We Are Marshall (DVD, 2007, Widescreen)

The most cynical viewers will have a hard time hiding the lumps in their throats watching the enormously moving football drama 'We Are Marshall'.
If it feels like Hollywood's gone to the mat one too many times with inspirational sports stories, this latest entry is distinct and well-made enough to separate it from the pack. And if the movie unabashedly wears its heart on its jersey sleeve, it's so sincere and honest that it rightfully earns its tears.
This is the True Story of one of the worst disasters in American Sports History: 1970 plane crash that wiped out most of Marshall University's Football Team, along with its coaches and boosters. A total of 75 people died that fateful night, leaving the football-crazy steel town of Huntington, West Virginia, grieving and heartbroken. The big question then was whether or not to continue the college football program, which would mean starting over from scratch and testing the emotional strength of the devastated community. Not surprisingly, residents and students spoke up and the difficult decision was made to get back to the gridiron.
Led by University President Donald Dedmon (David Strathairn), surviving Team Captain Nate Ruffin (Anthony Mackie), newly recruited Coach Jack Lengyel (Matthew McConaughey), and Assistant Coach Red Dawson (Matthew Fox), a spotty replacement team was assembled and, against massive emotional and physical odds, the new team helped the town overcome the tragedy.
What makes the story less formulaic is the drive and creativity the characters use to achieve their thorny goals. Also, the film is charged with so much vivid emotion and urgency it's impossible not to get swept up in it all. Most importantly, it won't take a sports fan to appreciate the movie's vast merits, which is not always the case with this sub-genre.
While it's heart is squarely in the right place, it's not as complete a success as, say, the similarly themed 'Friday Night Lights'. First-timer Jamie Linden's screenplay packs an emotional wallop, for sure though. He's created a strong surface picture of the key figures, and we certainly know where everyone's coming from.
The only problem is McConaughey's uneven performance, which doesn't quite zero in on the real Lengyel. At first, the actor plays him as a gung-ho eccentric, but by the end he turns into, well, Matthew McConaughey, honey-dripping voice and all. While "McC" seems right on paper and definitely commits to the part, he's just not versatile enough to fully inhabit the role of the colorful coach.
The rest of the cast, however, is uniformly excellent, with Strathairn, Mackie, and Fox all turning in award-caliber work. Fox (Party of Five, Lost), as the intensely conflicted assistant coach, is a particular revelation, and his success here could bring him leading-man status beyond the small screen. Kate Mara, as a young waitress (and the film's narrator) whose fiancé dies in the accident, and Ian McShane as the boy's shattered father, are also superb.
The early 1970s setting is nicely recreated without overdoing the period trappings, which include an effective array of Top 40 tunes.

'We Are Marshall' (named after the team's stirring chant) is a memorable, deeply felt tribute that scores serious points.

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After a plane crash takes the lives of most of Marshall University's football team, new coach Jack Lengyel must rally the surviving players and a grieving community to victory in this inspiring drama based on actual events. The film follows Lengyel and his assistant coach as they try to renew Marshall's football program and help the close-knit West Virginia town of Huntington find new hope.

For anyone who remembers this tragedy, this was a wonderful and uplifting portrayal of the perserverance and the hope one small town had at this devastating time in their history.
The acting and casting of the film was marvelous with everyone putting their best effort into it. The costume department deserves a big hand for staying accurate to the time period.
We see a huge tragedy that could have destroyed almost every person in Marshall but instead they rallied around themselves and supported each other in a dream that was bigger than any one person.
If you haven't seen this one, get to your video store today because you are missing one of the best movies in a long time.
Hollywood is on the right track with more family-friendly viewing. There are some words which may offend but should not keep even the most conservative of us from watching.
Great job and a big thank you to the people of this small town who helped in describing and sharing their memories of this time in their lives for the rest of the world to understand and take strength from.

This movie is based on the true story of rebuilding the football program at Marshall University after a plane crash killed the whole team. While many people wanted to just keep the deceased team in memory, others thought that the depression brought on by such tragedy and disappointment had to be met head-on with moving on. People who know nothing about this turn-around will be inspired to hear that coach say, "We are..." to the team's response, "Marshall!!!" If we know who we are, we can use it to do what we're supposed to do. This movie has a football motif, but it's real message is not about football; it's about facing tragedy and going on to success.

This is a great movie (true story) about a town that lost their whole football team in a tragic plane crash. Matthew McConaughey does an outstanding performance and I enjoy watching how he brings the eccentric nature of Jack Lengyel, the replacement coach, to life.