Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Matthew Fox,
David Strathairn, Ian McShane, Kate Mara, Anthony Mackie
Directed by McG
Rated PG
4 Pulses
By Lauren Short
Imagine what it would feel like if your whole hometown football team, its coaches, and some loyal fans were in a fatal plane crash. Imagine the devastation, the hurt, and the sadness.
In We Are Marshall, it happens. And it’s not just a Hollywood tale either?it’s a true story. It happened to the small Huntington, W.Va., town after their hometown Marshall University played and barely lost a football game against East Carolina and then boarded a small jet the rainy evening of Nov. 14, 1970.
After the devastating crash, the president of the college, Dr. Donald Dedmon (Strathairn), and its board of directors had to make the decision whether to suspend the football program or try to rebuild the team. With the help of an injured Marshall football player Nate Ruffin (Mackie) and the student body’s relentlessness, the program began to rebuild.
Matthew McConaughey, in perhaps one of his most moving and inspiring roles to date, plays Coach Jack Lengyel, a quirky, charismatic football coach from Wooster, Ohio. In his first big screen movie role, Matthew Fox plays Coach Red Dawson, who gave up his seat on the plane to drive to Virginia on a recruiting trip. Fox’s portrayal of the guilt-riddled Dawson shows how difficult it was to keep moving forward and to step back on the football field. The performance captures the hurt and sadness that many of the town’s prominent citizens felt after the loss of their loved ones.
Both Paul Griffin (McShane) and Annie Cantrell (Mara) struggle to find peace after the death of Chris Griffin, Paul’s son and Annie’s new fiance. These characters give a face to the town of Huntington and show how difficult it was to support the idea of stepping back on the field.
Slowly but surely, the Thundering Herd begins to bond and, together with the town, they get back on the field to honor those who died and rise from the ashes.
If you are interested in a football movie with hard hitting plays and exciting last minute throws, We Are Marshall is not for you. Unlike other football movies such as Varsity Blues or Remember the Titans, We Are Marshall, although surrounded by the game of football, is more about the human spirit.
Some have criticized the movie as slow and boring, and the storyline as dull and detached. However, this is not a fabricated Hollywood script. It is true?every event, every play, every person, REAL. Knowing that before you view the movie may make a difference. It did for me.
Overall, the story speaks volumes about how to overcome tragedy in life. Small towns will embrace it, bigger towns may not. But We Are Marshall will have you understanding not only how important every person in your life is, but also how very important it is to stay in the game?literally.
