Sports
Sports movie reviews
Crooked Arrows Review
Lacrosse was originated by the Native American’s about one thousand years ago, and has become a popular sport in schools and communities all over the United States. Crooked Arrows centers around a Native American high school lacrosse team, named the Crooked Arrows, which competes against an elite prep school league. Though the Crooked Arrows are not as equipped or well trained as the prep school teams; this Native American team stays true to their heritage, and is ready for the competition… but can they win? Crooked Arrows is an inspirational sports film for kids ages 10 and up, lacrosse players will especially like it.
Rating: 5 out out 5 buckets
Release Date: October 23, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 10+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: None
Will Kids Like It? Yes
See a clip of my review here, along with Snow White and the Huntsman!
Talking Points:
This is a film that won’t win an Oscar; the acting is good, not great, but it’s an appropriate inspirational sports film. The coach focuses on the team aspect of the game. When the only Caucasian boy on the team misses the game winning shot, Coach Logan emphasizes the fact that it’s a team sport, he says, “we win and lose together.” This could spark a great parent/child conversation.
The Crooked Arrows are humiliated by their privileged rivals, but Coach Joe Logan does a great job of motivating his team and keeping them true to their heritage and valued traditions.
There are some fun, entertaining clips during the credits.
Younger kids may get bored with the storyline; when they’re not playing lacrosse.
Sexual Content: Mild
- We see some innocent flirting.
- Players are shown in the locker room wearing only briefs, some are naked, we see their back side.
Violent Content: Mild
- We see some aggressive hits and plays during the lacrosse games, but appropriate for PG13.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- While playing in a game, the boys say, “vagina dodge,” when near the cheerleaders. The translation is show on the screen.
- There is some name calling…”wussy.”
Drugs and Alcohol Content: None
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Overall this is an inspirational sports film, with an education about the Native Americans and their sport…lacrosse. I recommend this for kids ages 10 and up.
The Blind Side Review
The Blind Side is an inspirational, heartwarming true story based on the life of Michael Oher. Michael was a homeless African American boy from a broken home, who was picked up off the streets by Leigh Anne Tuohy(Sandra Bulock) and her family, and then taken to their home. The Tuohy’s helped Michael pursue his potential, he is now a lineman in the NFL, playing for the Baltimore Ravens.
Rating: Five out of five buckets
Release Date: March 23, 2010
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 9+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
Talking Points:
I think it’s good for young viewers to see how hard Michael worked to succeed. Michael came from the Nashville projects, he was admitted to Wingate Christian school for his athletic potential. Most of the students there were white, they came from educated and well-to-do families. Even though Michael was rescued from his awful environment in the projects, he then had new challenges to overcome. With his hard work, and the help of his tutor and adopted family, he succeeded to become an All-American offensive left tackle.
This is a movie about helping others, which is great for kids to view. Leigh Anne initially takes Michael in for a temporary place to stay, and he gradually becomes part of the family. When a friend of Leigh Anne’s tells her how wonderful it is that she’s changing this boy’s life, Leigh Anne replies, “He’s changing mine.” So often we find that when we help others, we tend to get more satisfaction then the people we’re helping.
The Touhy children are great kids, very welcoming to their house guest, eventually their adoptive brother. S.J. Touhy(the son) develops a strong friendship with Michael, Collins(the daughter) takes more time to warm up to him, but eventually does.
I read that Michael Oher has not yet seen the movie. His adoptive mother said, “When Michael is getting prepared to play a football game, the movie is not the foremost thing on his mind.”
The actors were terrific! Sandra Bullock was amazing, and the actor who played the little boy were great! Kids will like him, my son thought he was the coolest.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Implied that Leigh Anne and Sean have sex.
- Sexual conversations, but nothing too much.
Violent Content: Moderate
- There is some violence. When Michael went back to the projects to look for his biological mother, some of the guys were making crude comments about Leigh Anne and her daughter. Michael defends them, and gets into a fight with one of the guys in the projects. This is a disturbing scene, especially for younger kids. My 12 year old son said he didn’t like that scene, but they had to show it.
- Michael and S.J(the son) get into a car accident, this scene shows a lot of blood, which may also be disturbing to young viewers.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- Swearing throughout the movie.
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
- Michael’s mom has a drug addiction.
- Leigh Anne drinks wine in the film.
Overall this is a feel good sports drama that the whole family will enjoy. However, it is PG13 due to some violence and disturbing scenes. I would recommend this for kids ages 9 and up. Parents will love it too. I give it five buckets.
Moneyball Review
Moneyball is centered around the 2002 Oakland A’s baseball team, who were lead by general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) to a surprisingly excellent season, even though they had the lowest paid players in the major leagues. Instead of scouting and using more of a traditional method of obtaining a team, Beane used statistics and mathematical analysis into player evaluations, which was not well accepted amongst fans, coaching staff and media. However, with determination and perseverance, Beane, and his young adviser Peter Brand, make it all happen! Whether your a baseball fan or not, this is a wonderful inspirational movie, good for the whole family!
Rating: 5 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: September 23, 2011
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 8+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
See a clip of my review here, plus Abduction!
