A sharply observed and richly detailed nonfiction feature that plays like feel-good, crowd-pleasing entertainment.
Go Tigers! (2001)
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Reviews Counted:39
Fresh:33
Rotten:6
Average Rating:7.1/10
Consensus: Go Tigers! is both an absorbing and evenhanded documentary, a perceptive look into the world of high school sports and its impact on a community.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language and a scene of teen drinking
Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins
Genre: Sports/Recreation
Theatrical Release:Sep 21, 2001 Limited
Synopsis:
In the shadow of a crumbling Norman Rockwell dreamscape, towns like Massillon, Ohio face an ongoing identity crisis and fiscal decline in the new dot com millennium. But while steel mills close and...
In the shadow of a crumbling Norman Rockwell dreamscape, towns like Massillon, Ohio face an ongoing identity crisis and fiscal decline in the new dot com millennium. But while steel mills close and families drift away from such industrial pockets, Massillon's identity has remained intact. For whatever trouble that has besieged the town, Massillon has always had "the greatest show in high school football." In the birthplace of football and 10 miles from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Massillon Tigers have drawn more than fifteen thousand spirited fans to every game for more than a hundred years. For ten weeks out of the year, this provincial hamlet is ground zero for one of the greatest sports traditions anywhere. For ten weeks out of every year, the people of Massillon know who they are.
The 106th season of the 1999 Tigers finds Massillon, Ohio a "house divided". Following the team's poor season the previous year, the people of Massillon are faced with a school tax levy necessary to protect the jobs of teachers, coaches and the Massillon educational system itself. After three consecutive levy defeats, the town is split down the middle on the issue.
As the election approaches, the Tiger players come to realize that the fate of the levy and the future of their town seems to rest on their success, creating a pressure-filled atmosphere. Faced with obstacles on and off the field, the Tigers must endure criticism, accusation and self-doubt. Taking on these challenges, THREE YOUNG STARS emerge to carry the burden of the town they love into an uncertain future. Entering the final game of the season against mortal enemy Canton McKinley, these young men and their coaches come to understand the power of tradition, the depth of their character and the undeniable force of destiny. -- © 2001 IFC Films
Starring: Dave Irwin, Danny Studer, Ellery Moore, Frank Cicchinelli
Starring: Dave Irwin, Danny Studer, Ellery Moore, Frank Cicchinelli, Rick Shepas
Director: Kenneth A. Carlson
Director: Kenneth A. Carlson
Screenwriter: Kenneth A. Carlson
Producer: Kenneth A. Carlson, Sidney Sherman
Composer: Randy Miller
Studio: IFC Films
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Reviews for Go Tigers!
Director Kenneth Carlson may be a little too close to the subject of this documentary.
A really good documentary gets inside its subject and examines every aspect of it with a critical eye. Go Tigers! opens a lot of drawers but often only takes the slightest peek inside.
A sports documentary that is interested in much more than just sports.
Like the films Hoosiers and Hoop Dreams, Go Tigers! shows how a sport is more than just a game, but a part of American life.
Tales like this, told with passion and skill, are what make documentaries such a vibrant and enduring part of the cinema landscape.
Carlson is willing to overlook and forgive all of the craziness and even criminalities that find a home in Massillon.
Probably the best sports documentary since Hoop Dreams… Go Tigers! captures, vividly and unwaveringly, [high school] football as a civic enterprise.
There's some great sports footage, some colorful characters, and a great insight into the mind of a Midwestern football town.
Traverses an enormous amount of material ably and paints some vivid portraits in complex colors.
The sheer volume of topics here means the film isn't as in-depth as could have been, but it is a fine effort.
If ever there was a town that displayed the spirit of America, this is it.
a caution against an entire American culture grown fat, brutal, and stupid on their own frugal repast of bread and circus
In a vivid portrait of one high school football season, Carlson gives us a snapshot of American values on parade.
A smart and often mesmerizing look at how high-school sports can hold a medium-sized town in its grip.
Achieves a neatly balanced tone right smack dab in between reverence and ridicule.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| 19% 19% | Transformers: Revenge … |
| 55% 55% | Orphan |
| 43% 43% | The Proposal |
| 26% 26% | Land of the Lost |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 88% 88% | Ballast |
| 67% 67% | The Merry Gentleman |
| 56% 56% | Enlighten Up! |
| 13% 13% | Spread |
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