We Are Marshall (Widescreen Edition)

Buy This Item We Are Marshall (Widescreen Edition) by Warner Home Video  Available from Amazon  $18.49  on 9-22-2008     Football is a game that knocks you down then expects you to get back up. Life hit the West Virginia town of Huntington and its Marshall University even harder. When it did Jack Lengyel came by to help pull them onto their feet by taking the job no one wanted: rebuilding the Marshall football program only months after a plane crash wiped out Marshall's beloved Thundering Herd. Matthew McConaughey portrays Lengyel the energetic compassionate coach of inexperienced players whose chances of victory are slim and none. They'll go with the slim. And as they do their true-life story of heart healing and football will thrill and inspire you. It's game day. Time to play till the whistle blows!Running Time: 131 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 012569835122 Manufacturer No: 83512 Reader Reviews We Are Marshall, starring Matthew McConaughey, Mathew Fox, and David Strathairn, is very well-done, and the story is inspiring. At Marshall University in West Virginia, the "Thundering Herd" football team, along with a collection of boosters, parents, etc., is flying back from an away game when their plane crashes, killing the some 75 souls on board. The university and its town are crippled by the loss and want to suspend the football program at the school. However, a small number of remaining players organize a student protest to keep the game alive at Marshall. After many fruitless phone calls, the university president (Strathairn) finds a new coach - Jack Lengyel (McConaughey). Lengyel convinces former assistant coach Red Dawson (Fox) to return, and the NCAA grants the university the right to play freshmen. Lengyel and Dawson then fill their team with new recruits and begin playing football again. This movie is based on a true story, and I became misty-eyed more than once as I watched it. Performances are very good, and though the cast boasts several "stars," I thought the best depiction in the film was given by Anthony Mackie. Mackie plays Nate Ruffin, one of the remaining football players. Ruffin was not at the away game due to an injury. It is his determination to keep the football program going that makes it a reality. He had some wonderful scenes with McConaughey and Fox, and, in my opinion, he walked off with the movie. Other than one scene that seemed rather pushed to me (Lengyel's speech at the graveyard where the victims of the crash are buried; I didn't buy it. I don't know if it was the writing or the delivery, but it came off as maudlin and strained.), this movie is right on target. I highly recommend.

We Are Marshall (Widescreen Edition) Available from Amazon Price: $18.49 Updated on 9-22-2008.

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