"My All-American" Uncovers Another Sports Tear-Jerker

My All-American (2015)

Rated PG

Starring Aaron Eckhart, Finn Wittrock, Rett Terrell, Juston Street, 

Directed by Angelo Pizzo

The Story:

Freddie Steinmark (Wittrock) wants to play football, badly. He makes it to the Texas Longhorns  under Coach Royal (Eckhart). His work ethic and camaraderie with his friends Bobby Mitchell (Terrell) and James Street (Street) impress the coaches, and soon Freddie is a rising star on the team. 

Ah, but this isn't just an underdog sports story.

No, this is one of those true, bring a tissue because something bad is going to happen sports stories.

Here is the story of Steinmark, a college football legend, at least as far as the Texas Longhorns are concerned. 

It has a very sweet introduction as an elderly Royal answers in an interview who his favorite from a long list of All-American athletes he ever had the joy of coaching, which one was his favorite. 

His answer, which unfolds after that, is the All-American in name only, as he never had a chance to earn the the actual accolade. 

These stories are almost always a by-the-numbers production, but again, I don't mean that to sound negative.

Those numbers work for a reason. 

You've got an idea of what's going to happen, and you won't be disappointed. 

The great thing about my delay between watching movies and posting the reviews, the streaming services often get a chance to catch up to me. This one is now streaming on Netflix as of this writing. :)

Final Grade: Solid B

Oh What A Night... "Jersey Boys"

Jersey Boys (2014)

Rated R

Starring Vincent Piazza, John Lloyd Young, Erich Bergen, Michael Lomenda, Christopher Walken,

Directed by Clint Eastwood

The Story:

Growing up in Jersey, pals Tommy DeVito (Piazza), and Nick Massi (Lomenda) recruit a great singer named Frankie Valli (Young) to join their group. As they get more known in the area, musician and writer Bob Gaudio (Bergen) joins the group and thus were born The Four Seasons.

This is their story.

Odds are good that if you've heard any rock/pop music in your life,  you've heard at least one of the songs by the Four Seasons, whether you knew it or not.

And while this may be a musical, only in the broadest of senses as the songs usually play out as an actual scene where they might be giving a concert or performing a gig or something along those lines.

So if musicals scare you where people randomly break out into song and dance numbers, you'll be perfectly safe here.

At least until the credits roll, then Eastwood has the entire cast do a traditional song and dance number, but it's fun and a nice capper to the end of the film, and is arguably the Four Seasons best known number.

The narrative for the story comes from each of the members as they will break the fourth wall and address the audience for a minute to get the story started. It's an effective device and used minimally so there is little distraction from the story.

All in all, a pretty good tale that makes for an entertaining viewing.

Final Grade: B