Marshal University's tragic loss of its football team, coaches and 25 fans, in 1970 during a plane crash in the Appalachian Mountains, forms the basis for a rebirth of the town of Huntington, West Virginia.
Dark horse actor Matthew McConaughey turns in a remarkable performance as outsider football coach Jack Lengyel who moves his family to Huntington to coach the school's football program and inadvertently help heal the town's sense of loss and grief.
Director McG ("Charlie's Angels") sidesteps sentimental cliches with the aid of carefully modulated performances from David Strathairn (as university president Donald Dedmon), Matthew Fox (as assistant coach Red Dawson), and Ian McShane (as one of the town's grieving parents).
If you're looking for emotionally charged drama, you've found the right movie.
Rated PG. 114 mins.
