Undefeated (2011)

Chronicles three underprivileged students from inner-city Memphis and their volunteer coach who tries to help them beat the odds on and off the field.

Directors:

Daniel Lindsay, T.J. Martin

Stars:

Bill Courtney, O.C. Brown, Montrail 'Money' Brown

Won 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Montrail 'Money' Brown	...	Self
O.C. Brown	...	Self
Bill Courtney	...	Self
Chavis Daniels	...	Self
Jeff Germany	...	Self

Storyline

A documentary that follows the Manassas Tigers football team, a severely underfunded and underprivileged football team -- who were even hired out as a practice team for more successful schools -- as they reverse their fortunes, thanks to coach Bill Courtney.

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Plot Keywords:

underdog | american football | teenager | torn ligament | coach player relationship | 

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Taglines:

The game is the easy part.

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Genres:

Documentary | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was rejected by the prestigious Sundance festival in 2012, so its directors was accepted and shown at the South By Southwest Festival in Austin--where it was bought for distribution and went on to win the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.

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Quotes

Bill Courtney: The character of a man is not measured in how he handles his wins, but what he does with his failures

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Connections

Referenced in 73 Questions: 73 Questions with Daniel Radcliffe (2014)

User Reviews

Rejuvenating the sports genre via documentary

Oscar-award winning documentary "Undefeated" maximizes it out-take from being at the right place at the right time. The movies focuses its attention on a failing high-school American football team Manassas Tigers in Memphis, Tennessee, yet to ever win a play-off game in the rich 110 years of existence. The Manassas high-school is located in an all-black neighborhood suffering from extreme unemployment rates after the closure of the local Bridgestone plant. Most children lack parental guidance, whilst being raised by grandmothers or single parents is an all-too-familiar sight. In one reveal almost everyone in the team has close relatives convicted of various sorts of crimes with some of the most aggressive youths, like Chavis Daniels, already having spent time in correctional facilities. Into this backdrop of dire hopelessness comes Bill Courtney, a successful businessman, whose true calling and passion is coaching football teams. Having offered six years of his time on pro-bono formation of Manassas Tigers, this year is supposed to be his swansong. His key weapon is the brute force of O.C. Brown, the most talented player on the team, however his educational struggles pose question as to whether he will be able to continue to college with his education. Meanwhile miniscule right-back Montrail 'Money' Brown, a well-versed and perspective youth, hopes to finish his career in football (as being too small to succeed in pro gaming) on a high. Will the school be able to break the 110 year play-off jinx?

Molded into the all too familiar underdog sports story of a team of misfits conquering the odds, it is easy to understand the Academy's decision. Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin spent a significant amount of time filming the ordeals of Bill Courtney and his challenged youth team, capturing a spectacular moment in time, when the group turn from perennial whooping boys into the dominant regional outfit with a knack for big comebacks.

Given this extraordinary backdrop the film directors come off with rich material to form a documentary. Even though the ease in which the story fits the mold of narrative genre films feels somewhat suspect and forced at times, the viewing is really pleasurable. Plus, despite everything else you know this is real life and although the directors hint at outcomes along the way, you never truly know what will happen, giving it a unique, engaging quality, so desperately lacking in features. Full of heart, passion and a hopeful outlook this really does seem like the kind of stuff the Academy would go for. Worthwhile watch, even if the year in question had superior documentaries to choose from.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 August 2012 (UK)

Also Known As:

Undefeated

Filming Locations:

Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$33,165, 19 February 2012

Gross USA:

$562,218

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$583,844

Company Credits

Production Co:

Zipper Bros Films, Five Smooth Stones Productions, Level 22 Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Dolby SR SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1