We Are Marshall

"We Are Marshall" is a very respectful re-telling of the tragedy that befells Marshall University's football program in the form of a plane crash after one of their away football games in 1970, and the struggle to bring their football program back from the burning embers, basically square one.

There is a lot of heart in this film, as well as courage to move on from such a tragedy and to strive for normalcy and excellence both on and off the field.

While Matthew McConaghey's Coach Lengyel is a somewhat odd but enthusiastic coach who offers to coach Marshall when no one else would step up and take the reins, Matthew Fox's Coach Dawson is a study in coping with the guilt of a second chance at life, while carrying the burden of honoring the fallen coaches, players, and fans. The supporting cast is very good, and the script is actually pretty good considering the 127 minute running time, I never had the urge to look at my watch, too engrossed in the story of hope and perserverance. I was surprised when McG's name showed up as the director because he displayed a good touch with balancing the emotional undercurrents with rebuilding of the football program one tackle at a time.

I give it 3 stars, or a grade of B.