Way Out West (1937)

 

If Sons of the Desert (1933) is Laurel and Hardy’s most popular feature than Way Out West is a close second. Its popularity is well founded as this is one of the funniest films the boys ever appeared in. This classic was directed by James W. Horne. This was Horne’s last picture for Hal Roach studios. After this he would move to Republic Pictures. His first picture for Republic was the Oslen and Johnson comedy, All Over Town (1937). For that movie he brought some regulars at the Hal Roach studio. That film would feature regular Roach actors James Finlayson Stanley Fields, Fred Kelsey and Jack Egan. Roach writer James Parrott was said to have worked on that film as well, though that is unconfirmed. 

 The simple plot of Way Out West is little more than excuse to fit in some great comedy and musical numbers. Mickey Finn (James Finlayson) and Lola (Sharon Lynn) are the caretakers of Mary Roberts (Rosia Lawrence). Unfortunately, they are crooked people who couldn’t care less about poor Mary. Stan and Ollie meanwhile are traveling to the town of Brushwood Gulch (where Mickey, Lola and Mary live). They are hitchhiking (this includes a clever reference to Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night with Stan showing a little leg). They eventually get a ride on a stagecoach, where they annoy a woman (Vivian Oakland) also riding. When they get to the town, the woman’s husband (Stanley Fields) turns out to be the sheriff and gives the boys until the next coach comes to get out of town. Luckily, they have a quick and simple job to deliver a deed to a goldmine to Mary Roberts. However, they are fooled into thinking that Lola is Mary (“This is the first mistake we made since we bought the Brooklyn Bridge” says Ollie). When they find out they have to get the deed back which proves to be an extremely difficult task, especially since they were supposed to be out of town by now.    

In 1936, it was announced that the next film for another Hal Roach comedy team Pasty Kelly and Reba Roberta was to be called Girls Go West. This film never happened but it was not too long afterward that Stan and Babe would start work on Way Out West. Stan’s wife at the time (Virginia Ruth Rodgers) would later claim that she played a huge part in this movie being made. She would say that her instance that the duo appeared in a western resulted in this film. Whether this is true or not is lost to history.   

Shooting for the movie started on Monday August 31, 1936 and finished Wednesday November 11 of the same year. This was a long time for shooting for a Hal Roach film. Most Hal Roach features only took about 40 days to shoot. 

The film starts off in a way that might at first scare some Laurel and Hardy fans. At the beginning of the movie Laurel and Hardy do not appear on screen for a few minutes. However once Stan and Ollie show up our fears are quickly clamed. The focus after this is always on the boys. The movie is pure Laurel and Hardy slapstick at its best and this fairly short feature film (just 64 minutes) has more laugh out loud moments than most two-hour slapstick comedies. Still with this in mind the film still manages to have a leisurely relaxing pace. This pace never takes away from the comedy but rather enhances it. It never moves too slowly that it might kill a joke, but it moves slow enough for the film to have an atmospheric feel that makes this one of the most charming and endearing Laurel and Hardy films. 

One scene in that is definitely a highlight in this movie is when Stan and Ollie sing Trail of the Lonesome Pine. The scene starts with the boys singing it straight, giving us a great chance to hear Ollie’s fantastic voice. Then Stan’s voice goes into a deep bass (that is obviously not Stan’s voice). Ollie is confused then annoyed. He asks the bartender for a mallet. With this mallet Ollie clunks Stan on the head. Stan’s voice than turns into a woman’s voice. The woman’s voice was supplied by one of the co-stars in this movie, Rosina Lawrence. Chill Wills provides the deep bass voice. In 1975, the audio recording of this song (straight from the movie’s soundtrack) would be released as a single. Shockingly the recording shot up British pop charts and it would land at #2, beating out such huge names as Paul McCartney and Elton John.  

