12 Mighty Orphans (2021)

“So let’s buck up and let’s bear down and let’s get back to work. ” – Rusty Russell

Number of Times Seen – 1 (19 Oct 2021)

Brief Synopsis – Based on the true story of how a new teacher and coach at an orphanage in Texas during the depression was able to uplift the spirit of the kids along with the rest of the country.

My Take on it – Intriguing idea that unfortunately doesn’t work as well as one might hope.

Luke Wilson feels very miscast in the lead role and that hurts things a bit too much.

The choice tho to cast Martin Sheen in a powerful supporting role along with being the narrator actually helps soften the tone of the story and direct things in a good direction, but it unfortunately isn’t enough.

The 12 players aren’t developed well enough and most of them are easy to confuse with one another because they mostly look and act very similarly.

The story hits on many of the usual sports/football tropes that usually work well with these kind of biopics, but still fails to find a unique voice along the way which is quite a shame.

As a history lesson about the sport and its influence, it does manage to clearly get the situation across in a nice manner.

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – In the 1930s and 1940s, there was nothing bigger in Texas high school football than the Masonic Home Mighty Mites a group of orphans bound together by hardship and death. These youngsters, in spite of being outweighed by at least thirty pounds per man, were the toughest football team around. They began with nothing not even a football yet in a few years were playing for the state championship on the highest level of Texas football. (From IMDB)

Rating – BAFTA Worthy (6/10)