ViewGuide

Created Aug 23, 2014 06:58AM PST • Edited Aug 23, 2014 08:29AM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Great 4.0

   Bob Ladouceur is the man, and ‘When the Game Stands Tall’ is all about Bob, and Bob is awesome. Taking a high school football team to a 151 winning streak naturally invokes suspicions, but this film really does give you a sense that focusing just as much on the person as well as the game bears fruit in the form of yards and touchdowns. As any good sports movie will provide, WTGST has plenty of hard-hitting football in high definition and keeps up with standard setting films in terms of generating good old ‘are they going to do it?’ tension. Top that off with a well done job in the casting department, and you have a sports-winner of a film — just in time for the 2014 season.

4. Acting

   Very Good 3.5

   Jim Caviezel is one of those work-horse actors you see everywhere on TV, but I can’t remember any big-screen leading roles. In WTGST, he does a great job of being coach, albeit in a very downplayed sort of way. I think that was the point, and it was well done.

   Love Laura Dern – no major drama, just a supportive wife. Nice.

   Standout young actors, including Alexander Ludwig – who I first noticed in the series ‘Vikings’ (which is awesome by the way), Matthew Daddario – who plays the conflicted son, and Stephan James – who plays the “It’s all about me” player.

5. Male Stars Very Good 3.5

6. Female Stars Very Good 3.5

7. Female Costars Very Good 3.5

8. Male Costars Very Good 3.5

10. Film

    Great 4.0

    Follows the formula, but who cares – you’ll love it!

11. Direction Great 4.0

12. Play Great 4.0

13. Music Great 4.0

14. Visuals Great 4.0
15. Content

16. Edge

    Tame 1.2

17. Sex Innocent 1.2

18. Violence Gentle 1.2

19. Rudeness Polite 1.2

21. Reality

    Natural 1.0

22. Circumstantial Natural 1.0

23. Biological Natural 1.0

24. Physical Natural 1.0