Another delightful scene featured Stan eating Ollie’s hat. Earlier in the film Stan has stated that they would get the deed back or he would eat Ollie’s hat. Ollie makes him follow through on this, to teach Stan not to make rash statements. Stan at first eats it reluctantly, then he begins to enjoy it and eats it happily until Ollie pulls it back. The hat was actually made of licorice for the scene. One brilliant touch in this movie is that after this scene happens, Ollie’s hat actually has the bite marks in it and that lasts for the rest of the movie.  

Way Out West was not the original title of the film. Some earlier titles were Tonight’s the Night, You’d Be Surprised, In the Money and They Done it Wrong. This movie however was not the first to be called Way Out West. With this title there had already been a two-reel comedy with Hank Man, a 1930 William Haines feature and an Educational short staring the Cabin Kids. The title is perhaps a play on the 

In the scene where Stan is relating the story of what had happened so far, a piece of music created by Marvin Hatley called Gossip played. This piece of music originally ran much longer than it does here but needed to be cut in order to fit the movie better. Another piece of music was called Get the Deed and was surprisingly in the scene where everybody is trying to get the deed. This music for Get the Deed moved so fast, that many takes had to be done to finally get it right. The music in this film as a whole is excellent, and it received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score. This was a very rare thing for a slapstick comedy. After all there were two types of films that the Academy Awards frowned on. These were slapstick comedies and B westerns. So, for a slapstick comedy parodying B westerns to be nominated was quite a feat.

This film originally ran 4 minutes longer, but Hal Roach felt it should be cut to make the film play better. It is believed most of what had been cut had come from the scene with Stan and Ollie hitchhiking. Supposedly originally the sign saying how far away the town was is blowing around. Similarly, there were some scenes in the original script featuring American Indians (natural for a parody of 1930’s B westerns), but they were never filmed. In the original script there was also an ongoing joke, before Stan and Ollie figure out, they have been tricked, where Mickey Finn would get extremely excited every time either Stan or Ollie would mention the goldmine, then have to calm himself down so our heroes don’t get wise.     

Some of the musical numbers were performed by the Avalon Brothers, who also appeared alongside W.C. Fields in the classic It’s a Gift (1934). One of the members of the Avalon Brothers was Chill Wills. Supposedly Hal Roach had to remind Chill Wills to calm down his language. Rosina Lawrence’s role in this film was originally intended for Julie Bishop. According to many people who have met her she was just like Mary Roberts in real life. She had the same type of sweet innocence her character here does. Her best remembered role today is as the schoolteacher in many Our Gang shorts. Similarly, Stanley Fields’ role was originally going to go to Tiny Sanford (best known for being the tall man coming up through the elevator in Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights (1931)). This is may have caused a controversy between Stan and Hal Roach as Stan was good friends with Sanford and wanted him in the picture. Some believe this to have caused a strong rift between the two and maybe even caused Stan to think about leaving. Another co-star in this movie was Dinah the mule, who is best known for her many appearances in Our Gang shorts.   

World Film News, 1938

World Film News, 1937

Resources Used

DVD commentary by Richard W. Bann and Randy Skretvedt 

Laurel and Hardy the Magic Behind the Movies by Randy Skretvedt

https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/614595/way-out-west#articles-reviews?articleId=92511

 

Movie Review: Belle

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A- 

A beautiful and moving animated drama from Japan.

