The Express (2008)
Average Rating: 6.2/10
Reviews Counted: 115
Fresh: 70 | Rotten: 45
This inspirational sports biopic set in the the civil rights era is interesting even for non-football fans, and features a great performance by Dennis Quaid as tough-but-fair football coach.
Average Rating: 6.2/10
Critic Reviews: 32
Fresh: 20 | Rotten: 12
This inspirational sports biopic set in the the civil rights era is interesting even for non-football fans, and features a great performance by Dennis Quaid as tough-but-fair football coach.
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Average Rating: 3.1/5
User Ratings: 819,308
My Rating
Movie Info
Finding Forrester star Rob Brown steps into the cleats of Heisman Trophy-winning gridiron giant Ernie Davis in director Gary Fleder's inspirational sports docudrama. As a young boy reared not far from the northern Pennsylvania state line, Davis dreamed of blasting through the end zone and scoring a triumphant touchdown while fans rose to their feet and cheered. When Davis later became a star running back for the Syracuse Orangemen, his dreams were finally on the way to becoming a reality. Under
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Cast
-
Rob Brown (VI)
Ernie Davis -
Dennis Quaid
Ben Schwartzwalder -
Omar Benson Miller
Jack Buckley -
Darrin Dewitt Henson
Jim Brown -
Charles S. Dutton
Willie 'Pops' Davis -
Justin Martin
Young Ernie -
Geoff Stults
Bob Lundy -
Clancy Brown
Roy Simmons -
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All Critics (118) | Top Critics (32) | Fresh (75) | Rotten (45) | DVD (10)
The sports-movie template is capable of absorbing any story and delivering the same uplift.
Top CriticRob Brown did a nice job.
Football fan or not, definitely be sure to see it.
The film does the job, in its conventional way. But it's geared to throw the prime screen time in the direction of the guy playing the guy coaching the guy who's supposed to be running the movie.
Despite appealing performances and kinetic football scenes, the storytelling is mostly conventional, except for two outstanding set pieces.
The Express may prove valuable to movie historians since it's a compendium of virtually every sports movie cliché ever contrived.
It makes the most of its on-the-field drama, but it tends toward gross generalizations and oversentimentality. ... As a result, the film is burdened with hokiness.
The movie also has its heart in the right place and it is as earnest as it can be. It simply falls short of being a great movie.
At times The Express couldn't decide whether it was telling a story of racial tensions, a general inspirational sports film or the tragic biography of Ernie Davis
The Express is running on two rails at the same time. There's sentiment, which is true. And there's sentimentality, which is not. At its best, The Express is a moving tribute; at its worst, it's conventional manipulation.
A fine addition to the recent genre of socially-conscious sports flicks highlighting individual triumphs not merely in and of themselves, but for the collective meaning of those historic moments to the masses of black people ever in search of civil rights
If the best thing said about a football movie, oddly enough, is that it can be entertaining for anyone who could care less about sports, then this is a solid touchdown. Skeptical couch potatoes take heart, a knowledge of the game is rarely required.
Extras on the disc include a full length commentary by director Gary Fleder, deleted scenes with optional commentary, and four featurettes.
While there's nothing remarkable about the way director Gary Fleder has brought The Express to the screen, this is a solid film that does justice to Davis' legacy.
While never as trailblazing as its subject, The Express is a worthy addition to the lengthy canon of sports biopics.
A fine example of the form. Cliched and sentimental it might be, but in the case of The Express, these criticisms almost count as plus points.
Full of stirring speeches and manly chins quivering with emotion, every frame is a cliché.
Gary Fleder's sporting drama has its heart in the right place but, sheesh, that title grows more ironic with each crawling minute.
A tidal wave of corn syrup hardly mars this old-style, populist entertainment.
Fact-based or fictional, no genre sticks to the playbook more rigidly than the sports drama. Creditable addition to the canon though it is, The Express does not buck the trend.
Steams ahead with express-train determination, scooping on to its cow-catcher any cinemagoer hoping he can outrun yet another true-life drama about black sportsmen overcoming bygone bigotry.
Audience Reviews for The Express
Super Reviewer
A poor boy having a hard time growing up as an outcast makes it good in the world of pro football due to his natural athletic abilities, wins over many peoples hearts and support but dies young from natural causes, missing his chance to really make his mark in the world.
I have seen many good sporting films and they are always in the same vein, true or not, but they do seem to turn out well made and always make you feel good at the end or make you think, which is good. This film is no exception, its very very well made, looks really authentic capturing the era and problems of the time, has a great timeless soundtrack, little nuggets of real footage from the actual games and tugs at your heart strings throughout. It is predictable like all sport flicks but the fact its based on true events does make you ignore that, well you have to ignore that.
The cast are all excellent, Quaid is good as the tough supportive coach and Brown is very good as Davis showing real love in his role, Dutton as Davis father is also very good in his short role adding real class to the whole film.
I have to admit Americans sure know how to make a good sporting flick about their beloved national games, although Baseball doesn't fare as well as Football.
Super Reviewer
Discussion Forum
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