WHEN THE GAME STANDS TALL
Jim Caviezel as Bob Ladouceur / Alexander Ludwig as Chris Ryan / Michael Chiklis as Terry Eidson / Laura Dern as Bev Ladouceur / Clancy Brown as Mickey Ryan Directed by Thomas Carter / Written by Scott Marshall Smith, based on the book by Neil Hayes |
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WHEN THE GAME STANDS TALL is a rare football drama that’s more compellingly about the nature of losing than it is about winning. The reality based sports drama – based on the 2003 book of the same name by Neil Hayes – concerns the improbably astounding winning streak of the De La Salle Spartans of Concord, California, a team that managed – over the course of a decade – to amass a winning streak of…no bull...151-0. That’s right. 151 wins without a loss. This
team simply could not be defeated over the course of 12 years
(1992-2004)…but everything comes to an end.
In 2004 the Spartans did indeed taste bitter defeat, which had
untold psychological ramifications not only on the players and coaches,
but also on the school and community as a whole. The Spartans had to learn how to win again. This
tale of a miraculous winning streak and subsequent losses is fertile ground for an
intriguing sports film, especially when one considers the toll it must
have taken on Concord when their Herculean team that seemed indestructible
eventually got a reality check and wake-up call.
Yet, the real problem with WHEN THE GAME STANDS TALL is not that it
lacks an endlessly compelling premise.
No, the central issue with the film is in its overall handling of
the underling material. The film’s director, Thomas Carter (COACH
CARTER), creates football sequences with a refreshing clarity
and high energy level, but the melodrama that surrounds those spirited
sequences lacks the grit of the game itself.
Too much of WHEN THE GAME STANDS TALL is an uneasy conglomeration
of overused sports film clichés, disinteresting subplots, artificially
derived sentimentality, and faith-based Sunday school sermonizing that
never really gels together with any fluidity. Dramatically, this film – if you pardon the metaphor –
fumbles the ball repeatedly. The
film, at least, does not spend too much time on the Spartans’ actual
winning streak itself. The
story opens in the summer of 2004 as the varsity football team had reached
their mythic status as an unstoppable force on the field.
Their beloved and respected coach, Bob Ladouceur (Jim Caviezel)
created a winning team based on self-respect, individual responsibility
and accountability, and a “for the love of the game” attitude.
It seemed that nothing would impede this team’s successful
formula…but then a series of personal setbacks and tragedies strike.
Firstly, one of the star players is shot to death, leaving the team
and community emotionally devastated.
Next, Ladouceur suffers a near fatal heart attack that potentially
derails any future plans to coach the team.
Thirdly, many Spartan players suffer from anxieties about which
colleges they wish to attend in order to achieve scholastic and athletic
fame. Then, yes, the Spartans
do indeed lose a game…and then another…and when Ladouceur does return
he realizes that he faces more of an uphill battle of reinstalling
confidence in his players than he ever did with stringing together 151
wins in a row. Seeing the
faith of his players decreasing by the day and game, Ladouceur understands
the difficult job ahead. Scott
Marshall Smith’s screenplay does a decent job of immersing us in the microcosm
of small town America and how the sport of football is as much of a
religion as Christianity is to the local high school.
Akin to FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS,
the sport is a socio-cultural glue that, for better of for worse, holds
Concord together, so when the Spartans do lose it has ripple effects that
can be felt well beyond the school locker room.
The film is assisted in this regard with some fine and nuanced
performances. Jim Caviezel's appearance in a staunchly Christian values themed film may seem
obtrusively obvious (he famously played Jesus in THE
PASSION OF THE CHRIST), not to mention that is trademark steely
eyed stoicism may have some feeling that his character is emotionally
hollow. Yet, he injects a
serene dignity and poise in Ladouceur that serves the film’s message
well. He’s assisted, in turn, by solid supporting performances,
especially by Laura Dern, who brings some low-key class to an otherwise
perfunctory “supportive wife” role.
Michael Chiklis brings warmth and humor to his part of the
Spartan’s assistant coach that sticks with Ladouceur's principles with an
unwavering commitment. Still,
for as much dedication as the actors have with their respective parts, the
screenplay they are left to dutifully serve somewhat betrays their good
work in front of the camera. Too
much of WHEN THE GAME STANDS TALL is awash in daytime soap opera level
subplots that that we’ve seen time and time…and time…again in sports
melodramas. There’s one
involving Clancy Brown playing a hideously overbearing and verbally
abusive father that cares less for his son’s well being on the field and
more for his success and accomplishments on the field (there is rarely a
moment in the film when this story arc feels like it wasn’t ripped from
countless other football films). Then
there’s another story thread involving Cam (Ser’ Darius Blain) and the
torment he feels over his teammate's murder.
The film sets this up as a major plot point in the overall
narrative, and then it kind of abandons it and reintroduces it when it
feels the narrative needs an injection of manufactured sentimentality.
It’s sad when would-be involving characters like this and their
dilemmas are only haphazardly developed and then discarded in an effort to
get to the obligatory big climatic game. The
film’s collision of Christian morals and Bible-centric life lessons with
the rough and rugged gridiron action of football is not handled with as
much care and tact as this film thinks.
I would not say that WHEN THE GAME STANDS TALL is obnoxiously
preachy as far as inspirational sports/religious dramas go, but there’s
no doubt that the film lacks a much-needed dosage of edge to help
dramatically ground it a bit more. The
film never fully delves deep enough into the psychological quandaries of
the Spartan players and coaches as they try to dig themselves out of an
existentialist dilemma. I’m
quite sure that it took far more than Ladouceur’s “play for the team,
not for yourself” lessons for the real Spartan team to get by and return
to success on the field. Yet,
WHEN THE GAME STANDS TALL feels more obligated towards greeting card
levels of syrupy, uplifting feel-good messages than it does with
thoroughly investing in what it really takes to bring a team together
after a string of defeats on and off the field. This film is well intentioned. It’s also well acted. It also contains a good message about finding the oftentimes-difficult healthy balance between winning and loving the game that one strives to win at. All of this, though, is simply not explored with any memorable or lasting significance and impact to make WHEN THE GAME STANDS TALL stand well apart from other football dramas that came before it. |
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