The Program is a mostly solid movie that takes us into the world of college football, and more specifically into the world of one particular team as it tries to overcome obstacle after obstacle on it's way to a bowl game after a few disappointing seasons.
First off I thought the football aspects were done very well. The action looked realistic and that is the least (and most) that I expect in a sports movie. And playing "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses during a football practice is surely worthy of some credit. All in all the game footage was pretty short, a few minutes at a time. What was more interesting, and what the film focuses on most, was what happened to the players between games as they dealt with their personal lives and game preparation.
I'm guessing the movie was trying to shock us with this part. Steroid abuse by one player; alcohol abuse, a bar fight, and suicidal tendencies by another; cheating on an exam by yet another and his subsequent expulsion then reinstatement; girl problems with a couple players; etc. The movie has a lot to say and it's a good message, but I didn't find this shocking. Rather this sort of things is really common knowledge among sports fans, although how rampant these issues actually are in real life I can only guess. Having said that, this part of the film is done well for the most part. The one exception is the relationship stuff, which I just didn't find very believable due to a lack of chemistry between the participants.
Addressing two of the criticisms that I have read others say about this film. Yes, it does tend to follow a lot of players and their respective issues, but I didn't feel that it spread itself too thin. I thought that despite this fact it did feel like we followed each player enough to get to know the issues he faced. The movie seemed to take a snapshot of one player and what he was dealing with, then quickly moved on to the next, and I thought in the context of this film it worked quite well.
The second criticism I have read is that everything ends up working out well for everyone in the end and everyone comes out a better person. This just isn't true at all.
**SPOILER ALERT**
The defensive end (Alvin Mack I believe) busted up his knee and at the end of the movie it appeared that he would never play again. This was surely the most poignant moment in the film. Lattimer, the one with the steroid problem, was back on the juice and you get the feeling he won't ever lick this problem. Even Joe Kane will likely struggle with booze indefinitely. So I actually give this film a lot credit for not choosing the cliched ending where everyone ends up happy.
**END OF SPOILER ALERT**
7/10 - for an overall solid effort
First off I thought the football aspects were done very well. The action looked realistic and that is the least (and most) that I expect in a sports movie. And playing "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses during a football practice is surely worthy of some credit. All in all the game footage was pretty short, a few minutes at a time. What was more interesting, and what the film focuses on most, was what happened to the players between games as they dealt with their personal lives and game preparation.
I'm guessing the movie was trying to shock us with this part. Steroid abuse by one player; alcohol abuse, a bar fight, and suicidal tendencies by another; cheating on an exam by yet another and his subsequent expulsion then reinstatement; girl problems with a couple players; etc. The movie has a lot to say and it's a good message, but I didn't find this shocking. Rather this sort of things is really common knowledge among sports fans, although how rampant these issues actually are in real life I can only guess. Having said that, this part of the film is done well for the most part. The one exception is the relationship stuff, which I just didn't find very believable due to a lack of chemistry between the participants.
Addressing two of the criticisms that I have read others say about this film. Yes, it does tend to follow a lot of players and their respective issues, but I didn't feel that it spread itself too thin. I thought that despite this fact it did feel like we followed each player enough to get to know the issues he faced. The movie seemed to take a snapshot of one player and what he was dealing with, then quickly moved on to the next, and I thought in the context of this film it worked quite well.
The second criticism I have read is that everything ends up working out well for everyone in the end and everyone comes out a better person. This just isn't true at all.
**SPOILER ALERT**
The defensive end (Alvin Mack I believe) busted up his knee and at the end of the movie it appeared that he would never play again. This was surely the most poignant moment in the film. Lattimer, the one with the steroid problem, was back on the juice and you get the feeling he won't ever lick this problem. Even Joe Kane will likely struggle with booze indefinitely. So I actually give this film a lot credit for not choosing the cliched ending where everyone ends up happy.
**END OF SPOILER ALERT**
7/10 - for an overall solid effort