We Are Marshall

2006

We Are Marshall

Critics Consensus

Matthew McConaughey almost runs We Are Marshall to the end zone, but can't stop it from taking the easy, feel-good route in memorializing this historic event in American sports.

48%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 124

79%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 202,758
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We Are Marshall Photos

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Movie Info

A true story of tragedy, hope, and resilience comes to the screen in this sports drama. Huntington, WV, is home to Marshall University, a school where college football is a way of life. Huntington is also a town that learned to deal with tragedy in the fall of 1970 when Marshall's "Thundering Herd" boarded an airliner to return home after a football game in North Carolina. The jet crashed into a hill due to bad weather, and 75 members of Marshall's football squad and athletic staff died that night. The accident dealt a crippling blow to the city of Huntington, as well as Marshall's faculty and student body, and university president Donald Dedmon (David Strathairn) considered abandoning the school's football program. But instead Coach Jack Lengyel (Matthew McConaughey) was recruited from Ohio's College of Wooster to rebuild Marshall's football program. Lengyel was not naïve about the task ahead of him, and working beside Red Dawson (Matthew Fox), an assistant coach who narrowly missed the doomed flight and was one of the program's only survivors, he came to understand his job was not just to put a team on the field, but help a college and a community heal their wounds from the tragic accident. Together Lengyel and Dawson turned a handful of rookies and second-string players into a competitive team who in 1971 showed the world what they could do in a legendary game against Marshall's rivals, Xavier University. Produced with the cooperation of Marshall University and filmed in part on their campus, We Are Marshall also stars Ian McShane, Anthony Mackie, and January Jones. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
  • Rating:
    PG (for emotional thematic material, a crash scene, and mild language)
  • Genre:
    Drama
  • Directed By:
    McG
  • Written By:
    Jamie Linden
  • In Theaters:
     wide
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Box Office:
    $43,532,294
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    Warner Bros. Pictures

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Cast

Matthew McConaughey
as Jack Lengyel
Matthew Fox
as Red Dawson
David Strathairn
as President Dedmon
Kate Mara
as Annie Cantrell
Ian McShane
as Paul Griffen
Anthony Mackie
as Nate Ruffin
January Jones
as Carole Dawson
Kimberly Williams-Paisley
as Sandy Lengyel
Brian Geraghty
as Tom Bogdan
L. Warren Young
as Mickey Jackson
Arlen Escarpeta
as Reggie Oliver
Tommy Cresswell
as Gene Morehouse
Laura-Shay Griffin
as Julie
Brent Garber
as Shalhoop
Rhoda Griffis
as Mrs. Shaw
Ron Clinton Smith
as Jim McNally
Taber Lathrop
as Steven Morehouse
Alyssa Caputo
as Gail Morehouse
Keith Morehouse
as Keith Morehouse
Dock Pollard
as Terry Gardner
Mark Patton
as Bill James
Huntley Ritter
as Randy Linden
Brett Rice
as Lloyd Boone
Brian Beegle
as Lucas Booth
David Dwyer
as Hutch Davis
Sharalene Kile
as Doris Stillwell
Billy Bennett
as Blake Smith
Patrick L. Parker
as Mr. Booth
Nina Jones
as Mrs. Morehouse
Mike Pniewski
as Bobby Bowden
Kevin Atkins
as George Olson
Elizabeth Omilami
as President's Secretary
Mark Oliver
as Ernie Salvatore
Mandy Best
as Katie
Dalton Polston
as Peter Lengyel
Andrew Wilson Williams
as David Lengyel
Nikky Williams
as Jane
Cafabian Heard
as Danny
Christian Kanupke
as Young Keith Morehouse
Bill Crabb
as Gas Station Attendant
Ellie Zellers
as Julie Lengyel
Wilbur Fitzgerald
as Fireman No. 1
Billy Woods
as Airport Booster No. 1
Scott Hilley
as Man In The Rain
Joey Nappo
as Beer Freshman
Michael DiFiore
as W.V. Player
Bobby Jordan
as Baseball Runner
Elisabeth Omilami
as President's Secretary
Mike Ribaudo
as Baseball Catcher
Bert Beatson
as Player No. 3
David Ramsey
as Father
Andrew DiPalma
as Diner Student No. 1
Maurice Bryant
as Xavier No. 19
Phillip Ivey
as Man In The Car At The Theater
Tim Crowley
as Referee
Bobby Jon Drinkard
as Player No. 4
Don Young
as Janitor
Anaiah Petty
as Freshman #3
Alex Van
as Trainer
Ryan Sloth
as Marshall No. 51
Katie Kneeland
as Ticket Taker
Dolan Wilson
as Steel Worker
Jeff Portell
as Fireman No. 2
William Gorman
as Freshman No. 2
Jody Thompson
as Barrier Policeman
Jake Cooper
as Freshman No. 1
Jeff Adelman
as Diner Student No. 2
Steven Barr
as Game Announcer
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Critic Reviews for We Are Marshall

