We Are Marshall (DVD, 2007, Full Frame)

The most cynical viewers will have a hard time hiding the lumps in their throats watching the enormously moving football drama 'We Are Marshall'.
If it feels like Hollywood's gone to the mat one too many times with inspirational sports stories, this latest entry is distinct and well-made enough to separate it from the pack. And if the movie unabashedly wears its heart on its jersey sleeve, it's so sincere and honest that it rightfully earns its tears.
This is the True Story of one of the worst disasters in American Sports History: 1970 plane crash that wiped out most of Marshall University's Football Team, along with its coaches and boosters. A total of 75 people died that fateful night, leaving the football-crazy steel town of Huntington, West Virginia, grieving and heartbroken. The big question then was whether or not to continue the college football program, which would mean starting over from scratch and testing the emotional strength of the devastated community. Not surprisingly, residents and students spoke up and the difficult decision was made to get back to the gridiron.
Led by University President Donald Dedmon (David Strathairn), surviving Team Captain Nate Ruffin (Anthony Mackie), newly recruited Coach Jack Lengyel (Matthew McConaughey), and Assistant Coach Red Dawson (Matthew Fox), a spotty replacement team was assembled and, against massive emotional and physical odds, the new team helped the town overcome the tragedy.
What makes the story less formulaic is the drive and creativity the characters use to achieve their thorny goals. Also, the film is charged with so much vivid emotion and urgency it's impossible not to get swept up in it all. Most importantly, it won't take a sports fan to appreciate the movie's vast merits, which is not always the case with this sub-genre.
While it's heart is squarely in the right place, it's not as complete a success as, say, the similarly themed 'Friday Night Lights'. First-timer Jamie Linden's screenplay packs an emotional wallop, for sure though. He's created a strong surface picture of the key figures, and we certainly know where everyone's coming from.
The only problem is McConaughey's uneven performance, which doesn't quite zero in on the real Lengyel. At first, the actor plays him as a gung-ho eccentric, but by the end he turns into, well, Matthew McConaughey, honey-dripping voice and all. While "McC" seems right on paper and definitely commits to the part, he's just not versatile enough to fully inhabit the role of the colorful coach.
The rest of the cast, however, is uniformly excellent, with Strathairn, Mackie, and Fox all turning in award-caliber work. Fox (Party of Five, Lost), as the intensely conflicted assistant coach, is a particular revelation, and his success here could bring him leading-man status beyond the small screen. Kate Mara, as a young waitress (and the film's narrator) whose fiancé dies in the accident, and Ian McShane as the boy's shattered father, are also superb.
The early 1970s setting is nicely recreated without overdoing the period trappings, which include an effective array of Top 40 tunes.

'We Are Marshall' (named after the team's stirring chant) is a memorable, deeply felt tribute that scores serious points.

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We Are Marshall is a very interesting movie. It is about Marshall University and how the campus and town deal with a devastating crash that claimed their entire football team, sports department, and many people from the town of Marshall.

The movie is about how people deal with a massive tragedy on a town wide scale. You happen to see how they deal with it through re-creating Marshall's football team/program.

The movie is very inspirational.

5/5
Latsyrhc
Tamarack Collectibles

I bought this as a gift for a friend. This is a great movie and would recommend it to everyone I know.

This movie had to be one of the most heart touching movies that I have seen in quite sometime. It is one that I will watch again & again.
There was no "pausing" or talking during this movie for fear that I would miss something. Really held my interest.
AWESOME !!!!

The fact that the movie is based on True events . The struggle of a town , emotions , the loss of a football team and the strength and struggles to rebuild !

i loved this movie, this was a very touching true story of a town torn apart. But brought back together

The Shipping was very fast, product was as stated in description, very happy with everything. I would order products from this shipper again.

The product was received in perfect brand new condition as promised. I received it quickly and it shipped quickly.

Yes, they made a bigger deal about finding a new coach than it really was, or bringing back football.
But overall, I enjoyed the movie, and isn't that what a movie is all about??!!

was very happy with the fact that I received the cd just a week after purchasing it. the price was very good too!

