Never give up. Never back down. Never lose faith. In six years of high school football, coach Grant Taylor has never led his Shiloh Eagles to a winning season. When faced with seemingly insurmountable professional and personal crises the idea of giving up has never come easier. It's only after an unexpected visitor challenges him to trust in the power of faith that he discovers the strength to persevere.
Directed by
Alex Kendrick
Written by
Alex Kendrick (writer); Stephen Kendrick (writer).
Starring
Erin Bethea (Alicia Houston); James Blackwell (Matt Prater); Bailey Cave (David Childers); Shannen Fields (Brooke Taylor); Tracy Goode (Brady Owens); Alex Kendrick (Grant Taylor); Jim McBride (Bobby Lee Duke); Tommy McBride (Jonathan Weston); Jason McLeod (Brock Kelley); Mark Richt (Himself); Steve Williams (Larry Childers); Chris Willis (J.T. Hawkins Jr.); Ray Wood (Mr. Bridges). Please contact SFC to add other cast members and characters.
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A well-directed tale of placing hope and faith in God
Mark Banks (United Kingdom)
Opinion: Recommended
I enjoyed 'Facing the Giants' a lot more than I thought I would, and though it is strongly bracketed in the 'preaching to the choir' slot of evangelisation, that is a slot that often needs it as much as the rest of the congregation. For Catholics there are some commendable reminders of the every-waking-hour way we should live our lives: namely, dependent upon God and consulting Him in all things... and not just for an hour a week on a Sunday morning! I particularly liked the touch of one of the men walking along the corridor/halls taking the time to pray over the lockers of all of the students. The acting of the entire cast, whilst not likely to challenge for any Oscars or Emmys was still warm and commendable - especially for such unknowns. The cinematography and direction also deserve a mention for their quality - even in the hit budget film 'Juno' there were a few shaky camera shots and edits that were happily absent from 'Facing the Giants'. With respect to the script, things took a little while to get going but a good story emerged and it unfolded at a steady pace. However, in the first of my criticisms, some of the lines were a little too preachy - even for the choir. In fact once or twice I felt the actors might as well have turned directly to the camera and delivered their lines staring straight into the lens. But of the overall messages of the film and the faith-teaching, these were good. If I lived in the United States and had a son into American football this is a film I'd want him to watch; the message that God is more concerned with us individually than whether or not we win was an important one to hear; it did a lot to undo the life-or-death obsession with winning in sports that the prevalent culture does so much to impress on us. The most significant fault of the film came early on when Grant and his wife visited the doctors with respect to their fertility problems. They were given the option of IVF by the doctor, yet they only turned this down on account of cost and not on any moral grounds with respect to the lives that are taken in IVF procedures and the unnatural way in which the children are conceived - which was of some concern. Another fault came towards the end of the film (plot revelation ahead), where Grant was in effect rewarded for his coaching efforts with a shiny new pick-up truck - the message very much being that he deserved it. Okay he was in need of a new car, but this went beyond just his needs. And that is of some concern because it puts an emphasis on tangible material rewards, rather than the simple reward planted by God in our hearts when we know we have done his will. Overall, the film is good though and contains a strong message of persisting in faith and keeping hope in God. Additionally, the fact that the film was made at all, shows what can be done by the Christian community. I am sure a lot of prayer and reliance upon God's providence went into this production.
