RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / Upcoming / The Game of Their Lives
The Game of Their Lives

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Showtimes & Tickets
  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

The Game of Their Lives (2005)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
25 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:32

Fresh:8

Rotten:24

Average Rating:4.5/10

Consensus: An enthusiastic but ultimately uninspired soccer film.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] some mild language and thematic elements

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Apr 22, 2005 Limited

Box Office: $369,168

Synopsis: From the creators of Rudy and Hoosiers, based on a true story, "The Game of Their Lives" follows the US National Soccer Team, which shows that with passion and commitment, anything is possible –... From the creators of Rudy and Hoosiers, based on a true story, "The Game of Their Lives" follows the US National Soccer Team, which shows that with passion and commitment, anything is possible – even the greatest upset in the history of the World Cup. [More]

Starring: Gerard Butler, Wes Bentley, Jay Rodan, Gavin Rossdale

Starring: Gerard Butler, Wes Bentley, Jay Rodan, Gavin Rossdale, Patrick Stewart

Director: David Anspaugh

Director: David Anspaugh
Producer: Howard L. Baldwin, Karen Baldwin
Studio: IFC Films

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
1 - 5 of 16

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "SAVE" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for The Game of Their Lives

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

the narrative and dialogue club us over the head in an effort to make 21st-century viewers understand why the victory of America's team over England was of such monumental importance.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
03/01/07
Bruce Feld
Bruce Feld
Film Journal International

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
10/11/06
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

A treat for soccer fans who have yet to see their favorite game given its due on the big screen. This won't be a classic soccer movie, but it's a start.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
09/28/06
Lisa Ann Cockrel
Lisa Ann Cockrel
Christianity Today
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
07/05/05
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

A sentimental, creaky, underwritten, overloaded picture that fails as character study, period film, sports movie and heart-stirrer.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
06/03/05
Shawn Levy
Shawn Levy
Oregonian

Enough enthusiasm, authenticity, and spirited soccer play to offset the missing ingredients.

Full Review Source: Oregon Herald | comment Comment
05/11/05
Mark Sells
Mark Sells
Oregon Herald

The Game of Their Lives takes a standard inspirational sports movie structure.

Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | comment Comment
05/09/05
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
Common Sense Media

Snooze.

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
04/28/05
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

Director David Anspaugh has a skilled touch, but there’s just not that much drama to film. This is a very competent, very predictable sports film.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
04/25/05
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

...disappointingly mediocre...

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
04/22/05
Peter Hartlaub
Peter Hartlaub
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

...lacks even a penalty kick's worth of tension and is paradoxically inert for a movie about guys running up and down the pitch for the glory of the U.S.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
04/22/05
Robert Koehler
Robert Koehler
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Angelo Pizzo's screenplay is rife with the expected sports and gamesmanship cliches, and he and Anspaugh take forever just to get to the game action, which is the only really worthwhile material.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
04/22/05
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

These guys give a sport that is virtually nameless in the movies a good name in this one.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
04/22/05
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

...this soccer tale is about as exciting to watch as a scoreless match between opponents so defense-minded the ball never gets beyond midfield.

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
04/22/05
David Germain
David Germain
Denver Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's difficult to muster dislike for The Game of Their Lives, which is reasonably interesting, but it needed more grit and inspiration than this straightforward account can provide.

Full Review Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News | comment Comment
04/22/05
Robert Denerstein
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The Game of Their Lives has little to recommend unless you're jonesing for a generic period piece boasting lots of slow-motion sports montages set to swelling music.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
04/22/05
Glenn Whipp
Glenn Whipp
Los Angeles Daily News

Pure, unadulterated sentiment served up with a straight face, The Game of Their Lives is a middling depiction of one of the all-time great underdog stories in sports history.

