Forever Strong (2008)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Ryan Little

Writer:

David Pliler (writer)

Release Date:

26 September 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sport

Tagline:

The Greatest Victories are Born in the Heart

Plot:

A talented-but-troubled rugby player must play against the team his father coaches at the national championship. |

Plot Keywords:

Rugby | Montage | Juvie | Beautiful Woman | Athlete

Cast

Gary Cole	...	Coach Larry Gelwix
Sean Faris	...	Rick Penning
Neal McDonough	...	Coach Richard Penning
Sean Astin	...	Marcus
Penn Badgley	...	Lars
Arielle Kebbel	...	Emily
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Larry Bagby	...	Coach Cal
Britani Bateman	...	Renee Tate
Matthew Flynn Bellows	...	Highland player #1
Eliot Benjamin	...	Marty
Ivan R. Bird	...	Police Officer (as Ivan Bird)
Big Budah	...	Bingham
Jimmy Chunga	...	Max Griffin
Jeremy Earl	...	Sanchez
K. Danor Gerald	...	Coach JT
Carly Johnston	...	Reporter
Tyler Kain	...	Tammy
Max Kasch	...	Griggs
Carleigh King	...	Hotel Receptionist
John Kepa Kruse	...	Tumo
Lauren McKnight	...	Gina
Maclain Nelson	...	Scottish Captain
Michael J. Pagan	...	Kurt
Brian Peck	...	Colton McDonald
Shareece Pfeiffer	...	Marty's Girlfriend
Andrew Roach	...	Joey
William Rubio	...	Ernesto
Olesya Rulin	...	Emily's Friend
Junior Salt	...	Peeta
Irene Santiago	...	Reporter
Teddi Siddall	...	Cathy Gelwix
Emily Tyndall	...	Jamie
Julie Warner	...	Natalie Penning
Nathan West	...	Quentin

Also Known As:

Untitled Ryan Little Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic material involving teen drug and alcohol use, and for some disturbing images.

Runtime:

USA:112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Granite High School - 3305 S 500 E, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Company:

Go Films

Trivia:

Keep watching after the credits.

Excellent movie based on actual events!

First of all, I know almost nothing about rugby, so although I found the rugby-aspect of this movie to be interesting it could have been any sport and I think I would have enjoyed it just as much. The fact that it as about rugby didn't make it any better or worse for me.

What made this movie great is the story itself, based on actual events that have occurred over the last 30 years with the Highland Rugby club. Coach Gelwix is the kind of coach that most every parent would like their children to have, someone who cares more about the person than the sport (even though they have won 17 national championships and have only lost 9 games in over 30 years!). The more I have learned about the coach and team the more I like this movie and its message.

I have seen other sports movies that seemed great at first, but then I researched the details only to find that most of those movies were 10% fact and 90% fiction, with the 10% of facts being greatly exaggerated. Not so with Forever Strong. It may seem too good to be true, but that's what's so amazing about it. If it were fiction it would just be an enjoyable story and nothing more. Instead, the movie is inspirational and makes you want to be a better person.

Don't miss this movie because of a few negative reviews by professional critics. I have been reading some of their reviews and most of them have given the movie horrible reviews. These are generally the same critics who rave about movies that most people hate. In fact, I would be worried if some of these critics had given the movie good reviews because I almost always disagree with their opinions.

Go see this movie and post your review (positive or negative)! Currently most of the audience reviews are enthusiastically positive (here and on Rotten Tomatoes and similar sites), and I am interested to see if this trend continues. Thanks!