As inspirational and as tear jerking as you would expect. This is a moving true story, and one that will strike a chord with anybody who has had to put the needs of their family above everything else.

I enjoyed this movie much more than I thought I would. For what seemed like fairly generic Disney fare, this film really stood out, not only on the merits of its story, but also on the fine performances of a number of different actors, in particular both Jay Reeves, as Ray Ray McElrathbey, and Thaddeus J. Mixson, as his brother, Fahmarr McElrathbey. This film really highlighted what a stand-up individual Ray Ray McElrathbey was, a young man who risked everything to secure his family's future.

Watching this film, I couldn't help but think, as wonderful as sports could be, many of the most indelible stories were not of the greatest athletes nor of the greatest teams nor games; they were of those individuals who stood taller than the sport themselves, those who overcame the greatest obstacles to achieve goals of much greater value than a singular victory, those who learned life's greatest lessons and taught and inspired others in their journey. This was certainly one of those stories.

'Safety' - very good!

Disney enters the sports drama market for what feels like the billionth time, though in fairness they usually nail it - and do the same with this. They've done many better, e.g. 'The Greatest Game Ever Played' and 'Glory Road', but I very much felt entertained by this.

The cinematography is, truly, excellent - credit to Shane Hurlbut. I also took note of the editing (Terel Gibson), which is particularly neat at the beginning. The plot is compelling and features a lot of heart, it certainly uses the usual Disney/sports biopic beats but there's a lot of goodness in there as well. On this note, it has a decision scene where I half expected Chuck Norris to appear. Iykyk.

I enjoyed the cast. Jay Reeves gives a terrific performance as Ray, while Thaddeus J. Mixson is more than solid as brother Fahmarr. Corinne Foxx (daughter of Jamie), James Badge Dale and, despite only a short appearance, Amanda Warren are also good. Cool, for me anyway, to see 'The Walking Dead' alum IronE Singleton involved.

I'd recommend this, for sure.