Sports films in the 21st century have mostly focused on brilliant individuals. “The Way Back” explores the redemption found in teams
FOR DECADES American sports movies followed one of two set formulae. The first concerned individual competitors and their difficult path to the top—there would be training montages, a surly trainer, arguments, setbacks and, eventually, glory. The second started with a group of men who are talented as individuals but lack a sense of teamwork; under the tutelage of a grizzled middle-aged coach, they bond and mature into athletes. The film ends with a big game, which the team either wins in a last-minute play or loses but gains wisdom in the defeat.
“The Way Back”, a new film (pictured), refers to this second formula, placing the emphasis on the coach rather than the players. Ben Affleck plays Jack Cunningham, a former high-school basketball star who spends his days working on building sites and his nights getting blind drunk. He is separated from his wife and lacking purpose. He agrees to coach his old team, which has fallen on hard times since he graduated, simply because he cannot think of a reason to say no. The team and the coach are in search of redemption.
While films about tortured individual athletes have remained in vogue, films about plucky teams and their inspiring coaches do not get made much anymore. The late 20th century was a golden era for the genre, with underdog stories such as “The Bad News Bears”, “Slap Shot”, “Bull Durham” and “White Men Can’t Jump” performing well at the box-office and winning legions of fans. In the early 21st century “Remember the Titans”, “Miracle” and “Coach Carter” all focused on gurus leading directionless teams to glory, but, by then, the film format had come to seem tired (some writers turned to the small screen instead—see “Friday Night Lights”). “Dodgeball”, released in 2001, was an absurd pastiche of these familiar stories.
Out went films about American football, basketball, baseball and ice hockey, and in came stories of individual sports such as boxing (“Million Dollar Baby”), wrestling (“The Wrestler”) and even skiing (“Eddie the Eagle”). “Battle of the Sexes” and “Borg vs McEnroe” chronicled famous tennis rivalries; “I, Tonya” explored the brutal and competitive world of figure skating. Motor racing has also proved to be good fodder for drama, with “Rush” and “Ford v. Ferrari” earning commercial and critical acclaim. These films succeeded by focusing on character as much as plot; viewers could appreciate a story of struggle and sacrifice without needing any understanding of the sport itself.
At the same time, writers became interested in esoteric sporting figures. In 1997 “Jerry Maguire”, a film whose lead character was a sports agent, was nominated for five Academy Awards. “Foxcatcher”, a biographical sports film about John du Pont, a philanthropist and wrestling enthusiast, earned Steve Carrell an Oscar nomination. Movies about white-collar professionals working behind desks for prominent teams became popular, with films such as “Moneyball”, “Draft Day” and “Million Dollar Arm” crafting engaging narratives from such subjects as tactics, data analytics and scouting. These stories appealed to viewers more accustomed to playing fantasy sports than hitting home runs themselves.
The move away from the traditional team-sports-movie formula is in part a response to how well professional sports leagues have started marketing their products. Telecasts of American football and basketball games now use cinematic music to demarcate commercial breaks; baseball telecasts do in-game interviews in the dugouts and on the field. Fly-on-the-wall documentaries following elite teams such as Manchester City and the All Blacks, as well as local groups (“Cheer” and “Last Chance U”), show the inner workings of sporting organisations—which precludes the need for a film to explore what happens in the clubhouse, in the huddle or on the team bus. All this can be traced back to ESPN, which became the premier cable network in 1990, just as the sports movie-boom was reaching its peak. With its quip-heavy writing, star anchors and emphasis on highlights, ESPN was responsible for making sports feel more like cinema.
“The Way Back” bucks this trend by reviving the character of the grizzled coach. Jack tutors his young charges on the court and encourages more positive behaviour off it, too. Yet like many of the best sports films, it is not interested in the game alone: it is also a story of addiction, in which Jack hits rock bottom, acknowledges his problem and seeks to make amends for his past failures. (The film is especially poignant given Mr Affleck’s own career setbacks and alcoholism; he has earned rave reviews for his performance.) It shows how an individual can find salvation in sport and in cooperation with others. “The Way Back” refers to the old sport-movie playbook, and wins.
“The Way Back” was released in America on March 6th. It will be released in Britain on April 24th
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