While I am not a fan of either team, my family roots are in Ohio and I remember my grandfather telling me the storied games between Michigan and Ohio State. They were great stories. My grandmother even sang a song that was in the documentary called "Don't give a Damn for the Whole State of Michigan". The documentary also tells of the stories of Woody Hayes, the great coach who was known for his tough coaching tactics and outstanding results on the field. The documentary provided me with images that had been long talked about in my family for years. It was great! The funny thing is that I am a Notre Dame fan, so I guess that I am the black sheep of the family, but nevertheless this documentary gives great insight to the football culture between these two proud states. It also is always a great reminder for me of my grandparents who one is passed away and the other who has Alzheimer's. It will always be a positive memory and I can't wait for it to come out on DVD. Highly recommend it.
6 Reviews
Good but bias!!
Marynewcomb201314 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Just got to watch this on HBOMAX finally & found it good but biased! It shows how OSU fans are about the Maze & Blue! Shows hate songs that are sung & the hanging of a Michigan scarecrow, but you don't get the aspect from the Michigan fan base!! That definitely should have been add because part of that is Columbus Day is ignored basically because it's Columbus!! I also heard a lady talk about parents being fans & their kids on down will be fans of the parents team, wrong!! My parents are OSU fans & myself, can't stand the Suckeyes!! They are cheaters of the highest level!! I personally am a fanatic of the better school!! GO BLUE!! You got a Michigan fan & OSU fan in the third grade, who is bigger? The OSU fan because he is 18!!!
A Great Film for the diehard, casual, and unaffiliated fan!
KinoBuff20213 December 2023
This documentary by HBO is not just for diehards (aka regular UM and OSU fans) as any college football fan will love this telling of one of the most historic rivalries in all of football. Its short enough to keep the viewer's attention but not short enough to skip out on the many details of the hundred-plus year rivalry between the University of Michigan and The Ohio State University Football Teams.
This documentary interviews many legends and fans from the rivalry with each side giving their argument for why their team/school is better (or maybe more often how the other school is worse i.e. Bad).
Its a joy to hear former players, coaches, and fans of all ages recount their memories for the game that is played the same day every year. In addition for the more casual fan, this documentary covers the history from its inception the different eras of the rivalry. And also adds more historical and cultural rivalries between Michigan and Ohio.
All college football fans should watch this at least once even though its been almost two decades since its release (2023). Also, a great watch before the game each year if you have a watch party!
This documentary interviews many legends and fans from the rivalry with each side giving their argument for why their team/school is better (or maybe more often how the other school is worse i.e. Bad).
Its a joy to hear former players, coaches, and fans of all ages recount their memories for the game that is played the same day every year. In addition for the more casual fan, this documentary covers the history from its inception the different eras of the rivalry. And also adds more historical and cultural rivalries between Michigan and Ohio.
All college football fans should watch this at least once even though its been almost two decades since its release (2023). Also, a great watch before the game each year if you have a watch party!
More Suckeye Propaganda
spacwlf5 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
45 minutes of this one hour film is nothing more than them bolstering up Ohio State. 45 minutes is of nothing but the goddamn suckeyes. This is not about the Rivalry they don't show any of the Majesty around Ann Arbor, any of the traditions in Michigan they only show the hate spewing Psychopaths from Columbus Ohio. They have interviews with sports columnist from The Columbus Dispatch but not one from the Ann Arbor Observer. They barely talk about the greatness of Yost glossing over it, they gloss over the big house being the greatest stadium in all of sports history. They gloss over shambachlers three dominant wins to end the 10-year War but spent 15 minutes talking about Woody and his first four victories in that same span. They gloss over Lloyd cars greatness they don't even mention our 1997 national championship team, and they glaze over the entire John Cooper era which was a joke. The most lopsided Sports documentary I have ever seen.
