First of all, I would like to start by stating that I absolutely loved Undefeated. This is easily one of the greatest movies/ documentaries that I have ever watched, and I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone who is considering watching it. Before I go into why it is such a great documentary I will fill you in with a short synopsis. Undefeated follows the Manassas Tigers football team, a terribly underfunded, underrepresented, and unfortunate team, with young players who are projected to have no future in anything they do as a result of their environment. Bill Courtney comes in as head coach and takes on the roll as savior and mentor to the team, while touching the lives of several particular players. In addition to the film focusing on Bill Courtney's impact on the Manassas program, we are inducted into the lives of Montrail "Money" Brown, O.C. Brown, and Chavis Daniels.
There are several criteria that I used to assess how much I really enjoyed the film and whether or not I would recommend it. First, I determined that the intended audience was more than likely younger adults and sports fans, as well as people who like documentaries that are touching and appeal to the audiences' emotions and test their sympathy.
This film touches on very touchy and relatable subjects including: poverty, imprisonment, underprivileged people and the effects that class and funding have on the education and experiences of students in our country. We also see the impact of athletics and an adult figure that has the slightest amount of faith in one's potential to succeed. For the reader who may still be on the cusp in terms of whether or not you will enjoy this film, it is easily relatable to Remember the Titans, Coach Carter, and Hoop Dreams. All of these movies take a hopeless group of people who have been pushed to the side and follow their journeys to triumph through blood, sweat, and tears.
Undefeated incorporates great pacing in the way that the characters are introduced into the film as well as the way we see Coach Courtney touch each one of their lives. For example, we are introduced to two very different characters when we meet Chavis Daniels, a trouble child who is released from jail and placed on parole towards the beginning of the movie. He has a short temper and smart mouth, but you can see in the film how his new coach impacts his life and attitude. This is a change in character that you will want to see. Next, we see O.C. Brown. If you have every seen The Blind Side, imagine Michael Oher as his character is introduced and develops throughout the film, and this is how you can visualize O.C. Brown as he portrays himself in this documentary. I would strongly advise that everyone see this film so they can experience and appreciate how far both young men go despite their differences in character and work ethic.
The last bit of criteria I want to address in order to convince you of how great this documentary is, is its uplifting spirit and theme of strength in how it introduces the town, school, football program, and character as dead beat and hopeless, and then in comes a savior through Coach Bill Courtney, and the program begins it's upward trend not necessarily in wins vs. losses, but rather in successes and defying the odds. I can confidently make the claim that the average movie watcher enjoys the theme of hope and this is the theme most present in Undefeated.
All in all, I would 100% recommend this film to anyone who isn't sure if this is worth the time. It is a film that encompasses the themes of hope, strength, and family, while maintaining a relatively good pace when introducing the characters and the sequence of events. The sole criticism that I have for the makers of the film is that it honestly could have been 30 minutes longer and I would have greatly enjoyed seeing more events and parts of some of the characters home lives. Other than this, I give this movie a 10 out of 10 and hopefully have convinced you to at least check it out and prepare to enjoy.
There are several criteria that I used to assess how much I really enjoyed the film and whether or not I would recommend it. First, I determined that the intended audience was more than likely younger adults and sports fans, as well as people who like documentaries that are touching and appeal to the audiences' emotions and test their sympathy.
This film touches on very touchy and relatable subjects including: poverty, imprisonment, underprivileged people and the effects that class and funding have on the education and experiences of students in our country. We also see the impact of athletics and an adult figure that has the slightest amount of faith in one's potential to succeed. For the reader who may still be on the cusp in terms of whether or not you will enjoy this film, it is easily relatable to Remember the Titans, Coach Carter, and Hoop Dreams. All of these movies take a hopeless group of people who have been pushed to the side and follow their journeys to triumph through blood, sweat, and tears.
Undefeated incorporates great pacing in the way that the characters are introduced into the film as well as the way we see Coach Courtney touch each one of their lives. For example, we are introduced to two very different characters when we meet Chavis Daniels, a trouble child who is released from jail and placed on parole towards the beginning of the movie. He has a short temper and smart mouth, but you can see in the film how his new coach impacts his life and attitude. This is a change in character that you will want to see. Next, we see O.C. Brown. If you have every seen The Blind Side, imagine Michael Oher as his character is introduced and develops throughout the film, and this is how you can visualize O.C. Brown as he portrays himself in this documentary. I would strongly advise that everyone see this film so they can experience and appreciate how far both young men go despite their differences in character and work ethic.
The last bit of criteria I want to address in order to convince you of how great this documentary is, is its uplifting spirit and theme of strength in how it introduces the town, school, football program, and character as dead beat and hopeless, and then in comes a savior through Coach Bill Courtney, and the program begins it's upward trend not necessarily in wins vs. losses, but rather in successes and defying the odds. I can confidently make the claim that the average movie watcher enjoys the theme of hope and this is the theme most present in Undefeated.
All in all, I would 100% recommend this film to anyone who isn't sure if this is worth the time. It is a film that encompasses the themes of hope, strength, and family, while maintaining a relatively good pace when introducing the characters and the sequence of events. The sole criticism that I have for the makers of the film is that it honestly could have been 30 minutes longer and I would have greatly enjoyed seeing more events and parts of some of the characters home lives. Other than this, I give this movie a 10 out of 10 and hopefully have convinced you to at least check it out and prepare to enjoy.