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Let's Talk - Movies Episode 18: American Underdog (2021) - Review
Jason Connell shares behind-the-scenes insight and his overall impressions of American Underdog and much more.
Synopsis: The story of NFL MVP and Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, who went from stocking shelves at a supermarket to becoming an American Football star.
Director: Andrew Erwin, Jon Erwin Writer (Book: All Things Possible): Kurt Warner, Michael Silver Writer (Screenplay): David Aaron Cohen, Jon Erwin, Jon Gunn Cinematographer: Kristopher Kimlin Cast: Zachary Levi, Anna Paquin, Dennis Quaid, Chance Kelly, Bruce McGill
Original Episode: S01E15 & S01E18 Original Release: 01-31-22
Welcome to Just curious media. This is let's talk movies. And I'm Jason Connell, on the show today I'm talking about American underdog, the Kurt Warner Story movie that came out in 2021. Very excited to talk about this. I love a good football movie. And this is definitely one of them. I've got to say, I just saw this movie last night. And before I talk any further, I do want to go backwards and talk about a few football movies that I love and cherish and watch as often as I can. Just a few in no specific order. I'll start oldest to newest first being North Dallas 40 came out in 1979. Started McNulty directed by Ted catch if who also did first blood, a fantastic film, no other football movies like this. I highly recommend watching it if you haven't probably need to come back and do a deep dive into this movie at some point in time. Then there's Rudy 1993. Sean Austin plays Daniel ruettiger. Based on a true story. Heartwarming, incredible. I saw this movie in the theater when it came out. cried several times wouldn't even look at my friend. We're like sitting one seat apart and neither one of us would look at each other. A lot of touchy moments in that movie directed by David and spa who also did Hoosiers very similar themes. I think both scores are were done by Jerry Goldsmith, if I'm not mistaken, wonderful film. Then any given Sunday 1999 huge cast, but top of the bill Al Pacino Jamie Foxx directed by Oliver Stone. Of course, you know the name platoon, Wall Street JFK, so many more. Great film, really in your face fast edits, shows football high like you haven't seen in movies, at least to that point in time. And then invincible 2006 I really enjoyed this movie, Disney put it out. I had Mark Wahlberg as Vince propely, who was like a walk on, who was the local football player in Philadelphia got a chance to play for the eagles on special teams made a play here and I think he scored a touchdown. I know him and Rudy didn't do a lot. They weren't these big names like Kurt Warner, but they were still well done movies and very inspirational. And also in that movie, Greg Kinnear plays dick for mill, the coach of the Eagles at the time, we'll get back to that Famille has a place in American underdog as well. So as for Kurt Warner, I watched his career from its inception as least his NFL career that is, he didn't play for my team, but I knew his career inside and out the three teams he played for the success he had where he came from his humble beginnings. And he is the only undrafted player to be named NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP. And thus he is considered the NFL is greatest on drafted player. Absolutely. Some get in the league. Sure. But few. None except for Kurt go on and have this type of success he had asked for the movie American underdog comes out in 2021. Now it didn't come out by Disney. In fact, I was like who's going to direct this movie, you know, who is this? Well, it's a directing duo and their brothers and Andrew Irwin. John Irwin. They made a lot of faith based movies. So I wasn't familiar with them, but did a great job. I'm really impressed. There was a book that this film was based on it was written by Kurt Warner and Michael Silva, and that's entitled all things possible. Might have to check that out. And the screenplay was written by David Aaron Cohen, John Irwin, one of the directors and John Gunn. Now I knew that name, because he's also a director. And we played one of his films at the Los Angeles United Film Festival in 2009. And that was like dandelion dust. Great film, very touching. Super Cast Barry Pepper. Mira Sorvino Oscar winner, and Cole Hauser. Anyway, really need how there's always a connection to somewhere six degrees. The genre biography sports drama ratings 7.5 on IMDb. 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. Fantastic. The release date was December 25th. Christmas Day 2021. Now the synopsis for this movie is the story of NFL MVP and Hall of Fame quarterback, Kurt Warner, who went from stocking shelves at a supermarket to becoming an American football star. Yeah, pretty accurate. That's exactly what happened. I remember when he got his start. And that's all anyone could talk about, like who's this guy this. He was working in a supermarket two seconds ago and he also played in the arena League. So we all knew his story. And then we just continued to see this ascent. And it was like too good to be true. It's almost like As if it was happening a Disney movie was unfolding before our very eyes and, and that's what happened. And then he maintained it so amazing. But as for the cast, Zachary Levi plays Kurt Warner. He was in shows like Chuck. He played Chuck, the marvelous Mrs. Mays L. And the movie Shazam. I'm not that familiar with them. But I've got to tell