The Erwin Brothers'
faith-based film tells the true tale of the history-making 1973 Woodlawn High
School football team.
Sports and religion are a potent
combination, one that siblings Jon and Andrew
Erwin (October Baby, Mom's Night Out) exploit to canny effect in their new film based
on the real-life Woodlawn High School football team which played in a
history-making 1973 game that attracted 42,000 spectators (another 20,000 were
turned away). With the recent wave of faith-based films making a real impact at
the box-office, Woodlawn could prove a significant draw, at least in the red
states.
Set in racially torn Birmingham,
Alabama, the film begins with a prologue depicting the attempt by legendary
University of Alabama football coach Bear Bryant (Jon Voight, strongly playing the iconic role) to ease
tensions by inviting the integrated USC team to play in his still largely
segregated city.
Cut to three years later, when the
Woodlawn high school becomes integrated, with football coach Tandy Gerelds (Nic Bishop) welcoming the arrival of such talented black
players as Tony Nathan (Caleb
Castille, making an impressive screen debut).
But the team still struggles to compete against their rivals at Banks High
School, led by Coach Shorty White (C. Thomas Howell).
So when Hank (Sean Astin) shows up at Woodlawn, introducing himself as a
"sports chaplain" and asking to address the beleaguered team, Tandy
reluctantly agrees. In his impassioned speech Hank asks the players to
"choose Jesus" and, much to the coach's amazement, most of the
players agree, including Tony.
It doesn't take long for Tandy to see
the light as well, suddenly undergoing a religious awakening and getting
baptized in a scene featuring Bob
Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's
Door" on the soundtrack. Even more surprisingly, rival coach Shorty--who
previously taunted Tandy during a rain-soaked game by derisively shouting,
"Them angels is crying! Them angels is crying!"--is soon also
converted.
Meanwhile, Bryant steadfastly pursues
rising star Tony, at one point showing up at his home with a suitcase in hand
and announcing, "I'm not leaving here until you decide to come to
Alabama."
The dramatic tension is raised in
several episodes, which include Tony refusing to shake Alabama governor George
Wallace's hand during an awards dinner, citing Wallace's opposition to school
integration; Tandy getting in trouble with the high school board because of his
religious activities; and most powerfully, Hank getting the microphone plug
pulled while delivering the Lord's Prayer before the big game, only to have the
thousands of spectators spontaneously recite it for him.
The Erwin brothers, who have a personal
stake in the material--their father, Hank Erwin, is the real-life chaplain
played by Astin--lay on the religiosity on a bit thick, occasionally
sacrificing credibility and coherence in the process. But the film largely
succeeds in achieving its modest goals, delivering a feel-good, real-life
inspirational story in a mostly engaging fashion. With its well-staged gridiron
sequences and solid ensemble performances, Woodlawn may even manage to lure viewers away from their
televised football games over the next couple of weeks.
·
Production:
Crescent Pictures, Red Sky Studios
Cast:
Nic Bishop, Sean Astin, Caleb Castille, Sherri Shepherd, Jon Voight, C. Thomas
Howell
Directors:
Jon Erwin, Andy Erwin
Screenwriters:
Jon Erwin, Quinton Peeples
Producers:
Kevin Downes, Daryl C. Lefever
Executive
producers: Mark Burnett, Holley Ellis, Scott Ellis, Andrew Erwin
Director
of photography: Kristopher Kimlin
Production
designer: Jaymes Hinkle
Editor:
Brent McCorkle
Costume
designer: Anna Redmon
Composer:
Paul Mills
Casting:
Elizabeth Barnes
All is good thats end is good
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