Movie: Gridiron Gang – Inspired men making a difference in the world
Gridiron Gang. I got around to watching it on DVD this week even though it was released in theaters in 2006. The whole time, I kept thinking… Lean On Me meets football. Sean Porter is a real guy who decided to try something different. He shook up the juvenile detention system in Los Angeles, which according to the movie had a 75% failure rate, and, if the movie has any ounce of accuracy, he and his colleagues at the Camp Kilpatrick detention center have given some young men a different view of themselves and others, inspiring them to live up to their potential. Now, I call that making a difference in the world.
I’m a sucker for these kinds of movies. Inspirational movies, and especially inspirational sports movies. Sure, the plot is predicatable and the dialogue contains cliches. But who cares? It makes you feel good, and I like art that makes you feel reaffirmed. What makes inspirational movies like this work is that, like good literature… and film has the elements of literature, as one teacher demonstrated in my Film as Literature class back in high school… it features character transformation. When a character starts out one way and through his experiences is transformed, that is the foundation of successful literature and film. Whether good or bad in the end, the character is transformed. Just about every character in Gridiron Gang is transformed in some way or another.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Sean Porter, Xzibit in the supporting role as Malcolm Moore, and the kids in this movie do an especially fine job with the acting and the story. I didn’t think I’d ever say that about The Rock, but his skills have definitely matured. But then, I remember when John Travolta played Vinnie Barbarino on Welcome Back, Kotter, and who would’ve thought he’d turn out to be the strong actor he’s become?
By the way, this is not a movie for young children. It’s rated PG-13 for good reason. However, in my opinion, the violence and language is not gratuitous. As a matter of fact, this could have easily become a rated R movie considering the subject matter. Bravo to the filmmakers for weaving the story so that young teens could see it and get the message.
I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. I must admit – I didn’t expect it to be this delightful. It very much appealed to my internal, eternal optimist. The best part… it’s based on a true story.
