It's 1999 and Marty Burlsworth is awaiting the funeral of his 22-year-old brother, Brandon. While others, including Marty's mother, Barbara, have accepted the loss and put their faith in God, Marty can't do that as he doesn't understand why God would take away his brother on the cusp of his stardom in the NFL. That doubt is shared by a stranger, The Farmer, who does what he can to reinforce Marty's anger. As preparations for the funeral begin, the story rewinds to when Brandon was a 12-years-old with big dreams of playing for the University of Arkansas, and then his days playing high school football for Harrison High School football coach Tommy Tice. It's then that Marty and Brandon's long-estranged father, Leo, an alcoholic former musician, tries to get back into their and Barbara's lives, but Marty does his best to protect his younger brother, what with being 17 years older than him and often mistaken for being his father. When Brandon doesn't get a scholarship to become a Arkansas Razorback as an offensive guard, he's determined to join the team as a walk-on, something offensive line coach Coach Mike Bender doesn't see happening, what with Brandon's excessive weight. The sight of him isn't lost on other players such as Nathan Ward, Anthony Lucas, or Grant Garrett -- the latter of whom is assigned as Brandon's roommate - and they make fun of him relentlessly. But with hard work, Brandon drops the pounds and eventually proves himself on the field, turning around everyone's opinion of him. In doing so, he also inspires the team to near greatness in his senior year, all by working and practicing hard, and following instructions and advice from others in his life.
Cast
Christopher Severio as Brandon Burlsworth
Neal McDonough as Marty Burlsworth
Leslie Easterbrook as Barbara Burlsworth
Michael Parks as Leo Burlsworth
Fredric Lehne as Coach Mike Bender
Nick Searcy as The Farmer
Wayne Duvall as Pastor Rick
Quinton Aaron as Coach Aaron
Texas Battle as Anthony Lucas
Grant Cook as Grant Garrett
Josh Emerson as Nathan Ward
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 67% based on 15 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. On Metacritic, the film has a score of 35 out of 100 based on 4 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".