Anyone who has seen Mamoru Hosoda's previous films (Wolf Children, Summer Wars, The Boy and the Beast) will know that he is one of the great filmmakers of today and Belle just further cements this standing. Though one can accuse this movie of trying to do too many things at once, it does each of these things excellently. This movie works as a teen romance, an animated fantasy, a character study, a comedy and a social commentary on how the internet has changed our world. Much of why each of these elements work is because of our main character. This character is incredibly real and likable. On the outside she like so many girls that we just simply pass by every day. Yet beneath all this she is a truly beautiful, kind, loving and talented person. She is too hurt (by the passing of her mother among other things) as well as shy and insecure to show this side of her to everyone, yet through the internet she is able to allow who she is to shine there without anyone else knowing it is her. This is something that each of us can relate to as well as something that perfect represents the time we are living in. Because of this each emotional moment feels completely real and relatable. As the film goes on it becomes truly moving and touching. The finale may even bring a little tear to your eye. I also love how smart the social commentary is here. There are many movies that have the overly simplistic moral that the internet is bad, that we should spend more time away from it and in the real world. This movie portrays the internet in a more complex and realistic way. While it does show the faults of the internet, it never condemns it as a whole. In fact, it shows how great it can be as a means of artistic expression and a way to connect to other people. Yet this film also shows the importance of not hiding behind the internet or to only be ourselves when we are there. Technology is meant to enhance our lives, not be a replacement for them. This moral is one that hurts further home and has much more truth behind it than a simple "the internet is bad," and I applaud this film for taking on a more complex moral. This movie also discusses some darker themes such as child abuse and the loss of family members. Again, when discussing these themes, the film never talks down its audience or offers any simple solutions to these problems.

This film is also a visual treat. The internet world is so colorful and inviting that is clear to see why some people would want to live in there. Yet the real world is also beautiful looking and captures the beauty of nature extremely well. I also have to praise this film for how well the humor work. There were times when the audience I saw this film with all laughed out loud and I definitely joined in. 

All in all, this is a must see for both anime fans and non-anime fans alike. 

Movie Review: Poupelle of Chimney Town

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A-

An incredibly charming and beautiful animated fantasy film from Japan. 

This movie is everything a family film should be. The film takes place in a fantasy world, where men made of garbage can come to life and become friends with human boys. Yet this fantasy becomes utterly believable due to just how real these two characters feel. They are not simply one note personalities or excuses for the fantasy but real living and breathing characters. The human boy possesses many of the best qualities about kids his age. He is full of curiosity (plus the determination to find out and learn even when it gets dangerous) and childlike faith in what he believes in. Perhaps it is appropriate that it is the adults who simply accept what they can see as all there is, while this young boy dares to see what is past all the smoke. This shows us what we have unfortunately left behind us as we grew up and perhaps a part of ourselves, we should have not left behind. Yet he is still deep down just a boy and can be careless or naive and let his emotions get the better of him. The garbage man was quite literally born yesterday and that is shown here. While he is not exactly born a child (like the boy), he possesses a childlike naivety and a sense of awe and wonder of everything around him. At the same time, he is incredibly trusting and not aware of how dangerous the world is around him. While this can understandably frustrate the boy at times, it is also what endears the garbage man to him and to us. More than just being great characters, the relationship between them feels completely real and natural. It is also incredibly touching. The twist towards the end about their relationship is perfect and may bring a tear to even a full-grown adult's eyes. This movie also does a perfect job of making the world it takes place in feel wonderful and magical, yet at the same time sinister and dangerous. This is not an easy balance to find, and this movie does it beautifully. The story is also incredibly smart. It works equally well as a children's fantasy story and as an intelligent and thought-provoking social commentary. 

If I were to find fault with this movie, it would be that not all the humor works, and I am not a fan of the opening Halloween song. Still, these are small faults for such a great movie. 

A must watch.  

Cowboy Church #153

 Hello, my friends and welcome back for another service of Cowboy Church. 

