Following the true live events of the De La Salle High School Spartans and their epic coach Bob Ladouceur who at one time had a 151 game winning streak. What happens when the champions become the underdogs? A senseless murder occurs of a promising young player... Will the coach, players, alumni recover and soldier on? This film talks about brotherhood and family in ways that all athletes could stand to be reminded of. Fantastic movie.

There was a local HS water polo team in our audience, attending this movie with their coach, and they were all revved up, animated, and having fun talking about it in front of the theater when the film was over. It's really all about Bob Ladocouer's coaching strategy "the brotherhood of the team" at DeLasalle HS, located in an East Bay suburb near Oakland, California. The school and coach are famous, at least in No. California, for their 151-game winning streak and subsequent regional titles. The movie depicts the true story of a racially and economically diverse bunch of young male athletes being able to overcome differences and personal challenges. Many develop their potential, grow in confidence and maturity, and strive for success in their lives after high school because of lessons learned from being part of a team with a coach and staff who, collectively led them to overcome the odds and become better than they thought they could be. There are scenes of real-life tragedy and triumph that are included as more of a backdrop to the story than a central theme, but aptly illustrate how "victims" in any situation can become "victors". There are a lot of long scenes of football bashing & crunching, which some may find "too long"...the actor who plays Coach Bob is low- key intense, rather than dramatic; dialogue is ordinary vs. Hollywood-ish, but in the end, a tribute to exceptional coaching is made, message received.

First, let me say, I LOVE sports movies--any sport, even if I'm not a fan. Pro, College, High School--even "The Sandlot" (a GREAT movie, by the way). Having lived in the Bay Area during "The Streak," and seeing the previews a few times, I was REALLY looking forward to seeing this film and went with a pocketful of Kleenex.

I am beginning to wonder if filmmakers put TOO much of the good stuff in their trailers. There weren't many other big moments in this movie that I hadn't seen in the weeks prior. It's a GREAT story, but just a good movie. I don't agree with some others that it's "too preachy." This is a Catholic High School, where kids are required to take religion classes. They aren't always about scripture, but about morals and ethics and leading a good life (regardless of your religion or no religion). Without this element, I don't think Coach Lad would have been as successful as he was. (And yeah, he probably "recruited" a bit, too).

The football scenes were very well done and exciting--not sure how much creative license was given there to create the nail biting finishes. I just felt the family dynamics and the player comraderie could have been delved into a little more deeply. Why tease us with bits and pieces and then not follow through? I also enjoy, at the end of such "real life" movies, to find out "where are they now?" It would have been nice to see what some of boys-who-became-men-through-football are up to now.

Out of curiosity, I did a bit more research and found that 2 of the main character/players were composites, which bothered me not because of the creative process, but because the most unlikable kid in the film is black. It bothered me when I watched the film, but I thought, OK, that's a real person. But it isn't. We don't need Hollywood to fuel racial bigotry.

So go see it--you'll come out of the theater a little bit better of a person. It's no "Brian's Song" or "Field of Dreams," but it's not The Bad News Bears" either.

Responding to the overtly religious criticism/ This movie was about a team that won 150 games in a row. It was based on real life coaching. (This was not a made up part of the story but intrinsic to the coach's point of view).

To leave family/faith values out of the movie would have been like telling the story of a journey without any information about how the characters were able to get from point A to point B when no one else in history had ever done so.

Nevertheless the movie wasn't just about the overall journey, but also included the individual stories of the coach and black and white students facing their own challenges.

The many football scenes through-out the movie were great fun to watch!

This was inspired by a true story.

California High School football coach Bob Ladouceur (Jim Caviezel) takes the De La Salle high school to 151 straight victories. This movie starts when the streak is broken and how everyone handles it.

