We Are Marshall

Prior to Matthew McConaughey’s entrance at around the 20-minute mark, We Are Marshall possesses the feel of a slick yet agreeable inspirational sports drama that appears to be establishing itself as something along the lines of a Hoosiers or a Rudy. And the film undoubtedly would have come off that way were it not for McConaughey’s disastrously idiosyncratic work; the actor, who delivers the majority of his lines through the corner of his mouth, offers up a performance that’s overflowing with precisely the sort of quirks and tics that he’s come to be associated with over the years. There’s consequently little doubt that We Are Marshall works best in the few scenes not revolving around McConaughey’s character, as the rest of the film is teeming with superb and downright compelling performances by folks like Matthew Fox, David Strathairn, and Ian McShane. The inherently compelling storyline – the movie documents the true-life efforts of West Virginia’s Marshall University to rebuild their football team following a tragic plane crash – does ensure that there are a number of genuinely moving moments contained within the overlong running time, while the admittedly rousing finale leaves the proceedings on precisely the sort of uplifting note that’s sorely missing from the rest of the film. Director McG generally does an effective job of toning down his over-the-top stylistic tendencies, although the almost relentless emphasis on inspirational speeches eventually becomes oppressive. There’s ultimately no denying that We Are Marshall would’ve benefited from the presence of virtually any other actor in the central role, although, to be fair, it’s just as clear that the movie does suffer from an almost insurmountable cavalcade of faults (including a disastrously overlong running time).

** out of ****