Facing the Giants

Plot

In 2003, Grant Taylor (Alex Kendrick) is the head coach at Shiloh Christian Academy, and has yet to post a winning record in his six-year tenure. After his seventh season begins with a three-game losing streak, the players' fathers start making noises about replacing him with defensive coordinator Brady Owens. This is not the only problem Grant is facing; his car is breaking down, and he discovers that he is the reason that his wife Brooke cannot become pregnant.

He creates a new coaching philosophy and decides to praise God, no matter what the result. At the same time he guides and urges each one of his players to give the maximum effort, and motivates them to believe they can win under God's guidance. This influence spreads to the rest of the school. From that point on, the Eagles win all their remaining regular season games after losing the first three and make the state playoffs. As a result, Grant is given a raise in salary rather than being fired and is also provided with a brand-new truck from grateful boosters. The Eagles lose their playoff opener, but are declared the winner after the opponent used ineligible players. The Eagles then advance all the way to the state championship game against the three-time defending champion Richland Giants. Even though the Eagles have only a third as many players as the Giants, the Eagles hold their own and ultimately win the game on a 51-yard field goal from a backup kicker who had never kicked more than a 35-yarder before. Grant's prayers for children are also answered as he and Brooke have children after two years.

Cast

Most of the cast and crew were members of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. For example, the role of Bobby Lee Duke, the opposing coach in the state final, was played by Sherwood Baptist associate pastor Jim McBride.

Production

The movie was shot on high definition digital video tape (using the Panasonic Varicam) and transferred to film. Using real high school football teams, the football action sequences were shot by the film's director of photography, Bob Scott, who is a veteran cinematographer for NFL Films. Another NFL Films technician, Rob Whitehurst, recorded the movie's sound. Filming started on April 27, 2004.

Official listing

1. Come Together - Third Day
2. Voice of Truth - Casting Crowns
3. Facing the Giants Theme (Score) - Mark Willard, Alex Kendrick
4. Finding You - Bebo Norman
5. The Deathcrawl (Score) - Mark Willard
6. Completely - Ana Laura
7. A Gift from God (Score) - Mark Willard
8. Come on Back to Me - Third Day
9. Never Give Up on Me - Josh Bates
10. The Fight (Score) - Mark Willard
11. With You - Mark Willard, Mark Harris
12. Attempting the Impossible (Score) - Mark Willard, Alex Kendrick

Reception

The film received mostly negative reviews from mainstream critics. It holds an average ranking 13% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 24 reviews. Site consensus reads: "The tropes of both football and evangelical movies are gracelessly on parade in this banal, insipid drama." The film also received criticism from some Christians for portraying a prosperity gospel version of Christianity, where one simply gets whatever they want the minute they follow Jesus.

Box office

In its first weekend, the film opened on 441 screens nationwide in the United States. Despite such a small number of theaters, the film opened in twelfth place with $1,343,537. Only three films in the top ten released that weekend grossed more per theater. For such a small budget of $100,000, the film ultimately was shown in over 1,000 theaters and grossed a total of $10,178,331. The film opened in South Korea on April 16, 2010, eventually grossing $64,828. The worldwide total (as of June 20, 2010) for the movie stands at $10,243,159. DVD sales have also been strong, with 2.3 million units sold in 57 countries.

Rating controversy

In May 2006, the producers of Facing the Giants received notice from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) that the film would be receiving a "Parental Guidance Suggested" rating, or PG rating. The Drudge Report picked up the story on June 8, 2006, which sparked a controversy alleging that the film was being given a "PG" rating solely because of its religious theme. The New York Times, Good Morning America, Fox News, and many talk radio programs covered this story.

According to the film's producers, they were told the motion picture received a PG rating because of its strong religious themes and because it elevated one religion over another. However, MPAA later explained that Facing the Giants contains football violence and also deals with the mature topics of infertility and depression.

The Kendrick brothers expected the PG rating because of the movie's mature themes and did not appeal the board's rating.