We Are Marshall Review

Overall 4.75 of 5 view all 12 reviews

bkovacs
Annandale, VA

Marshall, meet Matthew

looking for something different, interested in history, into movies that tell a great story

Pros

Nice 1970s period feel, Interesting story

Cons

too long, main character is too wacky, Marshall is a football power?

APR

2008

I'd heard a little about the movie We Are Marshall but didn't know the whole story. Turns out that it's a true story, about a college football team (including nearly all the coaches) that was virtually wiped out in a plane crash in 1970. The school, Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, was devastated and could not immediately decide whether to continue the football program or not. Eventually, the university's president (played by a somewhat hangdog David Strathairn) is convinced to resume football the following year (1971).

The college president struggles to find a coach to rebuild the football program and eventually hires an unknown named Jack Lengyel. Portrayed by Matthew McConaughey, Jack Lengyel is a loony maverick who speaks in riddles and doesn't know some of the basics of football... particularly college football. Nonetheless, the coach perseveres and there is some uplifting football action in the film.

We Are Marshall makes Marshall University out to be a major football power, although I live in a neighboring state and can't say I've heard of the Marshall Thundering Herd. That doesn't matter, as there are hundreds -- maybe thousands -- of collegiate football teams in the US and I can probably name 30. However, I can say that Marshall University has never been on my personal football radar as any sort of major team.

The tragedy that struck the team was serious enough and it would be a sad time for any community to lose 70 of its sons and fathers. It must have been truly wrenching for the town and college to somehow put one foot in front of the other after that awful day. To me, that is the main story of We Are Marshall. Rebuilding the football program was oddly less interesting, although I enjoy the game. One reason may be that I don't particularly enjoy Matthew McConaughy as an actor and his character was just too odd in this film. I kept expecting him to yell "Toga!" and look for his drinking buddies.

The bottom line for me is that We Are Marshall is just an average film. It would have been better with, say, Matt Damon as Jack Lengyel, and portrayed in a little less dippity-doo fashion. Finally, the film is too long, squandering its energy on a couple of side stories. One storyline, about a former cheerleader who loved the now-dead starting quarterback, could have been clipped from the film in its entirety and not missed --probably could have saved 10 minutes of film right there.

We Are Marshall is an average sports film. I'm sure Jack Lengyel is a fine coach and Marshall University is a good school, but the movie doesn't really do either justice. I do not recommend We Are Marshall.

We Are Marshall is not recommended by bkovacs

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Comments about bkovacs’s Review

I was born and raised about an hour from there and I can't remember ever hearing about them either. I agree on McConaughy in the lead role even having not seen it. He is just more suited for comedy than a real life story! Thanks for sharing, I may see it anyway just for the fact I love the true based stories a lot. ;) Ron