This is one of those movies that gets better and better as it goes along. Bob Ladouceur insists that it not about scoring touchdowns and winning. But he has a method of teaching that actually insures that scoring touchdowns and winning will result. He says his main goal is to prepare his young players to be able to handle life after school so whatever happens, they can be counted on. Simply said, it works. Because of his belief in how he teaches and what he believes, he turns down offers to coach college football.

This is well acted all around and the hard-hitting (ouch, ouch, ouch) scenes on the football field appear to be quite real (Hey, Bob, it's movie magic). Well, I hope so, but I checked with my doctor anyway. So far he says I am good to watch more of these hits. Ouch!

The father of the Quarterback wants his son to achieve the record for the most touchdowns in High School competition nationwide. And, it is here the ending is nothing short of Pure Gold. You will be touched.

Also, you will understand why the title is perfect. (7/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: No.

As I watched this movie, I developed and steadily growing dislike for both the coach and the team. There is a scene late in the movie with a kid who had spent three years on the bench and had never played in a single game. Earlier scenes showed that the team won every game in previous seasons by six or more touchdowns, and that star players played both offense and defense. What kind of crappy coach and crappy team never puts the second string in, even when they are leading by 40 points? The muddled point of the movie seemed to be that winning wasn't the most important part of playing the game. For me, this scene blew that ideal out of the water. For this team and this coach, the point wasn't just winning, but winning by huge margins, to the detriment of the players who weren't superstars.

I saw this movie at a screening and was going with the idea of yeah OK ill go see it... its free. Wow... I was pleasantly surprised with this un-promoted film. I feel this didn't get enough TV ad time as it should have as I fell that this is one of the best football films made. It will make any fan and any family member of a player appreciate the game that much more. It goes to show what the teens really go through to be the best in the game and how the loss effects the team and how they need to get over the loss and move on. With todays society and the "no one looses" "participation trophys" this film is a must. Show the character effects of how people need to LOOSE and over come it versus no everyone wins. Pretty close film to "undefeated" but better.

"People always ask me what it's like to never lose. Today I am lost."

A 151 game winning streak is not something you see everyday, so when they decided to make a film about the De La Salle High School football team who managed to remain undefeated for 12 years I was sold. A lot of credit has to be given to Coach Bob Ladouceur for his accomplishments because he didn't stay undefeated with the same group of players. The streak went on for over a decade so he had to continue winning with different players and that goes on to prove what a talented guy he is. This is a fantastic story for every sport fan out there, but unfortunately the movie is full of clichés and doesn't offer anything new to the sports genre. It tries too hard to be inspirational and it includes several fictional characters that were completely unnecessary. This is such an inspiring tale in real life, that there was actually no need to make it more inspirational than what it already was. The relationship between one of the running backs and his father (Alexander Ludwig and Clancy Brown) was placed here exclusively to give it a more melodramatic arch, but it is laughable. Brown plays the over demanding father who wants his kid to break the national record for most touchdowns. The scenes are placed here exclusively in contrast to the coach's philosophy which has to do more with being a team of brothers who are there for each other. There is no I in team. We've seen these clichés in sport films many times in the past, but here the dialogue is even more cheesy and forced. I did find some of the melodramatic moments quite touching, like an eulogy the coach gives midway through the film, but most of the sports scenes felt disconnected with the dramatic ones. The film left me with a sense of wanting to learn more about this real life story, but When the Game Stands Tall doesn't do a good job of telling it. There are some great sport scenes that kept me engaged for a while, but the film fails in the dramatic department forcing inspirational moments and feeling too preachy. It is a manipulative and by the books uplifting feel good tale.

The film at times felt disconnected. You are introduced to this fabulous coach (Jim Caviezel) who is always inspiring his players, but at the same time his situation at home doesn't seem to be going too well. His wife is played by Laura Dern and I felt like these family moments didn't work at all in this film because they only touched the surface of their problems. The relationship with his son (Matthew Daddario) wasn't explored either and everything was sort of left in the limbo when the second half of the film focuses exclusively on the football games and practices. The actors are fine, but the script is weak and ultimately their characters suffer from not having any depth. There is also a subplot involving some of the seniors who are heading to college that's also kind of ignored after the passing of one of the players. It is a key moment in the film, but it simply felt disconnected with everything else.