you, he truly embody Kurt Warner, the mannerisms I mean, Kurt Warner is very understated. He's not super animated. You know, he's a thoughtful and Zachary amazing better than I ever would have imagined. Also, there's Anna Paquin, who have always loved she plays Brenda milioni, who is Kurt's wife, you may know her from the piano and what she won Best Actress in a Supporting Role. And Oscar well done. Also in the show, Trueblood and the affair and many other things. Then there's Dennis Quaid loved and square. He plays Dick Famille in this movie so and the other movie invincible. It was Greg Kinnear. This is an older female he left the Philadelphia Eagles. He's now at the St. Louis Rams, who are now the Los Angeles Rams. And of course, you know, Quaid from movies like breaking away innerspace everybody's all American also football movie. He's also in any given Sunday, he plays a quarterback and the rookie, which is a Disney movie about a real life pitcher getting his chance in the big league. So another biography, sports drama, and the day after tomorrow and many other films. Then there's chance Kelly, who plays Mike Martz, Mike Martz, being the offensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams later became the head coach of the St. Louis Rams. He's in shows like House of Cards, Ray Donovan, billions. All shows I enjoy and watch. And Bruce McGill always loved McGill. He plays Jim Foster, the coach of the arena football team, Iowa Barnstormers. And he's in movies like Animal House TV show, MacGyver. classic movie, cliffhanger. Sylvester Stallone, great cast, and there's many more, but that's kind of like highlighting the top five. And as for the movie, Levi and Paquin are outstanding. And this as the movie really focuses on this relationship of Kurt and Brenda. I mean, that's really a lot of the movie. Brenda's this ex military woman left by her husband raising two kids, one of the kids is blind lives with their parents. They're just trying to make ends meet. And she stumbles on to Kurt and there's an instant connection. And Kurt's in college, college quarterback. And immediately he pursues her, he bonds with her bonds with the kids. And it really gives him a foundation and a strength. And you see that and it kind of always knew that you heard these stories. There was always stuff talked about Kurt Warner and the media was really fixated on this relationship. I remember watching him play, and they would zoom to the stands to see Brenda and the kids. It was just the story was everyone's story. And so it's neat to see more than I knew before to see how the kids were I didn't know one of the kids was blind. And there's some really touching scenes. I've got to tell you. I'm not a big softy, unless they really get it right. Kids and Pets or dogs. It's like oh my gosh, yeah, really nice moments in this movie, as you get to know Kurt more. And again, he's playing football for Northern Iowa. He was there like five years, but he finally gets to start his fifth season's final season, and really kind of prove to himself that he can make it as a quarterback. In the NFL. It's another story. But he definitely finally gets a chance to shine. And this dream may become a reality. But at worst case, he got a chance to play collegiate ball. And out of nowhere, he gets signed by the Packers. Now this is a story I've heard by so many different people in so many different podcasts or reading books. But he goes there. He's not ready. He's nervous. He doesn't go in and even do anything in the movie. I don't know if that's exactly what happened. But he's at training camp. They asked him to go in and throw some balls and he's like, I don't know the plays yet. Well, two days into it. He's cut he's out. And NFL is gone. Well, he moves in with Brenda and her family and takes this job at the grocery store, which we all knew he was stocking shelves at night, the graveyard shift. I mean, that's tough work. But he's in this relationship. He's got responsibility. There's already kids there. And while that's going on, Brenda's parents moved to Arkansas and they are killed in a tornado. True story. tragic moment in the movie. Really Bond's them more and listen, growing up in Oklahoma. We dealt with tornadoes. When I was a kid one came through our property. We all took cover and the bathtub and our house sounded like our house was coming down. My father's truck was pulled hundreds of feet. It made it but it was just pulled this big ruts, our dogs got thrown to the back of the property. They were okay our boat was shattered. It flipped over neighbors homes, killed neighbors. It was devastating. I was an early teen and I I thought that was it. It was the scariest thing ever. It was an f5 the back of our property and little f ones were spinning around. So just having that close call with the tornado i I'm terrified of them. And it was a very tragic moment in this movie because I didn't know that really happened. And so then Kurt and Brenda they struggle to pay the bills. They're just trying to make it they got these two kids you have this guy who has this dream that is so far fetched when you see the situation he's in. It's like give it up dude. help this family you've got to move on. And out of nowhere arena football calls and I remember arena football. It was a hot deal for a while it still may be going on. I'm not into that type of pro football really. But my hometown, Tulsa, Oklahoma, we had a arena team. It was like a league below the main arena. It was a Tulsa talons. I