My All-American - C

Finn Wittrock as Freddie Steinmark

Rated PG, 118 minutes

There are dozens of true, inspiring sports stories, many of which have been made into films, some more worthy than others. The familiar, overlong but inspiring "My All-American" is one of those stories, and while you've seen it before there's a chance you'll need tissues by the end. Awarded a scholarship and a chance to play for the Longhorns, Colorado high school football star Freddie Steinmark (Finn Wittrock) sets off to Austin determined to make a difference on the Texas Longhorns team, coached by Darrell Royal (Aaron Eckhart) in 1969. He becomes a successpart of the Longhorns with a real chance to turn the struggling team around. But just when they're reveling in the success of the season, Freddie suffers an injury that leads him to a shocking diagnosis and the biggest challenge he will ever face. Directed and written by Angelo Pizzo, who wrote classics such as "Hoosiers" and "Rudy" and based on the novel "Courage Beyond the Game: The Freddie Steinmark Story" by Jim Dent, is a predictable, slightly overlong but crowd-pleasing sports tale that's peppered with a few touching moments as it tells the story of cancer-stricken Steinmark, whose leg was amputated following the famed "Game of the Century" in December, 1969 between the Texas Longhorns and the Arkansas Razorbacks. The likable film is well-acted by Eckhart as legendary coach Royal, though thirtysomething Wittrock is a tad too old as the wide-eyed but tough, talented Steinmark, who made a name for himself in just one active season with the Longhorns. The first act, detailing Steinmark's family life, is largely unnecessary to the story, and Pizzo drags out the famous Game of the Century game much too long, giving nearly 20 minutes of footage to the game. Still, the football scenes add some excitement to the story, and you better have some tissues handy for those final scenes, which give credence to Steinmark's impact on the Longhorns even today. The typical "My All-American" is hardly revelatory in terms of sports movie, but you'll at least gain some more appreciation for it. Worth a look, especially for sports fans and Longhorns fans.