Going to the Mat (2004)

Jace Newfield has a problem. Besides being blind and being the new kid at school, his problem is that the kids at his new school thinks he's a jerk. Jace has to find a way to be accepted ... See full summary »

Director:

Stuart Gillard

Writers:

Chris Nolan (story), Laurie Nolan (story)

Stars:

Andrew Lawrence, Khleo Thomas, Alessandra Torresani

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Andrew Lawrence	...	Jace Newfield
Khleo Thomas	...	Vincent 'Fly' Shue
Alessandra Torresani	...	Mary Beth Rice (as Alessandra Toreson)
Wayne Brady	...	Mason Wyatt
D.B. Sweeney	...	Coach Rice
Billy Aaron Brown	...	John Lambrix
Brenda Strong	...	Patty Newfield
Brian Wimmer	...	Tom Newfield
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Big Budah	...	Referee #3
Scott Christopher	...	Mr. Kamins
Kelsi Cullimore	...	Violinist
Paul Dart	...	Referee #1
Daniel Henze	...	T-Rex Turner
Spencer Ito	...	Background Wrestler
Ric Johnson	...	Referee #2

Storyline

Jace Newfield has a problem. Besides being blind and being the new kid at school, his problem is that the kids at his new school thinks he's a jerk. Jace has to find a way to be accepted into his new school. Joining the wrestling team just might work.

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Plot Keywords:

wrestling | disney channel original movie | musician | high school athlete | high school wrestling | 

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Genres:

Drama | Family | Sport

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

At the beginning, Jace tells a kid he just met to call him Daredevil. Jace is also blind and wears red. This is, most likely, an omage to the Marvel superhero, Daredevil.

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Quotes

Jace: You know I would love a real chance to take that guy down. I really would.
Mary Beth: Maybe you should try out for a team.
Vincent Fly Shue: Please don't make it archery.
Jace: [acting like he's got archery equipment] Oh that's good. Look out!
Mary Beth: I was thinking wrestling.
Jace: I'm sorry I think she said wrestling.
Vincent Fly Shue: Can he do that?
Jace: Please don't encourage her.

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Connections

References Daredevil (2003)

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Soundtracks

Going to the Mat
Music by Russell Kunkel
Lyrics by Katisse Buckingham

User Reviews

Surprisingly Good...

I thought it would be cheesy being a Disney channel movie, but it was really good. I think Andrew Lawrence has a bright future as an actor. I was about to write him off as another Lawrence brother, but I think he's the most talented of the three. He played a blind kid very very well. His movements and his affects were very believable and he delivered his lines very well.

The story was pretty entertaining and the portrayal of the blind was pretty original, too. You don't see wrestling featured in high school movies very often, let alone consider it a sport the blind can participate in. And it was nice to see things like beeping backboards in basketball as another way to incorporate the blind into everyday things they usually couldn't have participated in before. I also really loved the music featured in the movie, especially the guitar pieces "Jace" played. It's definitely worth taping if you can catch one of the repeats.

Details

Official Sites:

DisneyNOW

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 March 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der große Kampf

Filming Locations:

Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color