Moustroll
Good movie but grossly overrated
Glimmerubro
It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.
dbeest
Forever WeakRyan Little's 2008 film, "Forever Strong," is based on a true story about a Rugby Coach (Gary Cole) who teaches teenage misfits to win Rugby titles, as well as serve their community. Sean Farris stars as Rick, a cocky high school punk, and star athlete for the rugby team coached by his demanding father Rich Penning (Neal McDonough) in Flagstaff, Arizona. After nearly killing himself, and his girlfriend under the circumstances of a DUI, Rick lands himself in a juvenile detention center in Salt Lake City, Utah. I believe that even though this movie was a major hit and inspired many people all over, it had too many mistakes and unrealistic events that lead the viewer to question the script and quality of the film. Sean Astin plays the role of a very sympathetic administrator, who takes it upon himself to be a friend to a troubled Rick Penning. Astin makes a deal with Rick that if he agrees to play for Highland Rugby, an actual high school located in Utah, his time spent in the detention center would be shortened. This triggers the first question. Why and how is a juvenile inmate from out of state allowed to play for a high school sports team where he is not enrolled? Last time I checked, Juvenile inmates were not aloud to play on any sports team, let alone play on a team as an easier way out of jail. However, this movie does a decent job of showing how sports and discipline and love can change even the most troubled of teenagers like Rick Penning. Another thing that Little failed to accomplish in this film was to explain to the audience the actual game of rugby. I mean seriously, if you're going to put on a film completely about rugby and the life lessons that come from it, you should at least explain somehow the rules and regulations of the game. Those who have never seen or let alone heard of the rare and unusual game of rugby are completely lost when watching this. In order to truly grab the audience's attention, it's important to have an explanation of everything that is going on in the film. Sports movies especially, should be inspiring and exciting. However, for a sports film to effectively do that, it's crucial that the rules of the game are clearly stated so that the viewer can understand completely what is going on. By being able to follow along and have a clear understanding of the game that is being played allows the viewer to be apart of the excitement and drama that comes along in a hard fought battle. I mean, its like going to a football or basketball game without the rules being explained and expecting to be involved and excited. You have to understand the game before you can follow along and truly feel the thrill that comes from watching an action packed game. Don't get me wrong, Little did not ruin this film. There are many who praise him for what he did and the message that he delivered to the audience. However, as a viewer myself, I was confused and lost throughout much of the movie. It's also never completely clear why high school athletes and more specifically, rugby players, do ritual dances before matches. It actually seems quite silly to me and the effect of doing something like that would probably leave me more embarrassed than pumped up and ready to play.Overall, this film left me wondering many things and didn't really do much justice like your classic sports film should. There is just too much that was left out and that didn't make sense that it was hard to capture the thrill and excitement that you hope for going into it. To those who follow and understand the strange sport of rugby, it would be a wise decision to watch this, but for everybody else looking for an inspiring sports film, go watch a boxing movie.
bayisatool
This movie falls into a vast category of unmemorable sports movies. Its not so terrible that you remember it for years to come as that bad movie you had to sit through and it just made you angrier as it ticked along. Neither is it a so good it made you cry movie. This movie has a lot of heart but it is flawed. For starters most of the characters are just cookie cutter clichés that we see all over the place. The over bearing father, the misguided youth, the wise coach, the new good friends, the old bad friends, and the list goes on and on. some of the dialogue feels awkward and some of the acting was stiff. Also there were several scenes in the movie that just didn't really belong. Like they should have been taken out to allow more time for other parts in the movie. Now for the the good. There are some emotional parts in the movie and I enjoyed the high energy rugby matches. The performances were very believable and there were some nice life lessons packed in the movie, even if there were a little heavy handed. and lastly it was nice for me to be exposed to rugby. Overall I would say that this movie is worth at least one viewing. i give it a 5/10
TxMike
Sean Faris (not related to Anna Faris) is Rick Penning, spoiled and popular athlete in high school. One night, drinking, he loses control of his car, wrecks, and his girlfriend is badly injured and her face scarred. He ends up in a juvenile facility in Utah.A key staff member at the facility is Sean Astin as Marcus Tate who mentors Rick and works it out to allow him to join a local rugby team. Back home he is accustomed to being the star and big scorer, but here the coach puts him in a different position. Throughout the story it is clear that Rick badly needs an attitude adjustment.Gary Cole is Coach Larry Gelwix, who has built the best and most successful high school rugby teams, and contends yearly for the national high school rugby championships. Neal McDonough is Rick's dad and also a coach, Coach Richard Penning, for a rival high school team that Rick was playing for before his run-in with the law. Dad was hoping that son would act as a "spy" of sorts, find out what the rival teams was doing so they could beat them.But coach Gelwix built up his team mainly by instilling rules for life, honesty, family, teamwork. The team is always bigger than any individual. Only after Rick finally accepted that was he able to get on with his life, and also make amends with his parents.Good movie.
Bob Shank
Having recently watched Clint Eastwood's 2009 US release of 'Invictus' (Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon et al) about how newly-installed President Nelson Mandella used the game of rugby at it's World Championship level to unite a badly torn South Africa in the 1990s, I was also inspired by this little-known independent film by Ryan Little on a smaller scale. I was glad to see the results were drawn-on and created-from real-life events (BTW, it is NOT a 'Hollywood production' as so many of you have incorrectly stated). It's a small budget film with credible actors who had the courage and took the time to portray this compilation of real events. If you didn't care for the 'accuracy' on the rugby field, the pregame Maori chants or actor flaws you're too narrowly focused and missed the whole point of the film. Shame on you. IMHO, it displayed exactly what it was intended to do - a depiction of the rehabilitation of wayward young men through the supreme efforts required in an extremely rugged sport ('...soccer's for kids, football's for wuss's, rugby's for men' - remember the line?). I was impressed with the efforts of all concerned to show it's possible to make directional - and good - changes in one's life through hard effort, intra-personal inspection, team unity and a willingness to listen to gentle and persistent instruction from those wiser than you. I genuinely enjoyed the film. And this one, and 'Invictus', have given me a totally new appreciation for the sport of rugby; I'm learning more as I study it and am looking forward to watching my first 'live' game. I'm thinking I could become a real fan...beats the heck out of lame US football.
