The faith based film industry Erwin brothers get a little better with each movie they make. Mom’s Night Out was a disaster. I Can Only Imagine was sweet, if clunky. And now American Underdog cleans up some of that clunkiness for a more polished story that should be enjoyed by anyone who sees it. This rapid ascent to quality filmmaking can only mean more exciting entries for an audience clearly hungry for great stories about people like them.
American Underdog is about Kurt Warner (Zachary Levi), quarterback of the 1999 St. Louis Rams, the “Greatest Show on Turf.” A quarterback with that kind of pedigree you’d think was the star QB of one of the great college football teams. But that’s not so: Kurt came from a so-so college football program, and wasn’t drafted into the NFL initially. At this tumultuous time for him, he becomes smitten with Brenda (Anna Paquin), a woman he meets at a bar…who also happens to be a single mom of two, with one of the kids, Zack (Hayden Zaller), afflicted with all sorts of medical ailments. Kurt then begins the hard road of caring for a family while also trying not to give up his boyhood dream of playing in the NFL.
Even though football is part of Kurt Warner’s life story, it’s not the most important one. I maintain that American Undersdog is more family drama, with a bit of sports thrown in. The best parts of the movie are Kurt and Brenda forming their long lasting relationship. Boy does life throw them a bunch of tests! Kurt’s dreams fizzle away, there’s a tragic tornado situation, there’s long distance relationship drama. But Zachary Levi and Anna Paquin are up to the task, making you believe in Kurt and Brenda’s connection, and how their faith in God (subtly woven in) and each other keeps them going, even when the going gets really tough. And during those tough times, we get really honest, compelling discussions about dreams and gifts, and how they can change and evolve over time and over the course of a grounded, real life relationship.
Let’s not forget though, American Underdog’s story also contains your formulaic sports underdog story, along with the wonderful family drama, rolled into one. The Erwin’s smartly build Kurt Warner’s story around the man, not the big event at the end. Kurt’s story is essentially the hero’s journey. He has to overcome struggles of all kinds and become forged in the fire that is life. The football scenes here service that story: as Kurt has to learn hard lessons about how to be a better quarterback, how to overcome past failures, and how to become a better leader. The strange fusion makes the trajectory of Kurt Warner’s story more unpredictable than seems obvious on the surface. It stands to reason that you’d think this movie builds to that incredible 1999 Rams Year, culminating in the Super Bowl. But the Erwin’s take a somewhat bold swing here, as basically the Superbowl is kind of an afterthought. Because, for Kurt Warner, his story was already finished: he was ready for that moment.
Only a hardened cynic would disapprove of what American Underdog gives the movieworld. I hope Kurt Warner’s tale inspires everyone who sees it. And reminds the audience that you have to work for your dreams, but when they come true, the high you feel is that much greater because of what you’ve done to get there.