asc85 Add this one to the list of documentaries that I have absolutely no idea why this was so critically well-received. Unless you're a Harvard or Yale alum, I wouldn't know why anyone would enjoy this movie. The Yale and Harvard players are refreshingly humble, and I especially liked J.P. Goldsmith on the Yale side. But the coming attractions make it seem like references to Al Gore, Garry Trudeau, Meryl Streep and George W. Bush are significant in this movie. They're not. They're mentioned in passing as a side note. And the idea that there was a heavy discussion about what was going on at college campuses during the explosive year of 1968 in America is also exaggerated. All we saw was a classic Harvard/Yale football game with the players reminiscing about it. Nothing more. If you're looking for something deeper or even more entertaining, it's simply not there.

Benedict_Cumberbatch Kevin Rafferty's ("The Atomic Cafe") new documentary shows us the historical match between Yale's and Harvard's undefeated football teams, in Cambridge, back in November 1968. The Vietnam War was roaring, birth control was a brand new wonder, and these 20 year-olds were meant to give their best in the greatest match of their lives. Through contemporary interviews with the players (including Harvard graduate and Oscar-winning actor Tommy Lee Jones), now forty years older and wiser, plus the actual game's footage with instant replay, we're transported to that exhilarating moment in time - the game and the era.Rafferty's film's best qualities - nostalgia, portrayal of an era, love of the game - should be praised; yet, it didn't always work for me. Don't get me wrong, it's a fine documentary, and I'm personally fascinated by the 1960's (it's not because I wasn't even born then that I wouldn't be interested in it!), but the main issue, with me, is the football match itself. Brazilians, myself included, just can't understand American football and its rules (I'm an even worse case since I don't even enjoy soccer; I know, shame on me!). And even though I'm not a big basketball fan either, a movie like "Hoop Dreams" managed to engage me throughout because of the humanity of its characters and the visual and narrative vigor of that long film. Not to say the players in "Harvard Beats Yale 29-29" aren't charismatic or remotely interesting; they are. But I believe being a football fan helps a lot in order to fully enjoy this film. My verdict: a fine documentary, but the thematic sport just isn't for me.

madmanstat3 I don't know how the person in front of me is writing a bad review on this. This movie was hilarious and entertaining. I'm a football lover and even i wasn't excited about seeing this, until i saw how amazingly entertaining all of the characters are. You really get to see inside the minds of these players, and what it was like to be part of such a great game. The players are all very entertaining, (except Tommy Lee Jones) and some of them you love, some of them you hate. Great movie, great story, a great time. These players are funny, and quick to make fun of themselves and each other. I don't know how anyone could not love it. Maybe not great for girls, but anyone else is going to love it.

pegasus3 This was about one of the most boring documentaries I can recall ever seeing. Despite being a Yale Grad during that vintage decade, I could barely muster enough interest to watch the entire film. I had hoped for more than a bunch of aging males reveling in their past football exploits. To be sure, the game was dramatic and close, quite obviously by the final score. Despite an occasional foray into other topical issues of the era, the seemingly endless mechanics recounted by team members from both sides left one wishing for more depth and intelligent commentary by those having attended such august universities. And to see one of the Yale team gloating over his attempts to injure a key player to get him out of the game only gave this viewer a sour taste in his mouth rather than any admiration for such macho antics. In addition, one of the key celebrity participants looked like he had come off a month long drunk, pitching comments like some sort of arrogant poseur. The final puzzle of the film was the title. Am I missing something? A tie is a tie. Games are all about points and you're not a winner unless you score more points than your opponent. Notwithstanding some cutesy philosophical point that the director Kevin Rafferty might be trying to make, the title seems to fall flat as any kind of sophisticated summation of the movie's content.