Formulaic yet perfect nonetheless

Rating: 10/10 (12 January 2016)

Seriously, this movie busts out all the stereotypes, and it's still emotionally engaged and heartwarming—even after multiple viewings. Costner is in his element here, in a sports movie. He was always at his best in sports movies. The storyline is predictable, but you don't care when you watch—because it's an awesome feel-good story.
The visuals are good, and even though you know where the story is going, the acting is good enough to make you care about the characters—specifically the boys on the team and their families. Certain scenes will bring a tear to your eye every time you watch, and the movie doesn't lose its grip on you until the credits run.
The only real negative is the actress playing the older daughter; the writers had to make her into a 21st-century teenager instead of the 1980s teenager she should have been. Writers do this to make the film more relatable to a modern audience, but ... yeah. She's too good at being a brat, just like she was on the Showtime series she was in ("Homeland").