Today's musical selection begins with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans singing Pass Me Not. This hymn was written by Fanny Crosby (Blessed Assurance, Near the Cross, Take the World, But Give Me Jesus). The song first appeared in Christian Associations' Songs of Devotion in 1870.  Hymnologist, William J. Reynolds told the story how this song was written during Fanny's visit to a prison in 1868 with fellow gospel songwriters, William Bradbury, William Doane, Robert Lowry and Ira Sankey, “After she had spoken and some of her hymns had been sung, she heard one of the prisoners cry out in a pleading voice, ‘Good Lord, do not pass me by’; Following [William] Doane’s suggestion, she wrote a hymn that evening incorporating the line, “Pass me not, O gentle Savior.” Pass Me Not is said to be her first hymn to reach this level of fame. Next is Ray Price with Jesus is My Kind of People. This song comes from his 1974 album, You're the Best Thing that Ever Happened to Me. Afterwards is The Marshall Family with Waiting for the Master to Come. For many bluegrass fans, The Marshall Family just seemed to appear one day. The first time the bluegrass world became aware of them was when they appeared in 1974 on Ralph Stanley's Bluegrass festival. Ralph Stanley hadn't even heard of them until a few days before they performed. One of the band members had simply showed up at his door with a tape and a request to perform at the festival. This worked and the group wowed audiences. Thier bluegrass career was very short lived, only four years. However, they left quite a bit of great music and influenced many future bluegrass and gospel artists. Next comes Johnny Cash with his 1974 recording of My Ship Will Sail. This is followed by The Sons of the Pioneers with their 1948 recording of The Touch of God's Hand. The song was written by Bob Nolan, who was one of the founding members of the band. Next is Charley Pride and Willie Nelson with Family Bible. This song was written by Willie Nelson, when he was an aspiring songwriter hoping to make it in the country music industry. Yet when this song was first recorded Willie did not receive any credit for writing it. The credit instead went to Claude Gray, Walter Breeland, Paul Buskirk. Paul Buskirk was a guitar instructor and when he and Willie were having dinner together Willie could not pay for the check. Willie then sold this song to Buskirk for the check plus $50. Buskirk would give the song to singer Claude Gray. Claude would have the first major hit of this song in 1960. Willie himself would not record it until his 1971 album, Yesterday's Wine. Today's musical selection ends with Gene Autry and Dinah Shore singing Old Rugged Cross. The song itself dates back to 1913 and was written by evangelist, George Bennard. Actually, the first verse was written in 1912. It was written while Bennard was a part of a series of revival meetings in Albion, Michigan. He was worried about the complete disregard for the gospel around him and wrote this verse as a repose. Of writing it Bennard said, "I seemed to have a vision ... I saw the Christ and the cross inseparable." The song wouldn't be completed for several months, when he was leading meetings at a local church in Pokagan, Michigan. He played it for Rev. Leroy (the sponsoring pastor) and his wife, Ruby Bostwick, both of whom found themselves moved to tears. It was then incorporated into a service at that church on June 7, 1913. 

Next is an episode of Bob Hope's radio show with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans as guest stars. This episode originally aired on June 10th, 1952. This was the same year that Bob and Roy co-starred in the feature film, Son of Paleface. Roy sings a song from that movie here. 

Next comes the Cowboy Preacher, Jason Taylor with his sermon, The Horse Bit. 

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8

Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31 

But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Luke 6:35

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Romans 8:28

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people. Ephesians 1:18

Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for another service of Cowboy Church. Happy trails to you until we meet again. 

 

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #156

 Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again it is time for some classic cartoons.

Today's cartoon selection begins with the Mickey Mouse cartoon, The Chain Gang (1930). This movie is said to be the introduction of Pluto, but this Pluto bears little resemblance (outside of how he visually looks) to the character we know today. He is not Mickey's dog or even his friend here. In this movie two identical looking bloodhounds are chasing Mickey. Neither of the bloodhounds are differentiated in anyway, so it is hard to say which one would go on to a long film career and which one would fade into obscurity. It is worth noting that a scene involving them would be animated by Norm Ferguson, whose later animation of Pluto is often credited with helping give the dog his personality. Animation from this scene would later be reused in four cartoons featuring Pluto. Ferguson would also animate the opening scene of the picture. The first apperance of these dogs was animated by future Woody Woodpecker and Barney Bear director, Dick Lundy (he also animated their little dance). Les Clark, who would later go on to be considered one of Mickey's best animators, doesn't animate the mouse much here. Instead, he animates the guard yelling, the dogs howling to the musical number, the guards with the machine guns and the pig getting shot. Future supervising director of Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940) and Dumbo (1941), Ben Sharpsteen animated the prisoners with the picks and the scene with the horses and the wagon. Future Donald Duck director Jack King animated the pig trying to smash the rock, the cat playing the cow's tail like a musical instrument and the guard yelling for help. Tom Palmer animates Mickey trying to break the rock, Mickey being pulled back by the ball and chain when he tries to run and the final shot of the picture. Johnny Cannon animates the guard sleeping, the cat dancing, the whistles blowing and Mickey running downhill. Future supervising director for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Bambi (1942) animates the cow playing the pick like a piccolo, Mickey playing a rock like a musical instrument and Mickey falling through the roof of the prison. 

