A fellow teacher recommended I show the movie Facing the Giants to my students. His daughter had the movie, and he was willing to loan it to me for a week while she wasn’t using it. When he said, “I have your lesson plans for the week” I admit I didn’t hesitate too much, knowing that the year is winding down as the stress is upped.
“Facing the Giants” is about the Shiloh Eagle’s rise from the ashes of apathy to the state football championship. In general, the students are apathetic in class, and they don’t give their all on the football field either. Coach Grant Taylor (Alex Kendricks, who also co-wrote the movie with his brother) is used to having bad seasons, and is not expecting much after an important running back transfers to another school. However, after witnessing the apathy of the students, on and off the field (and with parents and administrators demanding another coach) Coach Taylor decides to change his team’s philosophy. Rather than focusing on football, he decides the team should focus on God first, and praise him whether they win, or lose. The team finds a purpose in this philosophy, and their lives are changed, and some prayers even accept Jesus into their lives for the first time. Despite starting with a defeatist outlook, the team starts to believe in God, and that they will win games. They “prepare for rain,” an allusion to the story of two farmers who asked God to send rain, but only one farmer actually trusted God enough to plow his fields and plant the seeds. The team starts winning, and eventually makes it to the playoffs. They lose their first game, but the other team played two ineligible players, so the Eagles advance in the playoffs, eventually making it to the state championship, to face the Giants. Once there, the tiny Eagles go up against the much larger, and more numerous, Giants.
One player in particular stands out: David. He is small and not confident in himself at all, and he is more of a soccer player than a football player. His father, suffering from MS (a fact known only from watching the deleted scenes), encourages his son, using his courage amidst his illness as a living example. Using biblical teaching (“narrow is the way”), David finally gains confidence to kick the ball through the uprights. The state championship ends up depending on David, who has to kick a 51-yard field goal to win the game.
A side theme of the film is Grant and his wife Brooke’s inability to have children, not to mention Grants low salary (24,000/year), his crappy car, and his house that always smells. It turns out Grant is the reason the couple cannot conceive, leading him to be even more down in the dumps. However, all of these problems offer Grant a chance to truly rely on God. In fact, by the end of the movie, the house no longer smells (removing a dead rat took care of that), an anonymous donor (really a parent) provides Grant with a new car, and in the end, Brooke is pregnant. There isn’t one area in this movie where God failed to bless those who relied upon Him.
“Facing the Giants” was produced by Sherwood Baptist Church, and members of the church not only directed and produced the movie, but provided most of the actors. Nobody made a dime for their time; all volunteered. So basically, we are left with amateur actors, who are pastors, teachers, and students at the local school. Because of this, biblical themes are scattered throughout. First, there is the obvious “David and Goliath” connection, as the scrawny David and the Eagles go up against the huge Giants. And guess what David’s place holder’s name is?: Jonathan. Second, the movie teaches that God really does work miracles, and that pleasing God (through obeying authority, focusing on school, etc) really does turn lives around.
I really enjoyed this film. While the acting is not always professional, it is certainly good, especially considering the status of the actors. In some ways, this makes the story more believable. It was nice to see a disabled character, one who courageously does not let his disease hamper him, have such an important role in the film. I loved the setting, because my students and I could certainly relate to it: a Christian school in a small town that struggles with small numbers, low pay, and students transferring to play for better teams. Plus, I love high school football, so watching the hard hits under the bright lights takes me back to football seasons of the past, ones I played and ones I watched. I also liked the positive nature of this film. It is family friendly throughout, and good things do happen. I don’t think many modern movie watchers know how to handle happy endings! The emphasis on God, and relying upon God, makes this movie perfect for Catholic schools. Kids finally get a chance to see students, teachers, and coaches having fun, playing and studying hard, and achieving good things because of their reliance upon God. Also, this movie is funny, and the students enjoyed the clean humor. The outtakes, deleted scenes, and interviews are just as valuable (and funny, in the case of the outtakes) in the religion classroom as the movie itself.
I also admire the group of people that put this on. Next year I am teaching the audio-visual class at my school, and the thought of producing a movie like this would be a dream-come-true. I know our students would love to participate in something like this. That this church had a vision to make this movie is outstanding, and I believe that it was God that helped get this movie through production and to the theaters (and now to DVD).
There were a few things that detracted from the value of the movie. First, Grant Taylor is very emotional. While I think it is good to show males who are both tough and sensitive, sometimes his emotions are way too much. Students from every class observed that he cried an awful lot, even when it didn’t always seem appropriate. This sap made a few good scenes go over-the-top, making it harder to take the message seriously. While most of us would cry upon learning we were able to conceive after trying for years, by the time he cries this final time, many students didn’t take it seriously, on account of the other, more forced, times. Second, I think the movie, if taken by itself, could teach students the wrong theological message, which is that if you trust in God everything works out. The movie does stress that trusting in God is good enough, and that you “win the big one” by simply believing in Jesus, and that you praise God even when things don’t work out. However, the movie still shows everything working out (state championship, higher grades, fertility, father and son reconciliation, pay raise, etc) after the team dedicated themselves to following God. At the end of the movie, the wind even changes direction for the underdog kicker. Like I said, I liked that everything worked out, I just hope viewers don’t take away the view (sometimes implied by evangelicals) that once you accept Jesus your problems disappear.
Overall, I recommend this movie for Catholic school teachers. There is nothing in the film that contradicts Catholic Teaching, and the ultimate message, that with God all things are possible, is one Catholics and evangelicals share. This movie teaches values, faith, teamwork, and self-confidence, while making us laugh along the way, meaning it is just what Catholic high school and junior high students need to see.
David Bennett
Jennifer
asimplesinner
Fr. J.
Chad Toney
Jorge Flores
Jonathan B
carmelbennett
nicenehobbit
Jason S
jaybird68
papaz
May 1, 2007 at 1:48 am
Sounds horrible. Now I’m gonna get back to Curse of the Golden Flower. ;)
May 2, 2007 at 11:33 am
“Like I said, I liked that everything worked out, I just hope viewers don’t take away the view (sometimes implied by evangelicals) that once you accept Jesus your problems disappear.”
I saw their first production, Fly Wheel and it had the same theme.
My big concern was that it portrayed God as a cosmic genie, and there exists no clear theology of suffering, which is what makes Catholicism so real and beneficial.(The Eucharist, of Course source and summit.
You were very kind in your review .
September 23, 2008 at 11:09 am
Ya know, even if your target audience is ultimately churchgoers (Heck, especially if your ….) some movies that deal with mature faith issues are called for. Unfortunately these kind of movies seem to get all the attention.