All Critics (124) | Top Critics (34)

  • Unlike a lot of sports movies, it doesn't end with a championship or a great upset over a powerhouse. The real victory on the Marshall campus was in fielding a team that honored and respected the legacy of the 1970 team.

    Dec 26, 2006

    Richard Roeper

    Ebert & Roeper
    Top Critic

  • We Are Marshall isn't about grief or loss, but how these things can be overcome. It's uplifting, but shallow.

    Dec 22, 2006 | Rating: C+

    Scott Tobias

    AV Club
    Top Critic

  • This was undeniably a horrific event for the victims' families friends, colleagues as well as for the entire community. But the movie seems to almost exploit this tragedy so it can make audiences weep, and ultimately, cheer.

    Dec 22, 2006 | Rating: 1.5/4 | Full Review…

    Claudia Puig

    USA Today
    Top Critic

  • What's missing is any kind of insight into the lives of the dead players or the members of the Young Thundering Herd who rise up to replace them.

    Dec 22, 2006 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review…

    Peter Howell

    Toronto Star
    Top Critic

  • A series of montage and anecdotal vignettes follows as they recruit a whole new team, learn lessons from the catastrophe, lose and then win, with plenty of sentimentality sprinkled over the whole thing.

    Dec 22, 2006 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…

    Ted Fry

    Seattle Times
    Top Critic

  • We Are Marshall is a bit of a shame, because the subject matter could have been something special in the hands of stronger filmmakers.

    Dec 22, 2006 | Rating: 1/4 | Full Review…

    Peter Hartlaub

    San Francisco Chronicle
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (124)

Audience Reviews for We Are Marshall

  • Apr 16, 2013
    Good, but heavily cliche'd, especially the football sequences. Does a really great job of capturing the time period though, especially the small town life. This movie could've easily been a lot shorter--it's length is kind of uncomfortable for this type of movie.
    Stephen S Super Reviewer
  • May 26, 2012
    We Are Marshall is an over bearing cliché riddled feel good film that unfortunately doesn't deliver. This is the type of film we've seen many times before. This film doesn't work and is quite tiresome. I really didn't enjoy the film, and was very disappointed in the way it turned out. I was very much looking forward in seeing this film, and when I did, the only thing I noticed was the standard sports clichés set to a real life tragedy. The film did start off well, but afterwards it played on it clichés to deliver its entertainment. The cast seem to overdo their performances on-screen. Overall there is nothing really good to take away from this film. The film is too predictable, and it ends up being another feel good sports drama. There's nothing within the film to really make it a stand out film, and it doesn't break new ground or do anything new in the genre. We Are Marshall is the same old tired out formula that seems to plague sports dramas. With this film, there's really no performance that really stands out. I felt the cast was pretty bland. I felt that considering that this is a true story, there could have been a lot more effort put into it. But in the end, We Are Marshall is a cliché riddled film that simply is no different than any other films in this genre. There are better films out there, than this one. We Are Marshall simply don't deliver anything new or refreshing, something that is much needed in this genre. Expect a film with lots of clichés with this one, and you may not be disappointed. I for one, was, and didn't think too much of this film.
    Alex r Super Reviewer
  • May 06, 2012
    this film was hard to watch and just didn't do much for me. could of been much worse but how this film made money is beyond me
    Brendan N Super Reviewer
  • Jan 10, 2012
    Not bad. Just enough drama to pull the old heartsrings
    Jonny C Super Reviewer
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