David Mickey Evans's The Final Season is by far the best sports movie ever made and an immaculate film based upon true events. It surpasses the likes of Friday Night Lights, Rocky, Invincible, and The Sandlot. Evans takes an other wise bland story, to the average person, and transforms it into a masterpiece. He stays true to the story, with minor tweaks here and there. All the major facts are spot on. Also he was able to film the movie in the actual location in which it all took place. This added authenticity to the movie.
The Final Season is a true story about a small town, population of 586, in Iowa that happens to have the a history of magnificent baseball teams with 18 state champion ships in 24 years. The movie follows the teams last season before they merge with another school district. The merge causes an uproar in this little Iowa town called Norway. The most successful coach in Iowa state history Coach Van Scoyoc found himself in a dilemma, stay as coach of the Norway or quit in protest to the merge. He quit, leading to the hiring of Kent Stock. The movie follows the team as they strive for the 19th and final state championship.
The film takes on an issue that seems to hit small towns hard. When schools merge and shift from one town to the other it kills the town. The towns economy goes down hill. It no longer has the luxury of having a school as a draw for future new comers. A town also loses its sense of pride. Most small towns back their high school one hundred percent and are proud of their school, but when that school leaves what is left?
The Final Season is the epitome of and inspirational sports movie. It has all the elements of a great sports story as well. A down trotted team, an underdog character, and the dream of the impossible. This movie has all that and more. This Norway team was expected to do absolutely nothing under the new head coach, and they turned the impossible into the possible. Part of the brilliance of the movie came with the made up character of Mitch Akers, who was a city slicker from Chicago who came to Norway against his will. Mitch who was a trouble maker was sent to Norway to clean up his act and live with his Grandparents. Mitch under the urging of his grandparents takes up baseball and seems to have a knack for it. Mitch, throughout the movie, transforms from a trouble maker to a classic Norway baseball player, a polite and well mannered young man. Not only was Mitch an underdog but the entire team was underdogs and that was the brilliance.
When my children ask me to show them what my favorite movie is, this will be the one. The movie not only entertains but has an important and pivotal message to all ages. That is to never give up and to continue to work hard for your goals. This is a message everyone should listen to. At the turn of the decade when a list of the top ten movies of the decade come out, The Final Season should be on that list if not right there at the top of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment