Terminal dullness loses We Are Marshall the championship. Directed by McG, (in)famous for the bombastic Charlie's Angels franchise, the film's neither devastating, the characters are too thin, or inspiring, the tone's too funereal. It's simply an oft-insufferable bore.

Based on a true story I'm confident it doesn't do justice, the film, set in West Virginia, circa the '70s, opens with the tragic death of 75 members of the Marshall University football program in an airplane crash, then depicts the program's (and the football-obsessed town's) recovery under the leadership of Jack Lengyel, an idealistic, talented young coach most people at first doubt and then applaud.

As Lengyel, former People's Sexiest Man Alive Matthew McConaughey is dull as dishwater, not once showing why the coach was such a powerful inspiration for the team and town. Of the supporting cast, which includes a brooding Matthew Fox and an obviously-bored David Strathairn, only Ian McShane, as the angry, grieving father of a star player lost in the air disaster, impresses, delivering without a doubt the film's most affecting performance.

I celebrate McG challening himself by leaving his comfort zone, but his staid approach isn't too appealing, especially in the lifeless football action sequences (which are rarer than one might expect). It doesn't help the screenplay by first-timer Jamie Linden is groan-inducing, filled to the brim with maudlin clichés.

Overall, what should've been a powerful tribute and exploration of loss and revival is instead an uninteresting (and very overlong) disappointment which won't have audiences or critics cheering. D.

Loved the movie, although there wasnt as much football action as I had hoped for, this movie dealt with more of how the people in the town and the surviving players dealt with the tragedy, and was able to move on.

A-

Decent film that's hampered by a poor performance by McConaughey who is far too corny and happy go-lucky for the material. The best performance is probably given by Kate Mara as the grieving Annie Cantrell.

I'm (hopefully) going tomorrow afternoon. I'm excited for this movie- but I am not going to go in expecting a lot out of McCounaughey. He just isn't the best actor out there- romantic comedies are more his side.
Pysched for this movie though!

Wow, people are going to go see this? I couldn't even sit through the trailer. Made me long for a Sweet Hereafter viewing.

Scary, because on MNF, he said this was the best script he'd ever read. Wow!! If he thinks this is better than say "Time To Kill" then that is quite scary!!

Not everyone has the same tastes

We Are Marshall is heartfelt and well-made, but ultimately fairly forgettable. The acting is a mixed bag. Matthew Fox, Ian McShane, Anthony Mackie, and Kate Mara give credible performances as people dealing with grief in different ways. On the other hand, Matthew McConaughey must have thought this was Failure to Launch 2 and acts like he's in a different movie than everyone else in the picture, bringing it to a halt on more than one occasion. Still, the film is enjoyable. B-