Giants Poised to Score: Faith-Affirming Football Flick Picked to Win With Families

by Jenni Parker
September 28, 2006

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(AgapePress) - - Facing the Giants, a new film from Carmel Entertainment and Sherwood Pictures, kicks off tomorrow (September 29) in 400 theaters across America. With a Hollywood-backed theatrical release, this family-friendly Christian film about fear, faith and football will begin its drive, and many reviewers are predicting a touchdown.

Lovers of "sports movies" -- movies like Rudy, Seabiscuit, and Cool Runnings -- will understand the shorthand when Facing the Giants is described as "Remember the Titans meets Hoosiers." The new film is yet another story of soul-wringing conflict played out on the playing field, where camaraderie, heart, heroism and spiritual fortitude so often come up against more tangible forces for a dramatic collision.

In the film, a Christian high school football team and its beleaguered coach, Grant Taylor (played by the film's co-writer, Alex Kendrick) haven't had a winning season in years. The apathetic team's defeated attitude reflects the coach's life, which is a study in failure on multiple fronts. His car breaks down repeatedly; his house has a mysterious, rotten smell that persists no matter how vigorously his wife cleans; and to top it all off, for some reason the couple efforts at starting a family are failing too.

Things go from bad to worse, and it looks as though Taylor's job may hang in the balance if he cannot turn his losing streak around. Overcome by fear and desperation, the coach commits to a new game plan and calls a play that quickly starts to change not only his life but also the lives and attitudes of those around him.

Although rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for its "strong thematic elements," Facing the Giants is completely free of profanity, nudity, and gratuitous violence. The film deftly blends humor, romance, and drama in a story that is safe for all members of the family; however, Rebecca Grace of the AFA Journal suggests the film may be best suited to older children because of the infertility subplot and due to an intense scene in which the coach loses his temper. (See movie review by Rebecca Grace)

Movie-Making as Ministry: How One Church Entered the Christian Film Business
The theatrical release debuting tomorrow is actually the second film project to come out of Sherwood Baptist Church, a 2,700-member congregation in Albany, Georgia. It was in this church that associate pastor of media Alex Kendrick, with the encouragement of his pastor, Rev. Michael Catt, began realizing his dream of making Christian movies.

Three years ago, Kendrick collaborated with his brother and fellow associate pastor, Stephen Kendrick, on Flywheel, a low-budget film about the redemption of a wayward car salesman. The movie was a hit, running six weeks at a local theater, airing on Trinity Broadcast Network, and being picked up by Blockbuster and Netflix.

Flywheel also sold some 35,000 DVDs, and according to Sherwood Baptist's pastor, its success prompted members to "go ahead and start praying and asking God for the second movie." Church members funded the making of Facing the Giants by giving $100,000 in only a matter of days.

Six weeks of filming was spearheaded and implemented by church members and an all-volunteer cast, which included University of Georgia head football coach Mark Richt in a cameo appearance. In addition, church members say God provided them with a high-quality camera for shooting and a team of five professionals who conducted a movie-making crash course for the crew prior to filming.

Shannen Fields, who portrays Coach Taylor's wife, Brooke, in Facing the Giants, found herself in a sort of "art imitating life" role, since in actual life she is married to Sherwood Christian Academy football Coach Jimmy Fields. She says being a part of this production has helped her to press beyond her fears and take courage in the Lord.

"The making of the movie has not only affected my life," Fields explains, "but also the life of my family. Our faith has grown to the point where we truly believe that all things are possible with God." The Facing the Giants co-star says she will always remember the way the congregation at Sherwood Baptist Church rallied together every day to help with the production, while asking for nothing in return.

"What a blessing it is for me to be part of a ministry that's not afraid to stand for Christ, to think outside the box, and to reach the world and make a difference for eternity," Fields adds. "I know that being a part of Facing the Giants was a gift from God, and I cherish every moment!"

Although Facing the Giants' co-writer and lead actor, Alex Kendrick, believes the redeeming message of the movie will appeal mostly to Christians, he says he also sees the movie as an evangelistic tool.

"We don't stop the movie and just shove the Gospel down our audiences' throats," Kendrick observes. Instead, he says, the film's biblical message of "faith triumphing over fear" is presented in "a very clear and realistic way and hopefully in a way that touches hearts."

Facing the Giants, which opens in theaters across the U.S. tomorrow, is being distributed by Provident Films, whose parent company is Sony, and is being released nationally by the Samuel Goldwyn company. And while there is a miraculous, fictional "David and Goliath" story at the heart of this faith-affirming film, for the cast, crew and congregation involved, the behind-the-scenes story of God's providence throughout the production has been no less amazing.