I found it entertaining and it left me with a warm feeling. Solid performances help to enhance this incredible story of sport and courage. This one is an austere, gripping movie about surviving against the odds. It tells the journey of legendary football coach Bob Ladouceur, who took the De La Salle High School Spartans from obscurity to a 151-game winning streak that shattered all records for any American sport. What I like best is how the director lets the actors breathe and the music lets the atmosphere live. It reminds me of some of those sombre Japanese films that were popular back in the 1990. By the end, we feel that we have learned a great deal about the characters and the community that produced them.

I saw this tonight. It was good for the kind of movie it is; a movie about high school sports and their "positive effect" on players as made possible by a great coach.

While this film was very well made, and did illustrate it's point well, it's almost as noticeable for what it doesn't say; or avoids saying altogether. I feel a bit insulted by it, truth be told.

So what's left out? Two very significant facts.

1) The first, and the least important, is the fact that for all the good accomplished by this coach on behalf of his school, the lofty good it does is reserved for a comparatively small number of students. Namely, only for members of the football team. When I was in school (admittedly a very long time ago) the average high school football team was about 33 players. Even if it's a few more, the number is still tiny compared to the whole student body. It leaves me feeling that one cannot get the whole benefit of an education unless one is a very large, athletically talented male.

2) Probably the most significant contributor to the teaching arsenal of the coach is that the school, and therefore their philosophy, is primarily derived from the fact that De La Salle is a Catholic school that places a heavy emphasis on a Christian education after the example of Saint De La Salle. I cannot imagine this school having the success it does absent that philosophy. It went so far as having the strongest statement concerning one of the students who was murdered, stated only in French. The statement being, I believe, that he was a man of faith. That faith was not in football in case you might wonder.

Considering the above, the film's message still has value; albeit in a round about manner. It's still worth seeing; but I sure wish it would inspire someone to come up with a way to teach something this significant for those who aren't able to play football.

Bruce L. Jones

Over the past several years, the sports genre has been slowly grown more and more dull as the year goes by, with many films of the genre driven by almost nothing more than common sports tropes. Fortunately, the triumphant nature of these films hasn't stop audiences everywhere from buying a ticket to see an inspiring story of a high school overcoming odds to claim their victory, and for fair reasons. When a film has a heart, it's only destiny is to win the hearts of undemanding family audience. In this case, clichéd doesn't automatically mean not entertaining. Based on true events, When The Game Stands Tall follows the story of Bob Ladouceur (played by Jim Caviezal), a long-time and soft-spoken coach of the the De La Salle High School football team in Concord, California who made legacy in American sports with a 151 game-winning streak, the biggest record ever held in the history of American sports. When tragedy strikes the team and they face a defeating loss for the first time, their faith and their dreams are put to the test where they must learn how to overcome loss and get back on their feet. Featuring a likable cast of Michael Chiklis, Alexander Ludwig, Clancy Brown, Laura Dern, Matthew Daddario, Joe Massingill, Ser'Darius Blain, Stephen James, and Richard Kohnke; this film brings together a heart-warming and inspirational tale of a football's team determination and hopefulness, while challenging a typical sports movie clichés.