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
04/22/05
Timothy Knight
Timothy Knight
Reel.com

Too many references to the inevitable popularity of soccer in America make [the film] less about the players' lives and more about selling soccer as a spectator sport.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
04/22/05
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

Succeeds only occasionally in drumming up drama and inspiration.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
04/22/05
E! Online

The Game of Their Lives has a great sports story to tell, yet the filmmakers fumble it away.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
04/22/05
Kirk Honeycutt
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
See All

More Movies

Close
Coming Soon
Tomatometer Percentage Movie Date

More…

— Lourdes 2/17
— Celine: Through the Ey… 2/17
— Shutter Island 2/19
— Takers 2/19
— Ghost Writer 2/19
See All

RT On Current TV

The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

Learn how you can be part of the show

More...

What’s Hot On RT

Runaways Pictures

Runaways Pictures

Run away with Kristen and Dakota!

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Tom Cruise Accepts Another Mission: Impossible Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily
32
  • Chris Nolan on Board for Dark Knight Sequel -- and Superman Reboot? Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily
258
  • Tim Robbins Joins Green Lantern Source: Hollywood Reporter
58
  • Fox Moves Forward with 24 Movie Source: HitFix
8
  • Bill Murray Talks Ghostbusters III Source: Sunday Mail [UK]
56
  • Captain America News, News, and More News Source: Collider.com
20
  • Taylor Lautner Is Stretch Armstrong Source: MTV
78
  • Weekly Ketchup: Sci-Fi at the Oscars, Raimi eyes The Shadow
288
  • Percy Jackson Star (Briefly) Rumored for Spider-Man Reboot Source: Hollywood Reporter
35
  • Five Facts About Alice in Wonderland
140
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Total Recall: Jeff Bridges' Best Movies
114
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Avatar Finally Toppled by Dear John
104
  • Weekly Ketchup: Sci-Fi at the Oscars, Raimi eyes The Shadow
96
  • Five Facts About Alice in Wonderland
70
  • Five Favorite Films With Precious' Gabby Sidibe
35
  • Friday Harvest: The Last Airbender, The A-Team, and more!
27
  • Critics Consensus: From Paris With Love Is Not Bon
22
  • Total Recall: Anthony Hopkins' Best Movies
18
  • Five Favourite Films with Anika Noni Rose
17
  • Awards Tour: Pixar and Disney Rule The Annies
15
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Oscar Nominee Gabby Sidibe Talks Precious
20
  • One Man's Quest To Find The Worst Movie Ever
7
  • Five Favorite Films With Peter Jackson
77
  • Robert Downey Jr. talks Sherlock Holmes & Iron Man 2 - RT Interview
22
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
3
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
13
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
24
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
16
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • The Game of Their Lives at Rotten Tomatoes
  • The Game of Their Lives at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
Celebrity Yearbook Photos
Celebrity Yearbook Photos External Link

Check out PopEater's collection of childhood photos of celebs, from Tom Cruise to Kim Kardashian.

Who Will Win the Oscars?
Who Will Win the Oscars? External Link

TIME's Richard Corliss pores over the Oscar noms for the major awards and offers his take on who will win.

Oscar Fever = Terminal Illness?
Oscar Fever = Terminal Illness? External Link

For a different take, the AV Club delves into why awards season is terrible.

Who's the Razziest?
Who's the Razziest? External Link

Moviefone has put together a list of the actors with the most Razzie noms ever.

Mass Effect Movie?
Mass Effect Movie? External Link

Hollywood.com makes a case for a big screen adaptation of popular game Mass Effect.

Promos
Get the Flixster App Now!
Get the Flixster App Now! External Link

Download it from iTunes and get Tomatometer scores straight to your iPhone!

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo
About Us | Advertise | Contact Us | Press | Careers
IGN | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | Direct2Drive | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Game Sites | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | GIGA.DE | What They Play | Battlefield Heroes
By continuing past this page, and by your continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2010, IGN Entertainment, Inc. | Support | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! RSS Feeds
IGN’s enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA.
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.