FACING THE GIANTS

"Whether we leave the field the victors or not, we will give God the glory. Now... who will go fight the giants with me?"
~ Grant Taylor

The Shiloh Eagles high school football coach seems to be at the end of his rope. With a six-year losing record, the school is getting impatient with Grant Taylor's team leadership. And that is not the only problem - his car is breaking down, his house is in disrepair, and he and his wife have found out that they can not have children. When he hits bottom, Grant Taylor looks up to God, and is led to write up a new high school football team philosophy. Can giving God all the glory bring victory to Grant's life? Can God speak to a sleepy town through a football team?

Who would've thought that a tiny town in Georgia would bring us the best Christian film yet! For a single camera, an $100,000 budget, and an all-volunteer cast, this is absolutely amazing! Grant Taylor's recommitment to Christ is very moving, though afterward, his football team isn't quite ready to buy into what he is selling. The team captain is very apathetic, and Grant cures that in a very interesting and intense way. One player is very disrespectful to his father and the coach addresses him about it, but Matt doesn't listen - until the school breaks out in revival. Grant and his wife's faith guide them through the tough times, and when they trust God with everything, He starts moving in their lives drastically. The soundtrack is also a winner, including artists like Third Day, Casting Crowns, Bebo Norman, and Josh Bates.

On the technical side, there are no naughty words or profanity, but there is of course the tackling and smacking around as is normal in football. The coach is very angry in one instance and yells at his team, whacking a player over the head with his cap. The Giants coach is quite intimidating and hot tempered. I say these things thinking about those with children that are extremely sensitive to "scary things". They are not bad or would make anybody else but a concerned parent throw a red flag. As Plugged in Online so aptly states, "It's hard to think of something in Facing the Giants that isn't positive."

As these actors AREN'T real actors, the performance by the adults can sometimes raise a cynical eyebrow (like mine), but either there is not enough bad acting or you don't notice it when it comes, because it does nothing to take away from the story. The kids all act very well and are convincing characters. There are a couple fuzzy camera shots, but nothing but an evil eye will spot it. Keep supporting the Kendrick brothers as they make more Christian movies and change more lives!!! Do yourself a favor - don't miss this movie! Don't even bother to rent it first - it's worth every penny you will pay to have it in your home! Visit the site for this film at http://www.facingthegiants.com/.

"FACING THE GIANTS is a great movie about how God can change lives on and off the football field. Every family in America should see it."- Dan Reeves, NFL Coaching Great

Directed by: Alex Kendrick ~ Written by: Alex Kendrick, Stephen Kendrick ~ Starring: Alex Kendrick, Shannon Fields, Tracy Goode, Jason McLeod, Bailey Cave ~ Distributed by: Sherwood Pictures ~ Release dates: 2006-09-29 ~ Running time: 111 min ~ Language: English ~ Budget $100,000