“When the Game Stands Tall” Does Stand Tall
This real life film contains real life lessons on and off the field
Do you love movies that are based on true stories? When the Game Stands Tall is such a movie. The story is about a journey of legendary football coach Bob Ladouceur, who propelled the De La Salle High School Spartans from anonymity to a 151-game winning streak. This amazing feat shattered all records for any American sport- Then, in the first game of the season, the unthinkable happens- the team experiences a catastrophic loss.
Tara McNamara, who has a show called Mom’s Movie Minute at Fandango.com, summed up the film well: “it’s truly not about winning, but how you play the game.” Tara, who’s a teen Mom herself, said she’s excited for her teens to see a movie such as this that is inspirational and teaches important lessons. Tara goes on to say, “if there was ever a must-see message movie for families, this is it.”
The movie trailer says “it’s not about sports, it’s not about winning, it’s all about growing up: forgiveness, commitment, brotherhood. It’s about standing tall.” The film is rated PG and opened in theatres on August 22nd. As of August 28th, When the Game Stands Tall has grossed $8.4M and was in 4th place at the box office.
“AFFIRM Films presents When the Game Stands Tall at Edwards Cinema on August 30, 2014, in Costa Mesa. (Photo/ Curtis Nabors).”
Jim Caviezel (star of CBS’ current hit drama, Person of Interest) is the lead actor in the film, and plays coach Bob Ladouceur. In a recent interview with CBN.com, Jim was asked this:
Goodwyn: Ladouceur was also a religion teacher. He’s said that faith is a big part of his life and it’s not something he could turn on or off. How did you approach the faith aspect of the man and how it would ultimately be seen in the film?
Caviezel: They [the players] have a philosophy in there where they sacrifice, push, checking your ego at the door and for the benefit of the team. It eventually leads to love, which is far better and greater. The boys leave that immaturity and become authentic like him [Coach Ladouceur]. That’s why, you see, the greater story of that is not just these victories, but the victories of boys becoming men and what they do in their lives, how they turn into great people and great leaders themselves.
Social Media has played a central role in the promotion of this movie. Here are the most popular locations:
Twitter: #StandTall @WTGST
Facebook: facebook.com/WhenTheGameStandsTall
Rotten Tomatoes gave the picture only an 18% positive rating, while users gave it a 77%. Could the weak rating from Rotten Tomatoes be due to the spiritual/ conservative nature of the film? Abstinence, Bible verses, and prayer are prominent themes throughout the movie. If you want to see an inspiring movie, with an uplifting message, that’s based on a true story, and is very family friendly, stand tall and take your family to support this picture.
AFFIRM Films is the home of quality entertainment that inspires, uplifts, challenges and captivates. AFFIRM Films is a division of Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA), a Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) company. Their Twitter handle is @AFFIRMFilms.
I loved the movie Curtis. Jim is awesome as always! Was surprised it was a school in Calif. I thought it would be back east or even Texas. Such a hard thing for those boys to be the first team to lose in 12 years even though it had to happen sometime. Great movie, I highly recommend it.
Michelle- thanks for your reply. Yeah, the streak was incredible but had to be broken sometime right? Sorry I didn’t reply earlier, but your comment was held up b/c the spam checker didn’t know what to do w/ your comment, so I just approved it. I’m new to this website creation/ admin deal!