If you like sports documentaries, you are going to love this series. Most people are hesitant to go into a documentary not knowing the subjects, but the filmmakers do a great job introducing you to what you need to know right away. Overall, this a great documentary that is very well put together, but the subjects can certainly aggravate you.
East Mississippi Community College, which you have probably never heard of, is the focus of this documentary. The head coach obviously gets a lot of air time, as well as some of the star players (a few quarterbacks and some other intriguing characters, of course) and their academic adviser. There is no real "star" of the documentary, but the person most people rooting for is that academic adviser, Brittany Wagner. She is the only character who seems to fully understand her role at the college and give her best effort in a meaningful way.
The head coach, Buddy Stephens, is like a combination of every negative stereotype of head football coaches. He is loud, overweight, aggressive, mean, and unable or unwilling to understand that kids make mistakes on the football field. In one instance, he reams out a player for missing a block, reams him out some more, then comes back for a third reaming and pushes the kid. The kid says to the coach that he didn't need to push him, which makes Coach Stephens bench him for the rest of the game. Coach Stephens is your classic bully football coach who sees no problem is publicly humiliating his players for even the most minor of offenses.
Of course there are players on the team who are highlighted as well. All have a different story that lead them to a community college, and seem to really have the same goal in mind: getting out of there to someplace better. Skipping classes and not listening are recurring themes. Some players say they are all about the team, but do not sound genuine about it. Overall they want to win, of course, but seem more interested in where that winning will take them.
The cinematography is beautiful. The setup and layout are beautiful. These filmmakers really know what they are doing. If you love sports and are interested in how athletics have affect human emotions, this series is highly recommended.
East Mississippi Community College, which you have probably never heard of, is the focus of this documentary. The head coach obviously gets a lot of air time, as well as some of the star players (a few quarterbacks and some other intriguing characters, of course) and their academic adviser. There is no real "star" of the documentary, but the person most people rooting for is that academic adviser, Brittany Wagner. She is the only character who seems to fully understand her role at the college and give her best effort in a meaningful way.
The head coach, Buddy Stephens, is like a combination of every negative stereotype of head football coaches. He is loud, overweight, aggressive, mean, and unable or unwilling to understand that kids make mistakes on the football field. In one instance, he reams out a player for missing a block, reams him out some more, then comes back for a third reaming and pushes the kid. The kid says to the coach that he didn't need to push him, which makes Coach Stephens bench him for the rest of the game. Coach Stephens is your classic bully football coach who sees no problem is publicly humiliating his players for even the most minor of offenses.
Of course there are players on the team who are highlighted as well. All have a different story that lead them to a community college, and seem to really have the same goal in mind: getting out of there to someplace better. Skipping classes and not listening are recurring themes. Some players say they are all about the team, but do not sound genuine about it. Overall they want to win, of course, but seem more interested in where that winning will take them.
The cinematography is beautiful. The setup and layout are beautiful. These filmmakers really know what they are doing. If you love sports and are interested in how athletics have affect human emotions, this series is highly recommended.