Documentary + sports movie is like chocolate + peanut butter

Undefeated, 3/29/13, Best Documentary Feature, 2011

I would have written this review last night except my eyes were red and puffy from crying. I don't really cry at movies, except documentaries and sports movies, so imagine the waterworks when I watch a sports documentary. I have referred to documentaries as 'food for your brain' but in this case, it's food for your heart and soul. Undefeated traces the 2009 season of the Manassas Tigers from Memphis. This story is about the players and their volunteer coaching staff, primarily the head coach, Bill Courtney. Historically, the Tigers have not been very good, in fact, for years they were horrible. Courtney has been coaching the Tigers for 6 years, and this season is the culmination of all of that work. What I like about Courtney is the emphasis he puts on character and teamwork, things that transcend football. He knows how important football is to the kids, who live in a tough part of Memphis, he understands that they probably won't play pro football, only a few may play in college, but for right now, in high school, football is a lifeline. Courtney yells, chides, encourages  the boys, never condescending to them, making them feel less than. We get a little insight into Courtney's motivation, and it made me like him even more. He knows he cannot be the kids' father, but he can be there for them, and let them know someone cares about them, and that's huge. The film features three of the players, O.C Brown, Montrail 'Money' Brown and Chavis Daniels; they are all so different from one another, united only by their geography and love of football. You can't help but love O.C., he's just a big, lovable guy, being raised by his grandmother, struggling with his grades, and a phenomenal offensive lineman with great speed. The coaches think he has a chance to play at the college level, so they come up with a unique plan to help him work on his grades and keep playing football. Money is like a pee-wee when he stands next to O.C., but plays with him on the line. He is the brain, doing two projects for the school science fair; his grades are his ticket out of Memphis. Courtney says early on in the movie that there is no way Money should be playing ball, he's too small, and he should get beaten every time by his opponent, but he doesn't, because of his mental toughness. And there is evidence of that through the movie. I hope he goes on to do great things. Chavis Daniels is a tougher nut to crack, and I'll be honest, I wasn't all that thrilled with him and his antics, but Courtney would not give up on him, and in a move that could have been in any scripted movie, Chavis gets put in at a key time, makes a game-changing play, and the rest is history. If this was written, I think the ending would have been written differently, but this is real-life.

All I could think about while I was watching this movie was everyone should watch it, whether you like football or not, if you don't normally like documentaries, even if you hate sports. There is some profanity, but it's generally heat of the moment, and it's real (some people don't like profanity, I swear like a sailor, so it doesn't bother me). The ethic the coaching staff tries to impart to the players, the understanding that sometimes you have to put the team first and your ego second is a lesson most of us can stand to learn, if you're a grumpy teenager or an old curmudgeon; when life handles you a tough moment, that's when your character comes out, and these kids have a lot of tough moments. Courtney and his staff try to teach the players lessons that will carry them beyond football. Watch this with your friends, watch it with your kids, just watch it. And you can blame me if you tear up. Go Tigers!