Next comes the Paramount, Modern Madcap cartoon, The Lion's Busy (1961).  Sir Reginald is voiced by Jack Mercer, the voice of Popeye and he is doing an impression of the character actor, Richard Haydn. 

Next is Porky Pig in Confusions of a Nutzy Spy (1943). This short was directed by Norman McCabe, who while never achieving the fame or recognition of Chuck Jones, Tex Avery or Bob Clampett, is a director whose cartoons I have always had a special fondness for. Much of the reason that McCabe is not as familiar to cartoon fans today is that his work rarely shows on TV. There are three major reasons for this. One is that his output is in black and white, another is that much of it is very topical of the WW2 era and yet another is that most of these films feature racial stereotypes. McCabe's Looney Tunes association did not end with the golden age. He would work as a timing director on the TV series, Tiny Toon Adventures, Taz Mania and Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries. Confusions of a Nutzy Spy was an increasingly rare case of Porky being the star of a cartoon around this time. Though Porky not long ago had been the star of nearly every Looney Tune, this had been changing. Porky's roles would get smaller to the point where though he still appeared in every Looney Tune, he became strictly a supporting player (even in cartoons that featured his name in the title). Just a couple of years before this movie, the first Looney Tune in years not to feature Porky was released, The Haunted Mouse (1941). After this there were quite a few more Looney Tunes not featuring Porky as well as ones in which he only had brief cameos. The following are a couple of exhibitor's reviews from the Motion Picture Herald. "CONFUSIONS OF A NUTZY SPY: Looney Tunes Cartoons—Routine stuff. Always goes over big with the kids. Ran Friday, Saturday to good audience of kids and the house shook.—Wilson T. Cottrell, Caro- lina Theatre, Oxford, N. C." "CONFUSIONS OF A NUTZY SPY: Looney Tunes Cartoon—This is only a fairish sort of a black and white cartoon.—W. V. Nevins, III, Alfred Co-Op Theatre, Alfred, N. Y."

Popeye was easily one of the most popular cartoon stars of the 1930's, even becoming Mickey Mouse's biggest rival with movie goers. Because of this it was decided that he should be put into something larger than average 7-minute cartoon. So, the Fleischer Brothers put him in three films that run more than twice the length of average Popeye short. The first of these three cartoons was Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor (1936). This film was larger than the average Popeye cartoon on every level including being produced in beautiful Technicolor (this marked Popeye's first appearance in color). The short was also a showcase for the Fleischer Brothers' incredible 3-D backgrounds. These were achieved by the building miniature sets and placing them on a turntable. Animation cels were then hung on a glass plate and shot. Though decades have past no moviemakers have ever surpassed what the Fleischer Brothers achieved with this, as it is still breathtaking today. The following are some exhibitor reviews from the Motion Picture Herald, "Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor: Popeye the sailor - Step on it. It's a feature in itself. Running Time, 20 minutes. - S. A. Kimball, Sokokis Theatre, Limerick Maine. General Patronage." "Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor: Popeye the Sailor in Technicolor - Coloring was interesting. Subject matter about average for Popeye material. Pleased okay and may account for a few extra kiddies. Hardly worth the rental asked though. - L. A. Irwin, Palace Theatre, Penacook, N. H. General Patronage." "Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor: Popeye the Sailor Series- Good color, but did not bring the extra bussiness like Paramount said it would. Running Time 2 reels. Fischer and Bichler, Mattray Theatre, Strasburg, N. D." This film got the #17 spot in Jerry Beck's book, The 50 Greatest Cartoons. 