Another great sports epic, based on a true story that details the life and drama of a high school that has been struck by tragedy and finds a way to pull together to become united once more.

my grandchildren wanted this,and they loved it,also my husband and i enjoyed it also ty so much cheuvronts @comcast.net

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FOOTBALL IS A GAME THATS KNOCKS YOU DOWN, THEN EXPECTS YOU TO GET BACK UP.LIFE HIT THE WEST VIRGINIA TOWN OF HUNTINGTON AND ITS MARSHALL UNIVERSITY EVEN HARDER. WHEN IT DID, JACK LENGYEL CAME BY TO HELP PULL THEM ONTO THEIR FEET BY TAKING THE JOB NO ONE WANTED;REBULIDING THE MARSHALL FOOTBALL PROGRAM ONLY MONTHS AFTER A PLANE CRASH WIPED OUT MARSHALL'S BELOVED THUNDERING HERD. MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY PORTRAYS LENGYEL,THE ENERGETIC COMPASSIONATE COACH OF INEXPERIENCED PLAYERS WHOSE CHANCES OF VICTORY ARE SLIM AND NONE. THEY'LL GO WITH THE SLIM. AND AS THEY DO, THEIR TRUE-LIFE STORY OF HEART,HEALING AND FOOTBALL WILL TRILL AND INSPIRE YOU.IT'S GAME DAY. TIME TO PLAY TILL THE WHISTLE BLOWS.

The movie is based on a true to life catastrophe where a plane crash claimed the lives of nearly every Marshall University football player as well as coaches and football boosers. The incident left the community devastated and without direction temporarily.

Enter a new coach, Jack Lengyel who took the team to win only two games the first season at Marshall and with an overwhelming record of losses, departed Marshall in 1974.

The movie has an extremely powerful plot and message overall but fails to deliver the knock-out punch. The script writing was lacking substance and many times left an audience puzzled as to why there was a build up to power punch emotional drama, only to be left weary forced to move on to the next sequence of events. Very few scenes delivered appropriately, the true raw emotion necessary to deliver a message as overwhelmingly powerful as Marshall University.

Sad to say, this movie could have been one of the most memorable movies of the decade had the writing and directing been more substantial. Matthew McConaughey, an excellent actor is surrounded by a cast of average actors at best. I looked forward to this movie only to be left disappointed that it was slightly above average.

The memories left in Huntington remain to this day. The devastating loss to the team, families, university and community deserved a better package than was delivered.

Nevertheless, despite the average acting, average writing, average production and direction, the powerful true story makes it worth seeing more than once simply because they are MARSHALL!

Whether you buy it, rent it or wait for a television edited version, just make sure you see this movie. Despite it's failures, the movie provies great historical significance to football, Marshall University, West Virginia and most of all...mankind.

ead

great movie. Very moving. Keeps you involved all the way. the stars should have one oscars. Great personal interest story

I have a little bias because I have a degree from this university. Despite this, I believe that you would agree that this is a one-of-a-kind, tragic, survival story, brilliantly acted. As noted in the film: "It's not about winning."

This is a great comeback story. It is a true story which gives it a lasting impact. A community comes together after a major tragedy to reunite in the spirit of the game of football. A must see for all family members.

This movie shows the tragedy a community faced and the oppositions to change. I am glad someone took the reigns to go forward in life without disrespecting the death of so many. Life is a celebration and death of this nature a tragedy. The movie shows how that tragedy can be turned around to inspire life. A definite tear-jerker!

I bought this movie because I lived through the tradgedy. This is about my hometown. It was a sad time and this movies depicts what the town and families went through. All the actors did a great job and this is a great movie to watch. I watch it over and over. We are a university town and it is true when we say, WE ARE MARSHALL!!!

I thought this was a very good movie. I liked everything about it. I attended Marshall back 1979-81. I sat out at the fountain and did my work. At that time, I didn't know the significance of it. That is why I decided to buy it.

This film will never be nominated for any kind of award, because Mathew McGhonaghy does not get nominated. The story is a very moving depiction of events following a plane crash which killed virtually the entire football team of Marshall University in West Virginia. People I have talked with about this film have objected to Matt's tacky wardrobe, but if nothing else, it is true to the style of the time. I'm probably more prone to blubbering than most, but I'd bet there are few dry eyes during several key passages. I loved the film enough to buy it after I had seen it.

The seller's DVD was selling at a less expensive price and had a great rating, so I ordered it from this person. The DVD arrived quickly and in great condition. Thank you.