12 Mighty Orphans Review: An Inspirational Texas Football Story

Release date: June 18, 2021
Running time: 118 minutes
Starring: Luke Wilson, Vinessa Shaw, Martin Sheen, Wayne Knight, Jake Austin Walker, Robert Duvall
Director: Ty Roberts

12 MIGHTY ORPHANS tells the true story of the Mighty Mites, the football team of a Fort Worth orphanage who, during the Great Depression, went from playing without shoes—or even a football—to playing for the Texas state championships. Over the course of their winning season these underdogs and their resilient spirit became an inspiration to their city, state, and an entire nation in need of a rebound, even catching the attention of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The architect of their success was Rusty Russell, a legendary high school coach who shocked his colleagues by giving up a privileged position so he could teach and coach at an orphanage. Few knew Rusty's secret: that he himself was an orphan. Recognizing that his scrawny players couldn't beat the other teams with brawn, Rusty developed innovative strategies that would come to define modern football.

I'm a sucker for inspirational sports movies and 12 Mighty Orphans has that in spades.  It probably caught my interest for the same reasons the original story caught the nation's interests, a team of underdogs fighting against all odds and giving it their all.  And 12 Mighty Orphans tells this story in an entertaining and relatable way.  The film uses a nice balance of comedy and drama to keep the tone light-hearted despite some serious subject matter.  The movie deals with dramatic subjects, but is always able to pivot and rely on the comedic aspects as well as a whimsical, Texas-inspired soundtrack.  Every time something terrible happens, the orphans can make a joke or the film will introduce some funny moment to lighten the mood.  And the music also ensures that the tone never stays too serious, maintaining the right balance for an inspirational drama.

The film has an impressive cast of characters, but Luke Wilson takes the cake for his portrayal of the legendary coach Rusty Russell.  Wilson changes completely, adopting different mannerisms, ticks, and speech to play this character.  Martin Sheen is another stand out, who as you would expect, does a great job as the orphanage's doctor and defensive coach.  He is a father figure to these boys and is a great addition to the coaching staff.  And Vinessa Shaw does a wonderful job as Juanita Russell, Rusty's wife and another influential teacher at the orphanage.  I wish she had more screen time but the movie was already almost two hours long so I understand focusing on the team and the coaches.  And despite Wayne Knight's character not being one I liked, he did a great job as the tough and corrupt orphanage headmaster.  But the true stars of the film are the boys in the orphanage, and they are a fun group to get to know.  They feel like they have a natural chemistry and are fun to follow, and get into the antics you would expect from boys this age.  Some of their acting was a little rough, but I couldn't tell if that was the actors or the characters they portrayed, but altogether they are a fun group.  

And although the tone of 12 Mighty Orphans is enjoyable, the film does feel a little over dramatic at times.  Now granted, the movie deals with some serious subject matter, but it also felt like the drama was not earned given the tone of the movie.  And this overdramatic aspect also means that some characters are essentially caricatures; they seem to be so obviously transparent in their motivations that it leaves nothing to surprise the viewer when they later turn out to be terrible people.  The corrupt characters are so obviously corrupt and the good characters are saints; there is very little nuance in this story.  And in that respect, this movie feels like it would be right at home in the Disney inspirational sports camp, yet it was made by Sony.  I can't tell if that is a complement or a negative, but overall the movie's generally positive tone and overly telegraphed characters feels like something that would be more child appropriate.  And the film should be fine for most young adults; there is very little objectionable material.  There is some blood at one point, some overly harsh discipline, and a few instances of young boys being rowdy, but nothing that should cause much concern.

But hey, despite these flaws, who doesn't love an inspirational sports drama.  The movie tells a true story with some Hollywood embellishments, but also seems to focus on a lot of the important aspects.  Nearly every character we meet has some sort of post mortem during the credits, showing their real life counterpart and letting the viewer know what happened to them.  These touches are the things I love because it really completes the journey you just took.  If you are looking for an inspirational feel good film, then you can't go wrong with 12 Mighty Orphans.

12 Mighty Orphans scores with its blend of comedy and drama, interesting characters, and truly inspirational story of sports and life. 

Watch it.

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12 Mighty Orphans is in theaters on June 18, 2021.  For showtimes, click here.

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