Facing the Giants

Theatrical Release Date: 2006 09 29 (USA - Limited)

UPC: 043396263314

Studio: Sony Pictures

MPAA Rating: PG   Contains:[Adult Situations]

Summary: A failing high-school football coach finds that in order to succeed he must convince his team that there's more to sports than fame and glory in an inspirational tale of courage on the gridiron and the power of God's word. Grant Taylor (Alex Kendrick) has been coaching the Shiloh Eagles for six years, and he has yet to realize his dream of a winning season. When the team's star player transfers schools, the first three games of the new season show no promise for improvement, troubles at home begin to take their toll, and a plot among the player's fathers to have him fired finds his future in football looking bleak, Coach Taylor is faced with the prospect of either cutting his losses and admitting defeat or turning his life over to God in an attempt to test the true power of faith. With his job on the line and nothing left to lose, Coach Taylor convinces his determined team of underdogs that there's nothing they can't accomplish with a little faith -- including the miracle of a winning season when all hope seems lost. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Category: Drama

Features: Filmmaker Commentary
Fumbles, Funnies & Other Fun Stuff
(Outtakes & Bloopers)
Deleted Scenes
Behind the Scenes of Facing the Giants
Interview with Mark Richt
A Musical Tribute to the Volunteers
Theatrical Trailer

Facing the Giants

Format: Blu-ray

Release Date: 09/29/2009

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: DTHD null, DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 111 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French,Portuguese,Spanish

Subtitles: English,French,Portuguese,Spanish

Derek Armstrong

If you've ever shaken your head at an athlete praising Jesus for letting him catch a game-winning touchdown, meaning implicitly that God favored his team over the other, you may also shake your head at Facing the Giants. Alex Kendrick's Christian film about a woebegone football team, whose coach is also played by Kendrick, is all about thanking God for helping the team right its season and go for the state championship. Religiously tunnel-visioned though it may be, Kendrick's film does have the good sense to be clear that God should be praised regardless of each game's outcome, and Facing the Giants emphasizes that a person's belief in Jesus Christ should combine with a never-give-up attitude, not replace it. What's more, he gets away with everyone spending extensive time on the topic of God because it's a Christian high school where Grant Taylor coaches. But Kendrick doesn't get away with his agenda to convert viewers who haven't already been converted. Christian films are considered by the mainstream -- to the extent that the mainstream considers them at all -- to be preaching to the choir, and proud of it. However, Kendrick clearly wants more than that. He consistently fleshes out the characters by showing them joking around, and he's working with actors capable of a range of emotions, including his own finely acted scene breaking into tears over his failures. But Kendrick hasn't learned subtlety yet, and that's what's divisive about Facing the Giants -- nonbelievers who just want a nice inspirational story will be crowded out by all the God talk. The good news is that Kendrick did get it right in his next feature, Fireproof, in which Kirk Cameron plays the lead, and there's a better balance between the director's religious viewpoints and the universal struggles faced by all human beings. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Alex Kendrick  Director 
Alex Kendrick  Producer 
Alex Kendrick  Screenwriter 
Stephen Kendrick  Director 
Stephen Kendrick  Producer 
Stephen Kendrick  Screenwriter 
David Nixon  Producer 
Michael Catt  Executive Producer 
Terry Hemmings  Executive Producer 
Mark Willard  Composer (Music Score) 
Jim McBride  Executive Producer 
Alex Kendrick  Actor 
Shannen Fields  Actor 
Steve Williams  Actor 
Bailey Cave  Actor 
Jason McLeod  Actor 
Tracy Goode  Actor 
Chris Willis  Actor 
James Blackwell  Actor 
Jim McBride  Actor 
Mark Richt  Actor 

Country: USA