Movie Review: The Senior

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

A very familiar story told very well told.

This movie tells the true story of a 59-year-old who gets his second chance at college football. He never finished his senior year of college, and he goes back to school so that he can play on the football team and make up for some of his regrets. Though this is based off of a true story, it follows all of the familiar beats of this type of underdog sports film. It adds nothing new to this formula, and you always know what is going to happen next.

This does not mean that the film is bad by any means. Actually, it handles these clichés with real skill. The filmmakers know exactly what people love about these movies and provide just that. We find it easy to root for this character and get excited and feel overjoyed when things go well for him. We root for him to get his chance and want to cheer when he does. His redemption story feels like wish fulfillment to all of us who want to re-do a part of our lives (which means all of us). This is made even more effective by a great performance from Michael Chiklis that gives a real emotional honesty to the whole film. 

This movie may not offer anything new, but it tells its familiar story very well.