The story of how Marshall University and the residents of Huntington "rose from the ashes" is inspiring. But the film version isn't.
Comment
12/27/06
We Are Marshall (2006)
48
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:124
Fresh:60
Rotten:64
Average Rating:5.8/10
Consensus: Matthew McConaughey almost runs We Are Marshall to the end zone, but can't stop it from taking the easy, feel-good route in memorializing this historic event in American sports.
Runtime: 2 hrs 11 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: In November 1970, a plane carrying almost the entire Marshall University football team, its staff and fans crashed, killing 75 people in all and devastating the small town of Huntington, West... [More]
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, David Strathairn, Matthew Fox, Huntley Ritter
Director: McG
Reviews for We Are Marshall
It would be easier to tolerate the movie's mile-wide sentimental streak if [director] McG seemed genuinely interested in exploring the confusing mix of emotions that follows a horrible tragedy.
12/28/06
Swings wildly between somber and stupid.
12/22/06
The movie goes through the usual paces with a certain panache and a handful of interesting performances, but there's almost not enough story to support a movie, and it's so overblown in places it's unintentionally funny.
12/21/06
Doesn't score any touchdowns in the emotion department.
12/18/06
A touching story turns into an ordinary movie-of-the-week.
12/26/06
The season's glossiest stand-up-and-cheer sit-down-and-cry movie experience.
12/22/06
We Are Marshall is precisely what one expects from a true sports story: it's uplifting and inspiring.
12/19/06
Subtlety is not a word in this director’s vocabulary. The odd thing is, the story is so powerful that you don’t really object to McG’s methodology.
12/27/06
We can accept football as a metaphor for picking yourself up and dusting yourself off and finding the courage to get on with life, but only if we've come to care about the people playing the game.
12/22/06
The effort of building a new team and the results will warm the hearts of football fans everywhere.
11/16/06
We Are Marshall rates as one of the best sports movies ever made. This is a masterful triumph from the director McG that will make your heart soar in joy at the end.
12/18/06
We Are Marshall is never as emotionally draining as this material requires, but it gives it the old college try and comes close to succeeding.
12/23/06
An inspiring story that shows how sports can be a healing force in times of loss and grief.
12/21/06
I suppose there's a place for this studio picture's brand of popcorn catharsis. One just wishes the powerful story at its heart felt more genuine and less manipulative.
12/22/06
Even lesser hacks than McG would have trouble making Jamie Linden's screenplay float, but I never thought it was possible to blow every big inspirational moment. Maybe because they are all the same.
12/21/06
...the homework was done to create an evenly paced, sometimes melancholy, sometimes action packed drama that has a lot of heart.
12/21/06
An entirely serviceable night out for buddies looking to locate hidden feelings.
12/22/06
Right up front, this terrific movie about courage establishes itself.
12/11/06
May be noted as the one that flipped McConaughey from underachieving movie idol to terrific character actor.
12/21/06
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