Pass the Popcorn review

Rating: 7/10 (7 December 2013)

Because of his recent death, we decided it would be fit for us to try and honour the memory of Nelson Mandela by reviewing one of the many movies about his life. Even though there is much controversy surrounding his life and actions (great people are rarely not controversial), the majority of people still consider him an icon, a great politician and an extremely important figure in South African history. Invictus depicts Mandela's life after being released from prison, but since showing all the things he had done while president of South Africa would be impossible and make the movie a mess, it was decided to concentrate the story on the South African rugby team.
After spending 27 years in prison for sabotage and conspiracy, and finally being released, Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) is chosen as the president of South Africa. His mission is extremely difficult: to end apartheid and unite the people. He sees his opportunity in the South African rugby team, the Springboks, which is losing all of its games. As the team is a symbol of oppression (only white people cheer for it), the Sports Commission wants to change its colors and name. Mandela, unexpectedly, decides to back up the Springboks and opposes this decision: he doesn't want Afrikaners to believe Mandela wants to rid South Africa of their presence. He wants the nation to feel as one again by cheering for the same team.
A lot of research and hard work was put into this movie: Clint Eastwood, the director, started watching so much rugby for the movie he ended up being a fan, Matt Damon interviewed Francois Pienaar and trained rugby, and Freeman, who had been Mandela's friend for many years, went to South Africa to get his blessing for the movie - which he gained. Unfortunately, the movie didn't turn out to be as good as one would expect. One thing that bothered me is that, no matter what a great job Freeman did and the effort and hard work he put in preparing his role, I could rarely 'feel' Mandela - it was just Freeman acting, though masterfully. Moreover, I felt the movie was too long and got tedious from time to time, especially when showing teams playing rugby: I know that's what the movie is about, but it could have been made more interesting, especially for people who don't understand the game.
On the other hand, I thought it was an excellent decision to show how the relationships between black and white members of Mandela's security staff develop: Mandela forces them to work together and overcome their animosities, showing that people can change and, maybe most importantly, even a small change is (and was, for Mandela) crucial. It would have been nice to see more of Matt Damon's character, but he mostly plays rugby during the movie. Still, it is somewhat understandable: this movie is, after all, about Nelson Mandela, and what a huge inspiration and powerful politician he was. It is also about the good side of sports: there is no violence and flare-throwing silliness here, only excitement and the feeling of unity a nation like South Africa needed very much.
Rating: 7/10 Read more at http://passpopcorn.com/