Ben Affleck delivers an excellent performance as Jack Cunningham, a hard-drinking former basketball star who reluctantly accepts the position of head coach at his alma mater.
As the storyline unfolds, we learn that Jack walked away from a full sports scholarship and hasn’t picked up a basketball in almost 25 years. His life has settled into a predictable routine: days at a construction job followed by evenings at Harold’s Bar and more alcohol at home. He is so dependent that he even brings a can of beer into the shower.
As soon as Jack accepts the coaching position, he becomes involved in the lives of the players and succeeds in motivating the underdog squad of ten players. A winning streak follows with impressively choreographed basketball scenes.
Jack still drinks too much, and his short-fuse temper is easily triggered during tense moments. Despite reprimands from the team chaplain, Jack can’t control his constant use of profanities.
Viewed as a savior, Jack appears to be well on the road to redemption. Until life—in the form of resurrected past demons—rears its ugly head. What follows is backtracking, a major disappointment, and an accident.
A longtime fan of sports movies, I fully expected Jack to take the team to the final championship game. Instead, co-writer and director Gavin O’Connor chose a different trajectory for Jack Cunningham, one that is a better “fit” for the imperfect coach struggling to overcome past mistakes and insecurities.
A thought-provoking film!
Thanks so much for hosting me on your blog. It’s a pleasure to be here today!
Susan writes second chance romances with a touch of magic as Susan B. James and children’s books as Susan J. Berger.She writes older heroines because she is chronologically gifted and enjoys creating characters who remember that change is only on the outside. Inside our older shells is a much younger psyche.
Madelyn Hill is an historical author who loves the lure of Scotland, captivating Highlanders and the strong women they love.
I struggled to put down this fascinating tale about two women from two different eras. While I tended to sympathize more with 1950s housewife Nellie Murdoch, I will admit that Alice Hale faces her own demons as she navigates a turbulent contemporary marriage.
All the elements are there—intrigue, romance, and murder—set against the backdrop of Mystic Keep, a small town on the Pacific coast. Add in a hot human detective, a rogue warlock, an annoying vampire, sarcastic familiars, a mischievous young witch, and an unknown force of darkness…Protagonist Cassie Black (who also happens to be a witch) has more than her hands full in this second installment of the Perfect Brew Trilogy. Ms. Carson has expertly woven all these elements into a delightful tale that borders on fantasy and cozy mystery.
Captivated by the first chapter, I stayed up two nights to finish reading this character-driven novel brimming with suspense. It definitely helps to have an unexpected inheritance, hidden secrets and tunnels, an eclectic cast of characters, and a murder conviction that needs to be overturned. Set against the backdrop of small-town America, the book succeeds in completely transporting me to Sweet Iron. At times, it felt like Ms. Van Kirk had endowed the town with human characteristics.
Debbie Richardson has published fiction novels as D L Richardson. She has published three young adults supernatural fiction novels, and science fiction and supernatural thrillers for adults. This is her first children’s book.
Joanne Guidoccio 