Rated PG-13 for some language.
Staring Bill Courtney, O.C. Brown and Montrail ‘Money’ Brown
Directed by Daniel Lindsay, T.J. Martin
Undefeated is undeniably inspiring.
Set in the inner city of Memphis, Undefeated is the Oscar-winning documentary that chronicles the Manassas Tigers’ 2009 football season, on and off-the-field. Their goal: to win the first playoff game in the high school’s 110-year history. A perennial whipping boy, in recent decades Manassas had gone so far as to sell their home games to the highest bidder, but that all changed in the spring of 2004 when Bill Courtney, a former high school football coach turned lumber salesman, volunteered to lend a hand.
The camera work is “home-video” quality at best, the images are tough to watch at times and the language is gritty…yet still Undefeated is the best documentary I have seen in a long time.
From hard-hitting practices and nerve-racking games to watching Coach Bill interact with his family and confront players about their grades, there is so much to love about this film. One of my favorite scenes focused on the game against Trezevant, Manassas’ biggest rival. Not only is their police presence before the game warning the players not to fight, but also as the game ends it is the police, not the players, who run to the middle of the field to prevent the teams from shaking hands. The very next scene shows Coach Bill checking players’ report cards and getting a tutor for O.C. Coach Bill also addresses the lack of fathers in the lives of his players and his personal story about his absent dad. Gut wrenching and powerful!
If you love football (and maybe even if you don’t) I dare you to watch this movie without crying!
This movie is full of one lesson after another: hard work, being teachable, second chances, and one of the biggest ones, character.
I can name a handful of documentaries that I have enjoyed over the years. So understand how significant it is when I say that this is not only one of the best documentaries, but this is one of the best movies I have seen this year. I loved it; it is “Worth Buying.”
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT
I want my youth group guys AND my own son to see this one. The language is a little rough at times, but nothing to keep teens from watching it.
Conversation Starter:
- What was one thing you took away from this movie? (Possible answers may include: hard work, being teachable, second chances, and character.)
- Discuss how you felt watching the players disrespect or lie to Coach Bill?
- Discuss how you felt watching Coach Bill interact with the players and how he treated them? What scene/s in particular impacted you?
Read Romans 12:9-10
Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. (NLT)
- What were some of the ways Coach Bill lived out this verse with his players?
- What are some things we can do this week to be more like Coach Bill?
