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American Underdog

2021

Andrew Erwin, Jon Erwin

Zachary Levi, Anna Paquin, Dennis Quaid, Adam Baldwin ...

5.9

1,090

Drama The story of NFL MVP and Hall of Fame quarterback, Kurt Warner, who went from stocking shelves at a supermarket to becoming an American Football star.

	Media	Author	Review
		Teo Bugbee The New York Times	"[The] story is inspirational but intricate, and this wan film struggles to balance simple storytelling with the complexities of the sport."
		Joe Leydon Variety	"Old-fashioned sports biopic hits the sweet spot as family-friendly entertainment. Zachary Levi scores with a winningly sincere performance"
		Adam Graham Detroit News	"It's never quite as rousing as Warner's real life tale (...) but it's tough to improve on real life when the truth is not only stranger than fiction, but better than it, too."
		David Ehrlich IndieWire	"A story about someone who was born with the biggest advantage he could possibly have, and still felt like their success was the result of praying to the right God."
		Katie Rife AV Club	"'American Underdog' is inoffensive, which is about the best you could ask of a Christian football movie"
		Sandie Angulo Chen Common Sense Media	"As a story of keeping the faith -- in each other, God, and the game -- it proves to be an inspiring and surprisingly unpredictable one (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"
		Thomas Floyd The Washington Post	"[It] plays it safe, but effective (...) [It] leans into the family’s Christian faith, with moments that teeter toward cliche without hijacking the larger drama (…) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)"
		Michael Ordoña Los Angeles Times	"The film is sanitized to the point of sterility. There’s little personality in the characters"
		Andy Crump Paste Magazine	"Surprisingly fine, if not good (...) For the Erwins' target audience, folks as devoted to church as football, appeals to the almighty and passing touchdowns are enough. For everyone [else], a little extra sugar helps"
		Simon Abrams The Wrap	"A better-than-average sports drama that mainly works as a showcase for its solid ensemble cast"
		Matt Zoller Seitz rogerebert.com	"[With] a distinctive kooky vibe that's appealing, even as its cause-and-effect narrative doesn't explain how Warner managed to enter the National Football League from far outside the normal channels (…) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)"
		Steve Davis Austin Chronicle	"'American Underdog' becomes scarily ecstatic, religious in its fervor for the manufactured thrills of a professional sport many believe has lost sight of its original core values (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"
		John Serba Decider	"A movie that might lift a spirit or two and draw in NFL fans who haven't read Warner's autobiography. If you're among these groups, you're more likely to forgive the movie for its flaws"
		Richard Roeper Chicago Sun-Times	"Zachary Levi and Anna Paquin do a fine job of selling the sometimes hokey material (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"
		M.N. Miller Ready Steady Cut	"For anyone who has struggled in life to pursue unreachable aspirations. As much for the ones who failed as the ones who found achievement (...) Emotional triumph as much on the field as it was off it (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 5)"

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