When the Game
Stands Tall
(2014)

The film follows the journey of legendary football coach Bob Ladouceur (Jim Caviezel), who took the De La Salle High School Spartans from obscurity to a 151-game winning streak that shattered all records for any American sport.

Directed by:
Thomas Carter

Written by:
Scott Marshall Smith
David Zelon
Neil Hayes

Partial Cast:
Jim Caviezel (Bob Ladouceur)
Alexander Ludwig (Chris Ryan)
Michael Chiklis (Terry Eidson)
Laura Dern (Bev Ladouceur)

If you love ❤️ football and the drama surrounding athletics, you will enjoy “When the Game Stands Tall”. It is a good movie with drama. 👏 The film does depict the best and the worst of all athletic endeavors … from the overzealous parent living through the accomplishments of his child to players who are too young to deal with the fleeting fame sports can create to the adults who are well intentioned trying to mold the young minds and spirits into dependable, functioning, contributing members of society. Jim’s character is very intense and focused. 🧐 This character reminds me a lot of how he comes across now. As expected, he is a cutie. 🥰

The story is based on Coach Bob Ladouceur’s program at De La Salle, his 151-game winning streak, and drama when that streak ended. As usual, there are several elements changed in the story to fit a film structure. The school depicted was De La Salle, a private Catholic Academy, where tuition in 2014 was around $16,000 😳… so they weren’t hurting as a school. Scholarships were available for students who couldn’t afford the tuition. There is a private Christian school in my area that has a phenomenal athletic program – particularly in football – who also provides scholarships to deserving students who can’t afford the tuition. It is amazing – and apparently coincidental – that almost 100% of those scholarships are held by exceptionally talented athletes. 🤔🤷‍♀️🤫

I’m not a football fan really 🤷‍♀️ so this wasn’t one of my favorites. Living in the South (which equates to the SEC) and having been around football from the peewee leagues to professional, you would think I would have learned to appreciate it 🫤 – but, I haven’t … if anything, it has made me not understand, at all 🤔, the psychology behind the madness. However, the tag line “It’s not how hard you fall. It’s how you get back up.” is good advice whether you are in sports or not. And, if you aren’t like me and love football, definitely watch this film … even if you are like me and don’t care for football, it is still worth a watch ... I mean, you have to love that smile ❤️

Update: Okay, after watching videos to place in the Interview section, I better understand Jim’s passion for this movie. I still personally have issues with the sport. However, if done as depicted, I can see the potential for a positive influence on the kids.