dbeest Forever WeakRyan Little's 2008 film, "Forever Strong," is based on a true story about a Rugby Coach (Gary Cole) who teaches teenage misfits to win Rugby titles, as well as serve their community. Sean Farris stars as Rick, a cocky high school punk, and star athlete for the rugby team coached by his demanding father Rich Penning (Neal McDonough) in Flagstaff, Arizona. After nearly killing himself, and his girlfriend under the circumstances of a DUI, Rick lands himself in a juvenile detention center in Salt Lake City, Utah. I believe that even though this movie was a major hit and inspired many people all over, it had too many mistakes and unrealistic events that lead the viewer to question the script and quality of the film. Sean Astin plays the role of a very sympathetic administrator, who takes it upon himself to be a friend to a troubled Rick Penning. Astin makes a deal with Rick that if he agrees to play for Highland Rugby, an actual high school located in Utah, his time spent in the detention center would be shortened. This triggers the first question. Why and how is a juvenile inmate from out of state allowed to play for a high school sports team where he is not enrolled? Last time I checked, Juvenile inmates were not aloud to play on any sports team, let alone play on a team as an easier way out of jail. However, this movie does a decent job of showing how sports and discipline and love can change even the most troubled of teenagers like Rick Penning. Another thing that Little failed to accomplish in this film was to explain to the audience the actual game of rugby. I mean seriously, if you're going to put on a film completely about rugby and the life lessons that come from it, you should at least explain somehow the rules and regulations of the game. Those who have never seen or let alone heard of the rare and unusual game of rugby are completely lost when watching this. In order to truly grab the audience's attention, it's important to have an explanation of everything that is going on in the film. Sports movies especially, should be inspiring and exciting. However, for a sports film to effectively do that, it's crucial that the rules of the game are clearly stated so that the viewer can understand completely what is going on. By being able to follow along and have a clear understanding of the game that is being played allows the viewer to be apart of the excitement and drama that comes along in a hard fought battle. I mean, its like going to a football or basketball game without the rules being explained and expecting to be involved and excited. You have to understand the game before you can follow along and truly feel the thrill that comes from watching an action packed game. Don't get me wrong, Little did not ruin this film. There are many who praise him for what he did and the message that he delivered to the audience. However, as a viewer myself, I was confused and lost throughout much of the movie. It's also never completely clear why high school athletes and more specifically, rugby players, do ritual dances before matches. It actually seems quite silly to me and the effect of doing something like that would probably leave me more embarrassed than pumped up and ready to play.Overall, this film left me wondering many things and didn't really do much justice like your classic sports film should. There is just too much that was left out and that didn't make sense that it was hard to capture the thrill and excitement that you hope for going into it. To those who follow and understand the strange sport of rugby, it would be a wise decision to watch this, but for everybody else looking for an inspiring sports film, go watch a boxing movie.

garciabenjamin-27297 This film was enjoyable to watch even being a person not knowing anything about rugby it gave a good background to the sport about the emotion put into it. It shows how much rugby is different from other sports and how different the background of the sports were. There also weren't parts where you got bored and find yourself falling asleep. There was always something to look forward to and felt like you were apart of the issues and family that they had in the Highland Rugby team. This movie had a moving and emotional road with the main character from the start to finish where people might feel a connection toward him. The film was good overall and is worth watching.

figueroatiana For someone who doesn't know a thing about rugby, this movie had given me an insight to what the game is like. Overall, the movie was decent. I wouldn't watch it again per say, but it was good. The acting was solid and you could feel and understand the characters emotions. At the beginning I would say the main character was cliché and made the start relatively dull. I would like to add that the drunk driving portion had shown why you shouldn't drink and drive which was beneficial. Anyway, the main character was extremely cliché and didn't feel too relatable. The other characters were entertaining, though. When it game to the games they were interesting but didn't keep me too entertained. I feel like they didn't exlpain the game as well as I'd have liked it to, but I guess I got a decent understanding of it all. The most real feeling through the movie was the relationship between the main character and the parents. It was very relatable and the actors did their best when they clashed. The best scene was the ending when the father decided to accept his son and be proud for once. The main character's character development was decent as well. It seemed a bit rushed for the type of person he was, but it was good to see him eventually get along with the rest of the team. The fact this movie was based on a real story I feel they got the gist of what happened which is good. Again, the movie was overall okay.

quentintarantinojr This movie, like so many others (Remember the Titans, Miracle), follows the basic sports-movie formula: There's a guy, he's a jerk. Jerk does bad. Jerk must play by someone else's rules. Someone else's rules change Jerk, Jerk becomes good. Insert tragedy (Death, drugs, riots, etc.). Tragedy effects Jerk, makes him totally change. Jerk must now play championship game. Lots of close-ups on the sweating players and the balls. Jerk wins. Quote from coach or news or something that explains title. Credits. Weren't you touched? These movies can now be used to sort out the morons of society. Anyone who pays to see this in theatres must be slapped.