This movie certainly doesn't offer anything new to the table of sports-related dramas. As far as football-themed films go, this one seems to burn through nearly every cliché that many sports movies are known for, including a major plot point where a character is tragically is killed and a subplot of a family dispute relating to duty of working with a football team, how many times we seen this before? Most of the characters are barely distinguishable with the exception of Alexander Ludwig's character Chris Ryan, an eager player who suffers from emotional abuse from his father who only cares about his son's touchdown records. With all this said, the lack of innovation put into this story will likely indulge viewers into more déjà vu than inspiration. On the other hand, audience who've grown fond of sports movies won't help but pleased by the film's messages of treating your team as a family and the heart- touching story of how the team learns to overcome the obstacles that get in the way of their goals. There is also a little bit of a Christian undertone to it that will likely satisfy viewers, and the film does a great job at delivering a message about hope and teamwork without being overly preachy or forcefully shoving the message down your throat. Lastly, the performances are great to say the least. Jim Caviezel really makes a strong impression as the coach who deeply cares of his team, while trying to balance his relationship with his wife. The rest of actors do a decent job as well, though nothing particularly outstanding to speak of.

When The Game Stands Tall is certainly nothing original, but it is quite entertaining and pleasing to watch. It is a film that can surely inspire viewers and fill them with great messages. Looking for a good family movie? This one is worth a try.

As a member of team who previewed the movie, I have seen this 6 times and customarily, I HATE to see movies over and over but this is a GREAT movie. I am also not a huge football fan. This movie has a great message about family, character and why one should do anything they enjoy...win is great but it's more than that. This says a great deal about the character of the coach, his staff, his family and HIS players. I will have to read the book now. There is everything from elation to heartbreak; you will find yourself dancing and you may shed a tear. I enjoyed NOT having to cringe through nudity, bullets, and f-bombs.

I recommend EVERYONE go see this. It's a great family film and it has something for everyone.

The movie is very good, especially the message that it leaves that you do not always have to look individually but that teamwork can also take you to great places.

I really can not believe the positive reviews for this movie. I will start by saying I am a Christian (so that aspect of the movie did not bother me one bit) and I work in college athletics, so I love sports. I gave it three stars for the actual story and the ability to bring it to the big screen.

However, the two leads were cast horribly. Jim Caviezel was not a good fit for this lead character and his wife was even worse (no disrespect to her as an actress). She was annoying and the fact that she was encouraging her husband to pursue a college job so he could spent more time with the family is just ridiculous and ignorant, as anyone who knows anything about college sports knows that she would see much less of her husband due to the demands of being a college coach.

The other scene that bothered me was showing how Oregon mailed a whole bunch of gear to two top prospects, which again, anyone who knows anything about college athletics knows that that this is completely illegal. I am not sure if this actually happened, but I would be surprised that Oregon would be okay with putting that scene in the movie.

The acting was pretty horrible overall, and I felt as if I was watching a glorified Lifetime movie. Two thumbs down for me!

This movie, based on real life events, does a wonderful job of portraying the power and beauty of the human spirit. The movie allows you escape all of the negative aspects of professional sports and big-time collegiate athletics and reminds us of the truly positive effects of sport when taught in the proper perspective.

The movie also demonstrates the ever ending struggle between good and evil forces in our world and teaches us to fight through life even during some of its most challenging moments. A beautiful demonstration of American spirit and reinforces the strength of our nation and its values. This movie is about life and is much greater than just a high school football team.

I could only watch about half of this film due to the horrible script. The characters don't talk, they spew talking points such as "We are doing it for the coach" or "Your not alone, you have us". I don't know what group of 7th graders wrote this crap but it is worse than an after-school special, I'm surprised Eve Plumb was not cast in the Laura Dern role.

The entire time that I did watch I just kept thinking "How desperate for work is Laura Dern to take this part?" There are some good actors/actresses in this film and they basically do nothing but chew the scenery and recite Hallmark card messages to the "kids" on the team.

The "kids" look like 30 year old men and they must have all attended the Copacobana Acting School, where they were taught to act like silent movie stars. I mean every expression is so overacted, it makes Mommie Dearest look like Sophie's Choice.

I think the producers thought "Hey that Sandra Bullock football movie was a hit, lets make another one" unfortunately the later is worse than most lifetime movies.

This is definitely a movie not worth even an in-demand or Netflix rental price, do yourself a favor and just watch We Are Marshall or Brian's Song again.