The Plot: Based on an incredible true story, at age 59, Mike Flynt may be too old to be on a college football field, but not too old to feel the weight of unfinished business. After nearly four decades, he returns to his alma mater to take the hit that changed everything. Bruised, doubted, and nearly broken, he pushes for one more game, not for glory, but for the teammates he lost, the family he fractured, and the ending he still believes is possible.
Review: Football season is now in full swing, which means in the cinema world, that we’re in award season. Do we expect The Senior, directed by Rod Lurie, to win any awards? No. However, it fits very well for both football season and award season. The movie was filmed a couple of years ago and is finally seeing a theatrical release from Angel Studios on September 19. Now let me get the elephant out of the room: some people may steer away from a film released by Angel Studios due to its focus on Christian faith-based films. However, this film doesn’t feel preachy at all. It’s certainly an inspirational film and tells a wonderful story of one man’s redemption. It also sprinkles some funny moments throughout.
The Senior tells the true-life story of Michael Flynt returning to play football for Sul Ross State University in Texas, where he was kicked out back in 1970 due to an altercation. Michael Chiklis, whom most of us remember fondly as Ben Grimm in Fantastic Four (2005) and FX’s The Shield (2002–2008), plays the role wonderfully as Flynt, because make no mistake, we love seeing Chiklis in TOUGH GUY roles just as much as we love seeing him in underdog roles like this. In this film, it reflects both sides of that. The film also brilliantly weaves in real-life footage and news headlines of Flynt getting accepted into college and making the football team at the age of 59, which paints a great picture for the audience who wasn’t around at the time, or for those who were around, reminds them why this was such a big news story.
The film’s supporting cast complements the film very well, with Mary Stuart Masterson playing Eileen Flynt, Michael’s wife, Brandon Flynn playing their son Micah, and Rob Corddry playing his football coach Sam Weston. All give great portrayals to add to the film’s credibility (check out our interviews with the cast HERE).
Now, just like ANY football film, there are always exciting moments, hard hits, inner teammate tensions, coaches disciplining the team, etc. But it does kind of fall into the trap you see in sports films, where it glosses over events and the games played in the season—but that’s mainly due to the movie’s runtime. There are very minor nitpicks in there, but not enough to take you away from the movie. The film’s live football games are well shot, and the overall film is paced very well, so nothing at all feels drawn out or unnecessary.
But what makes the film a great film is the performance from Michael Chiklis. When he faces the challenge of keeping his family together, we feel it with him. When he takes a hard hit, we gasp in pain with him. When he lays out another football player, we cheer for him. When he interacts with his MUCH younger teammates, we can’t help but laugh at the playful old man jokes, and we can’t help but root for him as he overcomes adversity at practices. And be sure to stick around for the credits to see some of the awesome B-roll and the cast working with Michael Flynt on the set of the film!
Bottom line: it is safe to say that we all wish we could have do-overs and second chances, or take care of unfinished business. And most of us never get the chance to rectify any of them. The Senior is not just a football/sports movie—it’s an inspirational story that gives us a look at what true redemption feels like. Michael Chiklis and the cast provide the audience with an emotional story that doesn’t leave out the humor and moments of levity. You don’t have to be a fan of football to enjoy this movie. Angel Studios scores a victory with this film. After you are done watching, you will want to run through a wall!
