In 1950, the World Cup Federation invited the US to play against the best in the world. Considering that there was no National League this was quite a surprise at the time. The Game Of Their Lives looks at this period from a St Louis biased point of view.
Trials were conducted for selection between players from St Louis and New York. Both sides had different styles of play which needed to be adapted and both sides had their own leader who they followed. Attitudes had to change to make the team work and for them to actually become a team.
In a trial game against the English seconds squad (players that didn’t make the official World Cup Squad) they take a huge drumming, which apparently inspires them for the Wold Cup. For the actual World Cup, they aren’t ranked at all and the odds on them winning were so astronomical that no one could bet on them.
The problem I had with this movie is that it is so fast paced, a bit like the formation of the squad. As it was trying to cram so much information into a movie shorter than 120 minutes, you don’t get an opportunity to care about the players, the game or if they win or lose.
This could have been an interesting and riveting story, but due to time constraints you might as well give it a miss.
Babbler Rating: 
Rarely do you see such an inspirational story such as this one. There are many stories of teams that come from nowhere to become champions, but this is a unique tale which is based on a true story.
Samuel J Jackson is Coach Carter who takes over a basketball team who struggled to win just 4 games in a season. His intention is not just to turn the team around but encourage the boys to aim higher than what their parents and teachers expect them to achieve.
Parents and teachers have low opinions of the boys and don’t expect anything from them and none of the boys expect to go to college. It is Carter’s pushing and encouragement that helps change this attitude.
This is a well crafted story where the writers and director have taken their time, so you want the boys to succeed and you want everything to go their way. This is one movie where you expect and want a “Cinderella” ending.
Coach Carter is more than just a basketball movie, it is a movie about life and how you need to make your own opportunities. Well worth viewing.
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You can say a lot of things about Russell Crowe, but you can’t deny the fact that he is a brilliant actor. His portrayal of boxer, James J Braddock was nothing short of sensational. He still had his normal gruff voice, but played the role with sincerity, honesty and credibility.
James Braddock is a boxer with a lot of potential who falls on hard times during the Great Depression. Things get worse when he breaks his hand during a boxing match and loses his membership. His wife Mae (Renee Zellweger) is secretly glad that he no longer is able to box and has to look for a “real” job. Things go from bad to worse when Braddock struggles to find work at the local shipyards, until his ex-agent, Joe Gould (Paul Giametti) comes back into their lives offering a $250 purse for a one time showcase fight with a World Champion contender.
This fight becomes a turning point for Braddock and his family. They find themselves back in the “black” and Braddock becomes a national hero. The working class of the nation start believing in him and in themselves, simply because he has changed his luck. It was a common thought of if he can, then I can. Braddock’s motivation for winning - he wanted to be able to put milk on the table.
This is a brilliantly directed story (director Ron Howard) and unlike a lot of boxing stories this one will make you laugh and may make you cry. I do admit though if you don’t like boxing and/or you don’t like the sight of blood this is not the movie for you. I do promise you though that you will start moving your shoulders in the fight scenes and you will feel some of the punches.
This is one of the best movies that I’ve seen in a while and fully recommend it to anyone and everyone.
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