Others say...

"MARSHALL"
Let me first make clear, I usually am no fan of Matthew McConaughey, the guy drives me nuts, but in this he really fits. I had no intention of seeing this film, because as I stated above, I cant stand McConaughey, but a friend lent it to me and went on and on about it, so I decided to give it shot, afterall, it's a DVD, I could just stop in the middle if I could not stomach McConaughey, but to my surprise not only did in not want to retch at the site of McConaughey, I actaully liked him in this and I thought the movie was sort of mesmerizing. I knew nothing of the tragedy at Marshall in the early 70's, so this was all new to me and quite frankly it made all the more powerful. The movie of course begins with the tragedy and then builds on the aftermath and fallout. McConaughey is privotol as is Fox as his guilt ridden assistant, but it's really Strathern that stands out as the urbane school president, who is caught in the middle. I highly recommend this uplifting film, I really cant imagine anyone not being moved by its narative.

"We are all Marshall!"
This movie is based on a true story. In 1971, a charter plane carrying the entire Marshall university football team + the coaching staff and trainers crashed. There were no survivors. It was a tragedy that shook the entire nation in a way that the United State would not experience again until the shootings @ VA Tech a few yrs ago.

In the aftermath, there was much consternation as to whether Marshall would even continue its football program - at least in the near-term. Enter an eccentric coach (played brilliantly by Matthew McConaughey) who finds that he must literally rebuild a football program. I'm not talking a typical rebuilding program where a coach takes over a losing program & has very few good players to work with. Rather, I'm talking about rebuilding a program which lacks the actual PLAYERS.

Even more importantly, the new coach is tasked with lifting the spirits of the team, the students of the university & the entire town of Huntington, West Virginia. In this way, this is one of those films in which sports can transcend the travails of life & become a metaphor.

This is one of the more powerful sports movies I've ever seen. What makes it more poignant than a great many sports flicks is the fact that it actually happened - there is nothing in the film that can be said to be contrived. If you're looking for a sports film that's in the same vein as Remember the Titans (Widescreen Edition), Friday Night Lights (Widescreen Edition) and Glory Road (Widescreen Edition), check this one out. For two hours you'll be a part of Marshall, whether you went there or not!

"Movies about football are better than the real thing"
Based on a true story, this movie is about a town healing from a shocking tradegy where 65 people were killed in a plane crash. People wanted hope and hope came in the form of football. Football unified the community, gave sense of purpose, a team too believe in, an escape from the drudger of steel production, and a wholesome sense of value. The President convinced the NCAA to play freshmen, a move that would lead to his dismisal. The President finds a coach willing to rebuild the team.

The story is not about winning, or building a fearsome reputation, or finding superstar players. The WV football team was below average in stats and win/loss, but big on heart, courage, and determination. A senior determined to play despite a shoulder injury - and being told, he did enough. A belief in the Power I formation, theory not practice. No big payoff leading to a championship, but the restoration of a dream. The story is about determination, dreaming of greatness, compassion during loss, and the desire too raise a family.

The higher quality dreams of escaping to California, return of an engagement ring, loss of a son, leaving small town culture, and moving forward symbolizes the thrust of the movie.



"Feels very tired and unoriginal..."
When you strip away the sentiment that clouds this movie (due to the fact that the horrific events serving as the films foundation are true) then you start to see this film for what it is; a generic sports film. There is absolutely nothing special and or new to separate this film from the rest of the pack, and honestly it is no where near as good as most other sports related dramas. Yes, it has an emotional wallop that will endear this film to a lot of people, but if the title of `true story' were taken away then this film would have no where near the fan base it has now.

The film focuses on the town of Marshall West Virginia. When the entire football team (minus a few players) dies in a horrific plane crash an aspiring football coach from out of town comes down to pick up the pieces of the now barely there football team. Jack Lengyel faces a lot of opposition in his attempt to rebuild the Marshall Football team, but his efforts are not in vain for it is through the power of the game that the town is able to heal wounds and unite once again.

Like I said, not much separates this film from any other random sports drama out there, and there are a lot of them. I lacks the emotional impact that it could have had, even with the devastating circumstances that litter the films every frame. In all honestly I found `Friday Night Lights' to have a much stronger emotional connection to the audience than this film. The sub-plot involving the father and ex-fiancé of one of the deceased is rather touching and heartbreaking, but overall the film cannot reach the heights it is so desperately trying to grasp.

The acting is hit or miss for me. Matthew McConaughey is seriously one of the worst actors making money today. I never really understood his appeal (aside from his body). I mean, why is he booking big ticket movies? He pulls off the same semi-charming performance in each film yet never manages to make his performance `mean' anything. This is probably his best `acting' performance to date; sadly it is also his most annoying. He actually creates a character here but the character he creates is one I wish he had never attempted. The way he walks, talks and interacts with others is painful to watch. Matthew Fox is rather boring here, as is Strathairn, and Anthony Mackie is just a really bad actor. I haven't seen him do anything noteworthy yet (aside from getting his face smashed in by Freeman in `Million Dollar Baby'). The two actors who actually pull their weight here are Kate Mara and Ian McShane, but even they lack consistency. At times Mara's pain comes off forced and McShane's reclusive nature plays on the clichéd, but in the end they make a much deeper connection to the audience than anyone else involved with the project.

I won't say that `We Are Marshall' is a bad film, but I must declare it is far from a great one. Fact remains that this is nothing new and thus should not be regarded as such. It feels very familiar because it pays close heed to follow the same formula almost every sports related drama uses. If you want to watch a film about the town of Marshall and the tragedy that befell them then by all means, watch this film; but if you are just looking for a sports film then you are bound to find more satisfying fare elsewhere.

"A MUST WATCH For All Sports (Especially Football) Fans"
At its core, this film tells the story of the Marshall College football program of 1971, when a year earlier nearly the entire team was wiped out in a plane crash and thus the entire team had to be rebuilt. Sadly, this is a true story, and this film is able to capture the essence of the entire story in two ways:

First, not only is the building of the football team extremely difficult, but more importantly was the rebuilding of the community after the tragedy, and director McG captured that emotional period brilliantly, showing how members of the school and community grappled with the issue of putting a team on the field (and risk dredging up bad memories) or scrapping the football program altogether. While some people yearn to see the green and white colors on the playing field, others are haunted by those memories and would prefer to keep them at an arms length, the conflict that provides the emotional punch to the film.

Just as important, however, is the quality of the acting. Matthew McConaughey breaks away from his traditional "brainless" or "hunk" movie roles to portray Coach Jack Lengyl, who brought football back to Marshall. McConaughey nails this role, bringing the enigmatic coach to life. Also impressive is Kata Mara in the role of Annie Cantrell, whose personal struggles mirror the struggles of the entire community. However, it is Matthew Fox ("Jack" of LOST fame) who really steals the show. Playing a Marshall coach not on the doomed plane, Fox is brilliant in portraying the conflicting emotions (relief, sorrow, regret, anger, guilt, etc.) that arise from such a complicated, emotional situation. It has been a long time since I have seen an actor be so good at playing emotionally conflicted characters.

Overall, this is a very inspirational, yet also quite sorrowful film that will take you on an emotional rollercoaster. Yet, even in its most emotional moments, there always seems to exist a light at the end of the tunnel, or a way that things can start to be okay after such a tragedy. Though you likely already know how the situation turned out, that knowledge will not stop you for rooting on the Marshall boys all the same!