went to a few games. It's gimmicky, but heck, if you're an up and comer just trying to make it and stay active and get some eyeballs on you. People playing it. And Kurt Warner did. And he played three seasons with the Iowa Barnstormers and had a lot of success got them to the arena bowl. They lost a very, very close game and with the success there, and he gets signed by the Rams. So in the 1999 season, I remember this vividly rams quarterback Trent Green, who was an ex Washington Redskin now Washington football team soon to be another name but he goes down in the preseason with an ACL injury and he's out and Kurt Warner is next man up and it's like can this guy do the job? Well, here comes his undrafted ex stock boy. And he bonds with four mil and Mart's and, and the movie kind of really just focuses on the first NFL game. I mean, he plays the net preseason game. He comes in form but it's really the first game of the season 1999 And it's this great back and forth with a very good ravens team at the time. The next year, they would win the Super Bowl. And they had this incredible defense well, he beats him not just here but the Rams But Kurt Warner has a great game leads them to victory and they know they have their quarterback and I have to say they got the football right there's not a ton of football in the movie but the football they have I really enjoy like him in college a little bit. Some scenes in the arena League, which is a super fast moving game compared to the NFL or even college. And in that game in particular, you have a Ray Lewis who's Hall of Famer linebacker for the Ravens picks him off and really they have a back and forth. And then they kind of weave in archived footage of the actual game and Kurt Warner and Dick for male and just kind of what was going on and then they speed you forward and show you just a little bit what happened that year. Because that was his game one they went one or no well, they wound up going 13 And three, they became known as the greatest show on turf. He became NFL MVP. They won a Super Bowl title beating the Tennessee Titans. Kurt Warner threw for 414 yards, two touchdowns, and he was also named the Super Bowl MVP. That year, it wasn't like he went there and they went a few years and it all happened that year. It's insane. And I remember seeing their record climb and thinking that these are paper champions. There's no way these rams hold up. And they did. They had some playmakers they were a very, very good team with Marshall Faulk in the backfield. They had Tori Holt, they had so many other players that defense was tough as well. So it was amazing. And they held on they came back in 2001. Now Vermell left, he retired again and then later went to the chiefs and then Trent green joined him with the chiefs. But in 2001 Kurt Warner was NFL MVP again, went back to the Super Bowl, but lost a heartbreaker to the Patriots. It was a tie game and the Patriots kicked that last second field goal which started their dynasty. He still threw for 365 yards, one touchdown, Heartbreaker, I mean, they were on the verge of being called a dynasty and they lose and then the Patriots dynasty starts to take over and also want to mention Isaac Bruce was on that team, an amazing wide receiver. And then Kurt Warner goes to the Giants for a year and then goes to the Cardinals and kind of has a resurgence there. And in the 2008 season goes back to the Super Bowl, and they lose to the Steelers. And an incredible game epic game. Kurt Warner threw for 377 yards, three touchdowns. I mean, if it wasn't for a last second, Ben Roethlisberger, Big Ben toss, shoestring catch in the endzone. They're champs again, I'm not again Kurt Warner is in the Cardinals would have won their first Super Bowl but amazing. And then in 2017, he's inducted into the Hall of Fame. Also, I should say in 2000, he was rewarded with a $47 million contract so here's a guy that couldn't even pay the bills for his family now providing you know, generational wealth, just incredible. So at the end of the movie till you see like Kurt Warner and Brenda, they wind up having seven kids together. So she had her original two which he adopts. They have five more a summer playing college football. And in the end, the movie is really just about pursuing and achieving your dream in life. And it's just amazing. He met her Brenda at the right time. Brenda met Kurt at the right time and without each other. I don't know what path they're on. It was that union was really really strong and it was definitely the core of this movie. And there was a lot of touching moments I caught myself wiping my eyes several times so I didn't know what to expect. And I was very pleasantly surprised I highly recommend seeing American underdog is not just a good football movie, but it's it's a really good uplifting movie about pursuing one's dream and overcoming obstacles. So without further ado, please enjoy American underdog so thank you so much for listening. And please be sure to subscribe to the let's talk movies podcast as well as the let's talk movies YouTube Live Channel. You can also really help us by giving the show a five star rating on Apple podcast. And for all your listeners that enjoy sharing your thoughts you can leave us a review on Apple podcast. Send us a direct message or post a comment on any let's talk movies social media platform. We also highly recommend checking out our other podcast and visiting just curious media.com
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