Not formulaic -- outstanding sports movie

Rating: 9/10 (17 January 2005)

Some have criticized this movie as one being too formulaic, following the pattern of other "disadvantaged community sports stories." I disagree. The movie actually breaks the tradition in a way I can't specify (no spoilers here). The success in overcoming the formulaic accusations, and perhaps the basis for those accusations, probably lies in th fact this is based on a true story. An outstanding movie in almost every way.
The only drawback for me is its persistent profanity. Of course, it is probably toned down and about 25% of what the actual personalities, upon which the story is based, would have shown in their everyday speech. The edited version of this movie should be almost flawless.