the NCAA grants the university the right to play freshmen. Lengyel and Dawson then fill their team with new recruits and begin playing football again.
This movie is based on a true story, and I became misty-eyed more than once as I watched it. I cannot imagine the horror of losing so many in the prime of their lives. It must have been a nightmare, both for the town and for the school.
Performances are very good, and though the cast boasts several "stars," I thought the best performance of the film was given by Anthony Mackie. Mackie plays Nate Ruffin, one of the remaining football players. Ruffin was not at the away game due to an injury. It is his determination to keep the football program going that makes it a reality. He had some wonderful scenes with McConaughey and Fox, and, in my opinion, he walked off with the movie.
Only one scene seemed pushed to me. Just before the new team's first home game, Lengyel brings the players to the graveyard where the victims of the crash are buried. He makes a speech there that inspires the new players. I didn't buy it. I don't know if it was the writing or the delivery, but it came off as maudlin and strained.
Other than that, though, this movie was right on target. I highly recommend.
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