Didn't expect much, but it's a great movie. Sort of like Warrior (2011) - not as much about sport, as about people. The story is great, the drama is good as well, and sports moments are exciting. Patricia Clarkson does the best job portraying boys' mom, but the rest of the cast is also great. John Cena looks good in a drama role, and Danny Glover is a nice addition to the cast. Recommended one time watch!

This is a family drama posing as a sports movie, and it's not bad, but it's not particularly good either. It's well made, I can tell the director knew what he was doing, the acting is okay - for the most part. What it really comes down to is the writing, and it's not good. Every cliche has been stuffed into this, it's like _Rocky_ (1976) or _The Karate Kid_ (1984) only without the elements that made those movies classics. Without getting too much into it, the story revolves around the Chetley family: Sharon (Clarkson), Cal (Graye), and Mike (Cena). Problem is, the story is centered around a rift between Sharon, and Mike, yet it's never fully established how the rift developed to the degree that it did, we're just told about it briefly, then given a weak scene to resolve it at the end. Most, if not all, of the actors are not bad, simply miscast. The best example has to be Clarkson, who is acting her ass off, but she just comes across as an unhinged psycho due to the way she is written. The other one is Glover, who seems to just be there, and at times seems borderline creepy - this is all made clear by the end, however by then it's too late. Oddly enough, the standout is Cena, who is playing against type. I'm not going to say the guy did a fantastic job, but he's convincing in the role. The movie feels very personal, and given that the writer was cast as the wrestling coach, I'm going to assume here. For all of its flaws, the movie is positive and uplifting.