Talking Points:
This movie, as in most sport’s films, are not all about sports, it’s about the lessons instilled and the inspirational storyline. This is about Billy’s relationship with his daughter, his young adviser, and his team.
This is a story about perseverance, initially things weren’t going Beane’s way, and it looked grim for the Oakland A’s; even coaches and scouts thought Beane was crazy, but he stuck with his adviser’s strategy, and before you know it they began their huge winning streak. This could spark some great parent/child conversations about perseverance, and not giving up!
This is an appropriate film for kids, however parents need to know that there is quite a bit of swearing. Depending on the child, I think younger kids (7 and younger) may get bored due to the subject matter.
Sexual Content: Mild
- We hear a comment about a players sexual anatomy.
- In one scene two players are shown with their pants unbuttoned, however, you don’t see anything.
Violent Content: Mild
- When Billy loses, he gets very irate and irrational. He throws objects such as a chairs and radios; he even flips a desk over.
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
- The f-word is said a couple times while other swear words are used throughout the film such as: “a–,” “h—,”d–,” and “b–ch.”
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
- We see Billy drinking at home.
- Several characters are shown spitting out chewing tobacco.
I’m not a huge baseball fan, my kids don’t even play baseball, we’re a lacrosse family…but my husband, kids and I thoroughly enjoyed this inspirational film, and I especially enjoyed Brad Pitt!
The Karate Kid-Family Movie Review
If you want your child to hang up their coat, with a good attitude, then see this movie! Karate Kid is a remake of the 1984 original film. This is the story about a twelve-year-old boy Dre Parker (Jaden Smith), and his mother, who moves from Detroit to China, and once they’re in China, Dre is bullied by his classmates. A maintenance man and former martial arts champ, prepares Dre to take on the bullies.
Rating: Four out of five buckets
Release Date: October 5, 2010
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 10+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
Talking Points:
My favorite part of the movie is the wonderful relationship that Dre and his mentor Mr. Han have. When Mr. Han agreed to instruct Dre in martial arts, Dre not only learned karate, but he also attained a newfound confidence, which helped with his daily struggles.
I also loved the “coat” part of the movie, as I mentioned in the synopsis, probably because my kids don’t always hang up their coats. Initially, Mr. Han gives Dre a training exercise of hanging up his coat, the motion is to help with karate, but he also taught Dre to respect and listen to his mother. Adults and kids will appreciate that scene.
Some great messages that Dre learned from Mr. Han, which are stressed throughout the movie are:
“Life will knock us down, but we can choose whether or not to get back up.”
“Kung fu is not about fighting, it’s about making peace with your enemies.”
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
I absolutely loved this movie! However, I felt that the PG rating was not appropriate. I think older boys would like this movie, but will be deterred by the PG rating, and younger kids will want to see it because of the PG rating. However, I would not recommend this movie for kids younger than ten years old. There are many violent scenes; to name a few:
- When we first met the gang of bullies, they punched and kicked Dre many times, before they flipped him to the ground.
- The next time we saw them, they beat Dre to a pulp, which was very disturbing, especially for younger kids to view.
- There were also many disturbing scenes during the big karate tournament.
Profane or crude language: Mild
Drug and Alcohol Content: Moderate
- There was drinking, and Mr. Han had some alcoholic issues.
My friend and I brought our two ten year old sons to this movie, which was great, we all loved it. It was an action packed, entertaining movie, with solid moral messages. I recommend this for kids ages ten and up. I give it four out of five buckets.
Here Comes the Boom Review
Back in “the day,” Scott Voss (Kevin James) was a great collegiate wrestler; he was in good shape and was known to have some impressive wrestling moves. Now Scott is a 42 year old high-school biology teacher, who was losing his enthusiasm to teach; teaching was becoming mundane and boring, not like it used to be. However things dramatically changed after a school faculty meeting; they announced that Wilkinson High will be eliminating all extracurricular activities, due to budget cuts. Scott was devastated because Marty, his best friend and the school’s music teacher, was going to lose his job. Scott had a new goal; he needed to raise $48.000 to save the music department and his friend’s job. So what does he do?…he gets in shape, gets back in the rink, and takes a series of beatings to help his friend and his students. Here Comes the Boom, is a fun entertaining film for the whole family.
Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: February 4, 2013
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 8+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes
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Talking Points:
This is an upbeat film, with some great lessons. Scott’s motives were completely selfless. Though unrealistic, it didn’t matter, the messages were made clear throughout the film.
I loved the school spirit and positive tone of the film. Scott becomes an inspiration to his students and colleagues; he has a heart of gold, and won’t give up to help his friend.
In one scene, Scott threw up all over an opponent, not a pleasant site.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Scott and the school nurse go on a date. They eventually kiss.
Violent Content: Moderate
- The fight scenes were very violent and graphic. Scott gets kicked, hit, choked and thrown by his opponents. At times it was a disturbing to see the continuous punches to Scott’s face.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- “A–,” “h–,” are said a couple of times.
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
- Characters are shown drinking beer and wine.
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Overall this was a great movie with some wonderful messages. However, parents need to be aware of the gruesome fighting scenes. I recommend this movie for kids ages 8 and up.