Right off the bat you first need to know this movie follows the same formula as many others, such as The Mighty Ducks, Bad News Bears, and dozens of others. You know the drill: A down-and-out coach with a down-and-out group creates a winning team against all odds, learning to work together and put all their effort into the game.  Saying this is a formula movie isn't a put down but a simple statement. When done right, formula movies can be really, really good. When done wrong, they are tired and obvious.

This movie is really, really good.

We have the coach with a loosing record. We have the team with a loosing record. Everything is just going wrong. Then a miracle happens. But in this case it's a real miracle: Coach Grant Taylor (Alex Kendrick) realizes he has not been living for Christ and challenges his team to do so, too. A revival occurs in the players lives and the team starts winning. It's the same formula but with a distinctive Christian flavor. And it works very well.

There are times when the movie becomes a bit "preachy" when Coach Taylor admonishes his team to live for God and to accept Christ as Savior. But that's the whole point of the movie, isn't it?  We shouldn't play football (or do our job) for the glory it brings us. Instead we should do all for the glory of God. Only after we seek Him do "all these things" - winning the game, getting the promotion, or other worldly goods - get added to us.

Some of the acting is a bit stiff in one or two scenes but is easily overlooked once you remember these are not professional actors but real people who volunteered.  The overall quality is excellent and really quite remarkable considering a total budget of about $100,000 and the lack of professional actors, writers, and just about everything else. The whole budget apparently went into hiring professionals for the filming and editing of the project, which explains the well polished shots and the general "look and feel" to the movie.

The only caution I have for you is that one of the subplots deals with infertility, which may lead to some discussion with your children. That, and some of the music is of a more "Contemporary Christian" flavor than many Fundamentalists will appreciate. Not overly so but again, think of it as a place to begin talking about music standards with your children.

Bottom line:  A remarkable film the whole family can enjoy.

(Actually, the biggest caution is the cameo appearance of UGA coach Mark Richt. For us Georgia Tech alumni, that's just cold.)