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The faith-based football bio-drama “Greater” absolutely fails on so many levels that someone would scarcely know where to begin.
The word “inspiring” is used loosely in this duller-than-dull story, it is devoid of any emotions and nothing in it resonates with you, it is sorrowful but dri-eyed and reminiscent of the classic tale of a hero written in borrowed time.
It is the inspiring classic of “Rudy” meets “When the Game Stands Tall” and the result is a dull and heavily fictionalized story that misses the mark on almost every level.
This is not reminiscent of actual college students, this is a bunch of kids who are way beyond their years acting as students. Not to mention the football matches that are seemingly fake and scripted.
It’s about the life of Brandon Burlsworth, a not-so-skinny child (Christopher Severino) whose mother (Leslie Easterbrook) claimed to be a good Christian which instilled strong values in him. However, she did not tell him that her son weighed 335 pounds and was classified as obese.
His former dream alongside his mother’s dreams, brother’s dream (Neal McDonagh), and father’s (Michael Parks) dreams was to make it to the team at the University of Arkansas. Now all those dreams were bet on him trying out for the team as a walk-on.
His teammates take him in but hate him for his self-righteous attitude.
“Just because this guy thinks he’s BETTER than us does not mean we have to agree with him!”
His trainers scold him and label him as an incompetent person. Nevertheless, Brandon sets a goal for himself and overworks everyone. In an era where football had lost its glory in this football-loving SEC school, Burlsworth’s bad teams got inspiration from his utmost work ethic.
“Character’s what you do when nobody’s looking,” a coach said.
But to Burlsworth, “Somebody’s always looking,” and that would be the Almighty.
Severino is trying hard to be convincingly fat and athletic when the script puts him through “the training montage,” but Burlsworth is incredibly dull claims the character, and no amount of Razorback hype will change that (“The best walk-on in college football history!”) He has any edge that the real kid could possess burnt into him.
His faith turns him into a teetotaler, preempting the teammates’ drinking prank scene that we are all aware of.
The faith-related elements concerning his brother and a couple of other people feel forced into the story rather than feeling like an authentic aspect of Burlsworth’s life. The film seems to struggle with the questions, “What is the reason good people die young?” and “Why aren’t our prayers answered?” However, the answer to those questions bears no authority, and the incoherent flashes of the story fail to resolve it. The older brother’s “farmer” (Nick Searcy) who prattles on about football and metaphysics is encapsulated as one of the franchise’s most ridiculous characters.
And, after watching the out-of-sequence frame regarding the brother’s revelation on the day of the burial, the movie loses its appeal way before the completion of the two-hour ten-minute run.
All in all, there is no doubt that Burlesworth is a notable figure in Arkansas with several statues, a foundation, and persistent myths revolving around him. This movie does little to explain why. As hard as it is to believe, he is no ‘Gipper due II The Reckoning.’ Heck even, he is no ‘Rudy,’ either.
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