Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

I must say that it is a plot that was used in a "good" way, but the choice of music destroyed the whole movie, for me. A movie with a great message that could have been done better... way better.

This film is a conundrum. On one hand it's a nice story, well made and great looking. I hate the sport of American Football but I do enjoy a few films on the subject, the game sequences are well constructed, the athletes convincing and the performances solid.On the other hand however, what could have been a life-affirming story of triumph in the face of adversity, crossing the racial divide and uniting a community, is bogged down in a mire of heavy handed religious indoctrination. It oozes out of every scene, indeed, before the final credits roll, we are given the dates of upcoming tour appearances by mega rich and exploitative corporate pastors, people who prey on the vulnerable and helpless.I'm in no doubt religion is a part of the Woodlawn story but as the film develops, it becomes little more than a cult-like recruiting tool. The redemption, success and unity could of course only be attributed to God, there can be no other reason, those who initially do not accept God very quickly realise that, of course they were wrong and dive headlong into the arms of the church and all is good in the world.Christianity is envisioned as a beleaguered victim of oppression, something which is being buried by evil, we have the town bad guy who baulks at the idea of public prayer only to see that even he cannot oppress the light of Jesus in the town. I've been to Alabama and to claim with a straight face that God is frowned upon there is pure insanity, they're nuts about it, it's everywhere.Caleb Castille as Tony Nathan is excellent and like I said, it's a well put together film that I enjoyed, however, in order for me to commit fully to the film I had to consciously try to ignore the Jesus being rammed down my throat.Had the filmmakers included religion as merely an ingredient in the story instead of the driving force (as almost all American High School sports films insist on doing) then this would be a far more effective film.In claiming that everything good that happens is explainable only as an act of god, belittles the achievement of an outstanding athlete and man who worked incredibly hard to overcome adversity and makes the ensuing unity of the town far less effective, taking away all the basic goodness of humanity and replacing it with "proof" of god.Cut out all the Jesus and this would be a solid 7/10, maybe an 8

Released in 2015, "Woodlawn" is an inspirational sports film based on the true story of Tony Nathan, a running back who went on to play for the Miami Dolphins and played in two Super Bowls (XVII and XIX). The story focuses on his experiences at Woodlawn High School in 1973-1974 as Nathan and other black students desegregate the school under government mandate. Nic Bishop plays the coach, Sean Astin a motivational minister, Jon Voight Paul "Bear" Bryant, C. Thomas Howell a coach from a rival high school and Joy Brunson Tony's potential babe.The plot and tone are very similar to 2000's "Remember the Titans." They're also both based on true stories. The main difference is that "Woodlawn" is decidedly faith-based, albeit not as overt as movies like "God is Not Dead" (2014) and "War Room" (2015). The filmmakers are just telling the true story in which Christian faith was an essential part. If you can't stomach this element I suggest staying away.In any case, the story moves briskly and there's a lot of football action. The problem is that, like "Remember the Titans," the film doesn't focus on character development. I suppose this is so because they're both based on true events and the writers didn't want to stray from reality. Whatever the reason, it prevents the story from truly captivating the viewer, but it's worthwhile if you like inspirational sports flicks like "Remember the Titans" or movies that focus on the black experience in the South during the Civil Rights era, like 2011's "The Help." The film runs 123 minutes and was shot in Birmingham and Hueytown, Alabama.GRADE: B-

Some may debate whether I'm spoiling Woodlawn with this review, but spoilers reveal plot twists, and this contains none of it. I can see why Woodlawn has garnered only a 6.3/10 for such an emotionally powerful film. Sean Astin plays the man who brings a sense of religion into the team, and it can rub a good number of people the wrong way. I'm not at all religious, but spiritual, and it's very personal for me. As the film developed the story, I resisted the urge to shut down, because I don't want to simply give up, but Woodlawn can make people feel really uncomfortable, because of the religion being played in moments throughout the film. I found myself almost rolling my eyes between tears. If this is what truly happened at Woodlawn HS, terrific. But I also get a feeling that the film was produced to react to the ongoing debate over how personal religion may bleed into someone else's comfort zone. Throughout Woodlawn, this fact kept in my consciousness, which was a little discomforting, and at the end of the film it tells viewers about upcoming rallies for Jesus. I'm telling you this because it's not spoiling Woodlawn, but revealing for those who either love Jesus and God, or for those who don't want to feel preached to, to consider watching something else. I was puzzled the way the film started because I had no idea about the religious back story embedded in Woodlawn. A coach on the west coast recently was called to task about similar actions, to that of the team coach in this movie. SCOTUS has been reviewing cases even now, and religion has become a hot button topic in the elections. Whatever you feel is your choice, but I don't care to let my guard down just so that I can feel somewhat emotionally and spiritually exploited, as I did by the time the credits rolled. It still is a powerful film, but the message of team and personal sacrifice and achievement was underscored by the recurring message of a higher power. I understand that the Jesus movement helped many during an era of national turmoil. As people spoke about what happened in the 1960s and early '70s, footage of actual interviews were shown, and the messages ring true in today's unrest. That message has told me that, even after decades have passed, maybe technology and music can change, but people tend to react now as they have decades and even centuries ago. The acting itself was top-notch. The story begins with some really heart wrenching accounts, and the characters piked up the ball, so to speak, and scored. All characters felt believable, the music and editing were fine, and I liked the cinematography, which was nice but not amazing. But one character - a student with a very large afro - didn't seem to make a final confrontation like I had expected he would. If it weren't for the heavier-than-expected religious insertions, I would have enjoyed it more.