Conflix Resolution is our updated blog of selections of what to watch on Netflix Instant Streaming.
Welcome everyone to Conflix Resolution. This will be the only time I give any type of extended greeting, since I know all you’re waiting for is to get down to the actual recommendation. As a critic, people (naturally) constantly ask me about my opinion for certain movies. But what I’ve noticed more and more of these days is people coming to me asking what they should watch on Netflix. Netflix has become so omnipresent and is an absolutely amazing tool for finding new films. Back in the day, the selection on Netflix streaming was quite primitive and hardly anything was available. But times have changed, and Netflix is now home to a number of amazing movies, both old and new, that can provide you with a brilliant at-home movie experience. The idea behind this blog is to give you something handpicked by us at CineSnob.net every week. Some of them will be broad and enjoyable by just about anyone. But some will be decidedly independent, dark, and may even have those dreaded subtitles. All we ask if that you give it a shot. Though we love our fair share of Hollywood films, there is so much more out there and this blog is designed to give you a peek at some films you might not of heard of (and of course, some classics that always deserve some revisiting). So let’s get started!
For my first entry into this blog, I wanted to choose something that had a somewhat broad appeal. Something that a vast majority could relate to. Something human, emotional, and real. Then the perfect film hit me. For the first entry of Conflix Resolution, my suggestion for this week is 2011’s “Undefeated.†For those of you who don’t know, “Undefeated†is a documentary about a high school football team in Memphis, Tennessee. Beyond that, it’s about head coach Bill Courtney, a volunteer coach who spends all of his free time devoted to a ragtag group of high school kids in an inner city, teaching them not only about football but how to be men. On a more surface level, it is about a teams struggle for excellence; to be good enough to do what no other team in the school’s history has done; to win a playoff game. If you haven’t heard of it, that’s fair. It wasn’t highly publicized and it only played in San Antonio for a few weeks. It did, however, win the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
It’s difficult to pinpoint what exactly makes “Undefeated†such a successful, brilliant and effective piece of film. There’s the underdog story that everyone loves; a group of high schoolers who are the perennial joke of the community, constantly being walked all over by intrastate opponents just trying to win one playoff game. There are the struggles of being a product of a rough neighborhood and using football as the only way out of a rough upbringing and spending potentially years in the same place. But above all, this film is about Coach Courtney’s unwavering commitment and deep, soulful connection with these players and kids. He spares time away from his family. His players constantly disappoint him and let him down and he is still there, every practice, giving them everything he has…FOR FREE! nonetheless. In return, the players adore, respect, and admire him. Not without their challenges, of course.
Without giving too much away, make sure to keep a box of tissues near, as the most down to earth moments of this incredibly moving documentary pack a punch. The best way I can think to relate it is to call it a real-life version of the television show “Friday Night Lights.†There’s humor, defeat, despair, triumph. But above all there is hope, and there is pure love oozing from the personable Coach Courtney. Spend a few minutes with him and you’ll quickly develop an admiration for him and realize why his players adore and look up to him. He is a truly astonishing role model.
Make no mistake; the name of the film can potentially be misleading. This isn’t a film about a privileged team looking to go unscathed through a season. It’s a film about a team that is exclusively scathed, looking to not let their failures or shortcomings define them. It is about being defined by their effort and their character. It’s about more than winning or losing football games. It’s about revealing character in those who it might not be abundantly clear. It’s about becoming good-hearted, respectable men. And it’s damn good.
Recommended for fans of: Sports Films, Documentaries, Friday Night Lights, Real Life Dramas, Underdog Stories.
Original CineSnob grade: B+