Parents: Beware of Language

Rating: 8/10 (13 December 2006)

I saw this movie and, like a lot of people already, I really liked it. It's a good sports-movie but it's a great people-movie. The movie is apparently true to actual events and I think that is really what made the movie so good--it wasn't glamorized by Hollywood.
Matthew M. did an excellent job. I think this is his best movie to date. His character was in a challenging position and MM played the part perfectly, balancing enthusiasm for the team, sympathy for the town, and really capturing the helplessness that Jack Lengyell experienced when faced with the mourning and confusion or anger of the people who didn't agree with the rebuilding of the football team.
The whole cast did well with the grieving process, wonderfully portraying the desire to move on while still feeling the hurt of the accident. There was a scene from the movie shown in the trailer, when they look out a window and the town is there shouting "We are... Marshall!" For me, this was a very moving scene and I got a little teary!
One thing for the parents who were thinking of bringing their families: I wouldn't say that there is "quite a bit" of language, but MM says the S-word several times. There is other, mild language, but this stood out to me and I was surprised to find that it was only rated PG. It's definitely not enough to ruin the movie and is still good for the family with it's uplifting message about over-coming tragedy and hardship, but just be aware that some parents might not want their kids to hear some of it. I don't recall anything worse than the S-word... but there was some drinking.