WE ARE MARSHALL

REVIEWED BY RISSI C.

Our rating: 5 out of 5

Rated:

My family and I don’t go to see a lot of movies in the theaters. So when we do, we try to choose a movie that we won’t regret having spent two hours watching with a group of other people and will eventually want to add the film to our collection. Back when We are Marshall was in theaters, we had to decide between it and Night at the Museum. We choose the latter, deciding that it wouldn’t be that long for the former to appear on DVD. Imagine our surprise when now, almost a year later, it has finally been released. It was well worth the wait.

West Virginia 1970. Marshall University’s football team is playing an “away” game. Down by a field goal, their coach gives the order to assistant coach Red Stevens (Matthew Fox) to bring the field goal kicking unit on the field. Just missing, Marshall continues their losing streak. Telling his players that “nothing matters but winning," the team arrives at the airport a bit depressed over another loss. Meeting the team at the airport, the band and cheerleaders try and raise their spirits before the short flight back. The plane never reaches its final destination, crashing close to home and killing everyone on board. Marshall lost brothers, fathers, husbands, mothers, sons and fiancés that day. A town devastated, they all grieve for friends, brothers, fiancés and husbands that night, including Carol Stevens (January Jones), Red's wife.

Believing her husband to have been on the plane, Carol is weak with relief when he drives in alive and well. Grieving the loss of his team and the fact that the only reason he is alive is because he switched places with someone else, Red attends his players’ funerals and tries to forget about football. The few players that were left behind due to injuries want to continue the football program to honor their fellow teammates, while the school board wants the program cut for at least a year. Rallying support player Nate Ruffin (Anthony Mackie) enters in on a closed school meeting in order to convince President Donald Dedmon (David Strathairn) how much they need this program. Telling Nate he wouldn’t know where to start, Nate answers “you can start by finding us a coach”.

On his list of potential candidates, not a one of them are willing to take the job, leaving the Marshall team without a coach, until Jack Lengyel (Matthew McConaughey) calls interested. The small town of Huntington West Virginia will rise from the ashes to prove: we are Marshall!  This story is inspiring and wonderfully crafted in every aspect!! The seemingly main plot of a football team torn apart is really more about the families left behind to carry on. With the plane crashing as close to home as it did, many of the residents witnessed the wreckage and it only added to the shock, despair and devastation around them. Coming to a town that has lost so much, Jack relates to his team and grieves with him, helping them along with their anguish. We also follow a fiancés (Kate Mara) journey to let go and live her life, a father bitter over the tragic death of his quarterback son and a young boy who thought his father was the greatest. 

I’m not a huge football fan. I’ll occasionally watch a Sunday afternoon game cheering on a team, but it isn’t my choice sport. With that being said, this is still one of the best movies of 2007. It has heart, wonderful characters, and a sad but true story that leaves a bittersweet feeling by the conclusion. Fox and McConghey were able to meet and talk to the real person they portrayed, which gave them a wonderful personal glimpse into what it was like to live through the tragedy. They were superb in their roles. McConghey has become one of my favorite actors since seeing him in Sahara and then in an edited version of How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days. Seeing him play such a different role then in his previous romantic comedy shows he has lots of talent. Another touch I loved was Jack’s home life. When being questioned by the president of Marshall as to why Jack wanted the job, his answer is so simple but very poignant. Kimberly Williams-Paisley was fantastic in her few scenes as Jack's wife and I loved his connection with his kids. Jack and Red also have some important and truth startling scenes together.

This is a heartbreaking drama, but also gives you some humor. Jack's comic quips and unorthodox recruiting methods make for a lighter side that left me laughing on more than one occasion. Content is pretty limited. There is some language; sh**, a** and a few other profanities make it into the script. The most potentially troubling content for families may be the thematic material involving a crash scene and the aftermath. The plane is shown in pieces on fire with family members hovering nearby, desperate to know whether or not this was the plane the team was on. The team is shown laughing and joking just before the crash; we hear something sounding like the plane being hit and then the screen goes black for what seems more like minutes than the actual seconds it is. 

We are Marshall is a really good sports film that I hope is fairly accurate in its history. Because if it is, you will be able to see by the end that Huntington will and did “rise from the ashes” to loudly and proudly proclaim we are Marshall!