Movie Review: “Game Time: Tackling the Past” starring Catherine Hicks

P & G and Walmart are bringing us another Family Movie Night, premiering Saturday, September 3 on NBC at 8pm ET/7pm CT.  The movie, Game Time:  Tackling the Past, is my favorite of all the Family Movie Nights so far.  I love sports movies and this one managed to capture the excitement of the “Big Game” as well as tell an engaging and meaningful story.  In our family, we are huge football fans.  From high school football on Friday nights to the professionals on Sunday, with college excitement in-between, we love our football!

Here is the official synopsis of the movie:

Pro football star Jake Walker is living the dream… or so he thinks. The veteran tight end is a fan favorite and on pace to set the all-time receiving yards record that will guarantee him a spot in the Hall of Fame. While working out at training camp, Jake receives an unexpected call from his brother Dean – their father Frank has suffered a major heart attack. Jake immediately leaves practice and returns to Riverton, North Carolina, the small hometown he’s avoided for nearly 15 years. Memories of glory and regret flood his mind as he returns to the family and friends he abandoned in pursuit of his career. Jake dutifully visits with Frank and Dean, but hurt and misunderstanding from the past begins to resurface, leaving him counting the days until he can return to his team.

A second unexpected call, this time from his agent, delivers Jake another crushing blow. His contract is not being renewed amid concerns about his surgically repaired knee. Suddenly, the life Jake knows is over. To avoid the media circus around this news, Jake reluctantly decides to extend his stay in Riverton. Attempting to make the best of the situation, he begins reconnecting with the community that once revered him.    Jake is reintroduced to Sarah, his high school sweetheart, and helps Dean take over their father’s high school coaching job.

Surprisingly impacted by the people around him, the real Jake begins to emerge from behind his armor to see that life is much more than the accumulation of personal stats. But when Jake’s offered a lucrative new contract to play for another team, he is forced to decide whether to go back to the career he thought he loved, or stay in Riverton and embrace the people who always believed in him.

I was lucky enough to see a preview of this movie and internet chat with star, Catherine Hicks.  Catherine is fascinating! Despite the fact that I’m a huge fan of “Annie Camden” from Seventh Heaven, I didn’t realize all the other major roles she has had or her ties to the Midwest.  Catherine is familiar with great sports – she attended St. Mary’s College in South Bend, Indiana – near the University of Notre Dame.  Now this is a variety of roles – Catherine has played Marilyn Monroe, a cetacean biologist in Star Trek, John Dillinger’s wife, a family court judge and more.  I enjoyed hearing her “insider” comments about the making of the movie and the respect she had for the other actors in the film.

I thought this was an especially good movie to watch as a family.  It explored the relationships in every family – between siblings, fathers and sons, mothers as peacemakers.  It presented a number of issues that would make great jumping-off-points for family discussions.  Choose your favorite snack, cuddle up on the couch and enjoy this movie on Saturday night!  Our family will be doing just that!

To learn more about Game Time:  Tackling the Past, go to the official Family Movie Night website: http://bit.ly/nCZtG8 or the Family Movie Night Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/familymovienight.

What’s your favorite sports movie?

Disclosure:  I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of P&G and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.