"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

Financial Crisis Fodder... "The Big Short"

The Big Short (2015)

Rated R

Starring Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Brad Pitt, John Magaro, Finn Wittrock,

Directed by Adam McKay

The Story:

3 separate but equal stories propel the story of the collapse of the housing market. Michael Burry (Bale) begins the proceedings with the realization that the housing bubble is about to explode, not just pop. He invests the millions he has under his control on the fact that this will happen. Banks line up to take his money, and the waiting and the "are you crazy?" begins. Meanwhile Jared Vennett (Gosling) learns of the venture and proposes it to just about everyone until Mark Baum (Carell) decides to invest as well. Finally, two young entrepreneurs (Magaro and Wittrock) enlist the reclusive Ben Rickert (Pitt) to get their feet in the door so they too can all bet against the housing market to crash.

Something it had never, ever done before.

Bet you know how this one ends, right?

Correct, because most of us lived through it, and still haven't fully recovered.

That's what makes this movie so irritating.

It's good, don't get me wrong.

However, McKay has to enlist some weird shtick throughout the movie to inject humor in an otherwise humorless situation.

Why is Margot Robbie in a bathtub? For no other reason than to put her in a tub of bubbles and explain part of the financial crisis.

So the movie can be jarring in delivery from time to time, but otherwise, it's a pretty compelling movie.

However, it's also extremely depressing because you realize that you're rooting for these people to "win", which means the average homeowner loses.

The banks got bailed out, these guys got rich, and it was everyone with a mortgage who ended up getting screwed.

So that sort of tempers the overall enjoyment of the film.

That said, all of the actors do a great job, and you have to give credit to Steve Carell for giving probably the best, and most passionate and pained performance of the entire cast.

Final Grade:  B