Very Good Documentary
Michael_Elliott26 November 2010
Michigan vs. Ohio State: The Rivalry (2007)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Extremely fun and entertaining look at the history of the rival between Michigan and Ohio State. It's made clear that football is king in both states and through interviews with those who played as well as those sitting in the stands, we learn how much hatred there is between the two sides. Even better is that we go all the way back to the first time they played in 1897. We hear about the big runs that Michigan would go on early in the history, the "Snow Bowl" and of course Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler who would take the series to a whole new level. I'm not sure how much new stuff fans of Michigan or Ohio State are going to learn here and it's probably fair to say these knowledgeable fans already know just about everything there is to know about the history of the rival. From someone not familiar with the rivalry this documentary really helped with a lot of things I didn't know. This includes the early portions of the history where Michigan dominated the series and I had only heard brief things about the Snow Bowl so it was great getting to see actual footage. I think anyone who knows anything about football will know about Hayes but it's still great seeing him in all the footage here. We also get some footage of him paying tribute to Schembechler before dying a short time later. In a strange turn of events, Schembechler is interviewed here but he too would end up passing away just days after the interview. MICHIGAN VS. OHIO STATE: THE RIVALRY lasts just over fifty-five minutes but it contains some very good interviews and does a nice job at explaining the history of these two schools.
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Extremely fun and entertaining look at the history of the rival between Michigan and Ohio State. It's made clear that football is king in both states and through interviews with those who played as well as those sitting in the stands, we learn how much hatred there is between the two sides. Even better is that we go all the way back to the first time they played in 1897. We hear about the big runs that Michigan would go on early in the history, the "Snow Bowl" and of course Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler who would take the series to a whole new level. I'm not sure how much new stuff fans of Michigan or Ohio State are going to learn here and it's probably fair to say these knowledgeable fans already know just about everything there is to know about the history of the rival. From someone not familiar with the rivalry this documentary really helped with a lot of things I didn't know. This includes the early portions of the history where Michigan dominated the series and I had only heard brief things about the Snow Bowl so it was great getting to see actual footage. I think anyone who knows anything about football will know about Hayes but it's still great seeing him in all the footage here. We also get some footage of him paying tribute to Schembechler before dying a short time later. In a strange turn of events, Schembechler is interviewed here but he too would end up passing away just days after the interview. MICHIGAN VS. OHIO STATE: THE RIVALRY lasts just over fifty-five minutes but it contains some very good interviews and does a nice job at explaining the history of these two schools.
Touchdown Docu-drama
ifyougnufilms1 December 2012
Those who grew up as rabid OSU or Michigan fans may find it hard to explain to outsiders why these two Midwest Kingdoms of Football have remained at such joyous war with each other these many years. This documentary attempts to explain the intensity and duration of that annual gridiron battle with humor (which side has the most lunatic fans?)and with humanity (Woody Hayes'touching late tribute to his former student, long-time rival coach Bo Schembechler). The film of course emphasizes the Woody-Bo years since these have elements of super-personalities, tragedy, and redemption. It includes interpretations about how the fan rivalry is really rooted in Midwesterners' traditional steadfastness and courage. Well, maybe a little, but mostly for the eternal fan it's about forgetting your personal problems, donning the team colors, and rushing down to the stadium to shout your lungs out as part of a one-hundred-year-plus tradition. Most of my family were Ohio Staters and never missed a game of the Great Rivalry. My mother would always cry on hearing the OSU anthem. Opinions on the moral quality of Woody rose and fell around Columbus, depending mostly on how well the Bucks were doing that year, but as the film suggests most fans refused to abandon him even after the disgraceful ending of his controversial career with an assault on a player of the opposing team. The documentary somewhat softens this tragic fall, as noted above, with reference to the Bo-Woody friendship. (I recently talked about this documentary with a guy who had been an assistant coach for Woody, and to this day he sees no fault with anything the man ever did.) That's admirable loyalty, of course, not logic, but it suggests the need to believe, as the film suggests,is part of this colorful All-American phenomenon. Whether you're a fan of Michigan or of OSU, or no football fan at all, you'll find this documentary entertaining, spiced with little truths about the way we celebrate as Americans.
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