   

Motion Picture Herald, 1936

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Next comes the 12th Dogfather film, Eagle Beagles (1975). While by the 1970's most studios were no longer making cartoons for movie theaters, DePatie-Freleng was helping keep the animated short film alive with multiple series. One of these series were the Dogfather cartoons for the mid-1970's. These shorts were a take-off of Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather (1972) with the titular character even sounding like Marlin Brando. 17 theatrical cartoon shorts were made of this series. 

Next, we join the one and only Gandy Goose in a game of Mexican Baseball (1947). This movie is a pure example of cartoon absurdity and I love it. The simple idea of a team made up of two guys playing against a full-sized baseball team is just a delightful idea. 

Now let us close with a song. 

Film Daily Yearbook, 1948

Thanks for joining me, come back next week for more animated treasures. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry. 

Resources Used

http://afilmla.blogspot.com/search/label/Shorts_Columbia?updated-max=2009-04-25T21:00:00-07:00&max-results=20&start=10&by-date=false

Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: The Ultimite History by J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein 

The 50 Greatest Cartoons by Jerry Beck

 

Movie Review: The 355

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C+

A fun but far from great action film. 


What makes this movie work is the characters and the action scenes. While the characters are not especially complex, they are quite likable and easy to root for. This is especially true of the therapist character (played excellently by Penelope Cruz). The idea of a regular person getting into an espionage plot by sheer accident is not an especially original plot point but there is a reason it is used so much. That reason is that it is simply a very interesting story idea that often works very well. This movie handles this very well. That is because we can see this character change and grow because of the events of this movie. This character arc is easily a highlight of this film. She is not the only character to have a bit of a character arc as our main character Mase (played by Jessica Chastain) also has one. While it is not as strong as the other character arc it works pretty well and is completely believable. The action scenes are quite good, and the climatic action scene is excellent. These scenes provide action movie fans with just what they want to see. Also, while the humor can be hit and miss, there are some pretty funny moments in the film. 

On the downside this movie offers nothing that we haven't seen many times before. Because of this it can be quite predictable including the big plot twists. This film also lacks a strong villain. The villain and his motives are as cliché and bland as can be. There is also some very forced and cliché dialogue. 

This may not be anybody's new favorite action movie, but it does provide a fun trip to the movies. 

   

Movie Review: '83

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

A well-made sports movie from India.

As someone who knows next to nothing about cricket (there were a few times when the game was being played that I was confused about what was going on), this movie still proved very entertaining to me. Much of this is due to our main characters. As this is an underdog story one of the most important aspects is whether or not we root for the main characters. Luckily this is easy to do here. This is due not only to how likable the characters are but also because of the way they interact with each other. Their relationship goes beyond just that of teammates or that of friends and into the realm of family. No matter how much these characters may joke with each other, it is obvious that they still love one another. This is something that many sports movies are unable to achieve but that this film does very well. Also, while the film focuses on cricket more than their personal lives, the bit we do see of these characters' personal lives is deeply human and very relatable, therefore making us care what happens during the games much more. This is a movie that will even make non-sports fans (including myself) cheer when they see things go well for this team. 

I also have to praise this film for its sense of humor. I did not go into this movie excepting to laugh much, but I really did. Nearly every comedic moment hits home perfectly, and I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit. 

This movie does have its flaws though. It very strictly follows the typical sports movie formula and even those who know nothing about the real-life story for which this was based will find themselves almost always knowing what will happen next. There are also scenes that seem a little too over the top for a film based off a true-life story. While many of these moments are quite amusing on their own, they can also take one out of the story. The movie is also longer than it needs to be, and a few scenes could have been trimmed to make a tighter film.

All in all, if you enjoy feel good underdog movies, then this film should be right up your alley.