Good Premise, But A Bit Too Slow ...

Rating: Null/10 (12 January 2008)

I was surprised how hard it was to watch this movie. The premise was better than most sports movies, but somehow this movie's characters were not interesting enough to keep me engaged in the story.
The movie is about a new coach that must rebuild a small University's football team after they are killed in a plane crash. He sets out to recruit and start the team anew amidst a grief-stricken town.
One problem with the movie is that everyone is often moping around and we don't really know who they are (in terms of character development) so it's not really that effective or interesting. Matthew McConaughey usually puts in an engaging performance, but here his character across as someone with ADD and a flippant attitude. Given that he's a core character, that's not good.
I realize that many people liked this movie, so I suggest that if this movie intrigues you, watch the first 30 minutes. If you find it slow and the characters uninteresting, quit while you're ahead - otherwise, enjoy the show.