‘My All American’ fumbles from opening kickoff
My All American is written and directed by Angelo Pizzo whose screenplay for the football flick Rudy turned it into one of the most inspirational movies of all time. The undeterred little guy done wonderfully by Sean Astin moved us to tears.
Pizzo tries the little guy against the world football theme again, and this time, he directs as well as writes the story of University of Texas safety Freddie Steinmark. Like Rudy, Steinmark was the little guy who could. Grit, determination and brains made him one of the nation’s best college football players in 1969. The story of how he got there is less than interesting, and Pizzo takes forever to get to Steinmark’s struggle.
Pizzo — who fumbles the ball at the opening kickoff — gets great performances from Finn Whitrock (Unbroken) and Aaron Eckhart who try mightily to give their characters three dimensions. So does the supporting cast. Unfortunately, Pizzo’s screenplay is so limited that no one succeeds.
My All American doesn’t score a touchdown in spite of Pizzo, but Steinmark’s story is so compelling that it at least kicks a field goal.
My All American
Director: Angelo Pizzo
Stars: Aaron Eckhart, Finn Whitrock, Sarah Bolger, Robin Tunney
Mr. Movie rating: 3 stars
Rated PG for mature themes. It’s playing at Carmike 12.
5 stars to 4 1/2 stars: Must see on the big screen.
4 stars to 3 1/2 stars: Good film, see it if it’s your type of movie.
3 stars to 2 1/2 stars: Wait until it comes out on DVD.
2 stars to 1 star: Don’t bother.
0 stars: Speaks for itself.
This story was originally published November 12, 2015 at 4:18 PM with the headline "‘My All American’ fumbles from opening kickoff."