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Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

A different way of telling a story

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Forever WeakRyan Little's 2008 film, "Forever Strong," is based on a true story about a Rugby Coach (Gary Cole) who teaches teenage misfits to win Rugby titles, as well as serve their community. Sean Farris stars as Rick, a cocky high school punk, and star athlete for the rugby team coached by his demanding father Rich Penning (Neal McDonough) in Flagstaff, Arizona. After nearly killing himself, and his girlfriend under the circumstances of a DUI, Rick lands himself in a juvenile detention center in Salt Lake City, Utah. I believe that even though this movie was a major hit and inspired many people all over, it had too many mistakes and unrealistic events that lead the viewer to question the script and quality of the film. Sean Astin plays the role of a very sympathetic administrator, who takes it upon himself to be a friend to a troubled Rick Penning. Astin makes a deal with Rick that if he agrees to play for Highland Rugby, an actual high school located in Utah, his time spent in the detention center would be shortened. This triggers the first question. Why and how is a juvenile inmate from out of state allowed to play for a high school sports team where he is not enrolled? Last time I checked, Juvenile inmates were not aloud to play on any sports team, let alone play on a team as an easier way out of jail. However, this movie does a decent job of showing how sports and discipline and love can change even the most troubled of teenagers like Rick Penning. Another thing that Little failed to accomplish in this film was to explain to the audience the actual game of rugby. I mean seriously, if you're going to put on a film completely about rugby and the life lessons that come from it, you should at least explain somehow the rules and regulations of the game. Those who have never seen or let alone heard of the rare and unusual game of rugby are completely lost when watching this. In order to truly grab the audience's attention, it's important to have an explanation of everything that is going on in the film. Sports movies especially, should be inspiring and exciting. However, for a sports film to effectively do that, it's crucial that the rules of the game are clearly stated so that the viewer can understand completely what is going on. By being able to follow along and have a clear understanding of the game that is being played allows the viewer to be apart of the excitement and drama that comes along in a hard fought battle. I mean, its like going to a football or basketball game without the rules being explained and expecting to be involved and excited. You have to understand the game before you can follow along and truly feel the thrill that comes from watching an action packed game. Don't get me wrong, Little did not ruin this film. There are many who praise him for what he did and the message that he delivered to the audience. However, as a viewer myself, I was confused and lost throughout much of the movie. It's also never completely clear why high school athletes and more specifically, rugby players, do ritual dances before matches. It actually seems quite silly to me and the effect of doing something like that would probably leave me more embarrassed than pumped up and ready to play.Overall, this film left me wondering many things and didn't really do much justice like your classic sports film should. There is just too much that was left out and that didn't make sense that it was hard to capture the thrill and excitement that you hope for going into it. To those who follow and understand the strange sport of rugby, it would be a wise decision to watch this, but for everybody else looking for an inspiring sports film, go watch a boxing movie.

As a part of one of my favorite genres, Forever Strong was truly powerful and absolutely captivating.The movie states that it is based on true events. I did some research and couldn't find anything about the characters. The information on the film stated that Forever Strong is actually based on events from several different lives and Rugby teams, not one particular story.All in all it was a fantastic film. I was shocked that by the end of the movie I actually liked Sean Faris' character, Rick Penning. He started out as an arrogant jock. I wasn't aware that Penn Badgley was in this. I was sad to see him as such a creep but this definitely showed us that he can play more than the lovable goofball he played on Gossip Girl.I thought it was interesting that Forever Strong is about rugby but we barely ever see the games. It truly was about the boys as coach Larry Gelwix said, "I want you to be forever strong on the field, so that you will be forever strong off the field". He worked hard at making their lives better and transforming boys into respectable men.I highly, highly recommend Forever Strong! It leaves you feeling inspired and hopeful about life, wanting to be a better person, and wanting to better the relationship with your family. It's a great family film.

This movie falls into a vast category of unmemorable sports movies. Its not so terrible that you remember it for years to come as that bad movie you had to sit through and it just made you angrier as it ticked along. Neither is it a so good it made you cry movie. This movie has a lot of heart but it is flawed. For starters most of the characters are just cookie cutter clichés that we see all over the place. The over bearing father, the misguided youth, the wise coach, the new good friends, the old bad friends, and the list goes on and on. some of the dialogue feels awkward and some of the acting was stiff. Also there were several scenes in the movie that just didn't really belong. Like they should have been taken out to allow more time for other parts in the movie. Now for the the good. There are some emotional parts in the movie and I enjoyed the high energy rugby matches. The performances were very believable and there were some nice life lessons packed in the movie, even if there were a little heavy handed. and lastly it was nice for me to be exposed to rugby. Overall I would say that this movie is worth at least one viewing. i give it a 5/10

Forever Strong is a type of film we've seen many time before,just in different types of genres. However that being said,I really thought it was a great film,Sean Faris is showing the type of potential that usually lands actors into big time stardom. Apparently this film got a limited release as I wasn't even aware of it,but I saw it in the video store and decided to take a chance with it after I remember enjoying Sean's performance in Never Back Down. I ended up making a great decision,I'm not a fan of rugby what so ever,but the film really isn't fully about rugby,it's about making a stand in you're life,challenging yourself,reaching your goals,there is a whole lot more then the simple plot suggests. At 1st we don't give a damn about what happens to Rick,he's mouthy,full of himself,and completely arrogant,we feel he's completely sealed his fate as a trouble maker. Along the way we see the changes in his character,he starts to hang around with better people,he starts to better himself,we learn how much negative impact his father has had in his life,it's just a great swerve and the film did a great job of turning Rick from cocky prick to a good hearted person.The rugby action itself is not too bad at all,unlike the stuff I played and saw in high school,this was actually quite fun to watch and beautifully choreographed. A great young cast combined with some veteran experience helped this film immensely,it just did a fabulous job of avoiding in what could've been a run of the mill type of thing to a poignant and effective drama. I also liked the conflicting contrast between The Coach|Garry Cole| and Rick|Sean Faris|,it made for a very interesting storyline,and I loved seeing him help out Rick along the way it was emotional and heartwarming at the same time. This is a real hidden gem that i'm truly glad I discovered it made me think about my life and a lot of times I need something like that.The Performances. Sean Faris is outstanding as Rick Penning. He reminded me an awful lot of a young Tom Cruise cocky yet very charismatic and talented. It was a tough role to turn going from a mouthy teenager,to a good hearted young man,but Sean pulled it off with pure perfection. He clearly put his heart and soul into this film,so big kudos to Sean for putting so much effort into this great film. Gary Cole is excellent as the preachy yet likable coach who wants to help out the kids. I've always found him to be likable,he always has a sort of presence he carries to his films. Neal McDonough is fantastic as the selfish yet pressured father of Rick. For the majority of the movie,the script leads you to believe he's nothing more then a selfish bitter man who wants Rick to be exactly like him,but in the end you start to see the real him come out,I felt sorry for him a bit. Julie Warner is a good character actress and she plays the good hearted,yet clueless mother well. Penn Badgley is required to play a real jerk,and boy does he ever do that well. On numerous occasions I wanted to pop him one,so I must say it's a great performance. Arielle Kebbel is the love interest not much of a part,she did OK. Nathan West plays a somewhat mysterious character,he did quite well. Sean Astin is billed as a major player for the film,but he barely does anything,he did good with what he had to do.Bottom line-Forever Strong is a great feel good film,it will definitely make you stop and think about how your life was much better then you thought. Don't let this one slip you by,you won't regret it.8 1/2/10