When the Game Stands Tall movie review (2014)

His approach to the game, one that he has given most of his life to, is perhaps best summed up in a quotation from Matthew 23:13 that is recited onscreen: “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled. And whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.” In other words, it is not about you, it is about others.

All these sentiments are worthwhile, of course. And considering that De La Salle is a Catholic school and Coach Lad also was a religious studies teacher, they aren’t gratuitous. Still, most often in its early stages, the melodrama onscreen edges precipitously close to dissolving into a puddle of platitudinous pabulum served in the manner of a rote Sunday school lesson.

Part of the problem with this particular sports story is the difficulty of presenting De La Salle as an underdog. Which is why producer David Zelon (“Soul Surfer,” another Christian-influenced sports film) and director Thomas Carter (“Coach Carter”) decided to zone in on the year 2004, when the Spartans lost their focus after Coach Lad suffered a life-threatening heart attack (turns out he was a secret smoker—a reason for a PG rating) and one of the team’s brightest stars is killed in a random shooting (the other reason for a PG rating).

With their leader sidelined and a tragic act of violence resulting in a painful absence in the lineup, the streak soon is as broken as the players’ sense of dedication. After losing the first two games of the season, Coach Lad is given the OK to resume his duties. And we as moviegoers apparently have paid enough penance and watched enough hardships to finally earn the right to see some actual football being played.

Of course, coming back from a two-game slump doesn’t exactly qualify as a resurrection even though the filmmakers pull out every trick in the book to make it seem that way. The actual turning point that prevents  “When the Game Stands Tall” from becoming totally insufferable arrives earlier when the kids go on a field trip to visit wounded veterans in a recovery facility. The nervous and ultimately heartfelt interaction between the fresh-faced actors and these wounded warriors who brave through their disabilities is the film’s first of too-few emotional touchdowns.