Watch it: Undefeated


One of the many perks of having cousins out in Los Angeles is the inevitability that one of them works in the entertainment industry.  My cousin Steph is my movie industry insider.  She's worked in casting for Paramount and also at a PR agency.  Steph can tell you stories about celebrities that will make your hair curl (okay, me being dramatic again but they'll at least make your jaw drop open and say "REALLY??").  She also knows about really good movies - old and new.

Undefeated is a movie we rented at her suggestion while we were there this week, an Oscar winner in 2011 for best documentary.  The documentary follows a Tennessee inner city high school football team and three of the key players on the team.  The school is underfunded and the coaches are all volunteers.  None of the players have parents who have been to college and almost none of the players have two parents.  The tag line of the movie is "The game is the easy part" and that is an obvious theme throughout.  There are pitfalls that threaten to trip the team and players up at every turn and as it's a documentary, it's scary to think that this is real life for these kids.  I won't give away any more - no spoilers from this end - but this movie is a tearjerker and makes even the biggest skeptic believe in the human spirit and the kindness of people.  The most inspirational message that the coach taught his players (and me) is to try hard, to give your all, for something bigger than yourself.  And if you stop thinking about yourself for just a moment, great things can happen.


Comments

  1. oh, sounds great. might be hard to get here, but I will def keep an eye open for it. thanks xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds pretty good, I'll see if I can find it :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Totally watching that in our house this weekend. XO

    ReplyDelete
  4. Darn it! Is THAT why great things never happen to me??? :)

    Sounds like a good, under-viewed movie. I hope folks don't confuse it with The Undefeated.

    ReplyDelete
  5. PS - Only the titles could be confused. The movies are very different.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wasn't that a great film? I loved it. And yes, I did shed a tear or two.

    While we're talking documentaries, you've seen Buck, right?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sounds fantastic! Thanks so much for the recommendation!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oooo...will check this out for sure:) Thanks for sharing, Rooth, and do share those gossip from your cousin too...heehee....

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh my. This sounds like something I'd love to watch. But I better bring my kleenex. *goes to check netflix & amazon*

    ReplyDelete
  10. great suggestions! will definitely add to my list to watch!

    ReplyDelete
  11. There was a time when I would watch allllll of the Oscar nominated movies before the awards show night, so I was as informed as possible, but I stopped a few years ago. This one has somehow snuck past my radar but I'll check it out now! xo

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm always looking for a good movie recommendation. While I'm not usually eager to watch a sports flick, it sounds like I could get into this! Your cousin sounds like she leads a pretty interesting life. :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. That's a great message at the end. I'll have to check the movie out. I love documentaries to begin with, and after this recommendation... this is now on my must-see list. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  14. It sounds like a really good movie and I will cry at anything so I think a box or two of tissues would be in order. You are lucky to have a cousin who can give you such great recommendations and has secret stories for you too!

    ReplyDelete
  15. sounds like an awesome documentary. just added it to my Netflix queue. :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. It seems like a movie I would like to watch. Looking out for it!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Reads