Well now Netflix knows that I am into this sort of thing because I watched Coach Carter (excellent) and Hoosiers (possibly the best sports film ever made.) I am now discovering a bunch of films that I didn't know existed and Woodlawn is one of them.
This film isn't about a new coach or the inner city, this film takes place during the time in USA where blacks and whites were only recently being forced to de-segregate their schools. This took place in Alabama and focuses on one of the first football teams to have blacks and whites on the same squad.
[source](https://www.guideposts.org/sites/guideposts.org/files/styles/hero_box_left_lg/public/story/caleb-castille-tony-nathan-woodlawn.jpg)The movie focuses mostly on Tony Nathan, who was the black standout athlete and had been a football player for years but never saw much playtime because he was black. This seems strange today, but while the schools were forced to let blacks on the teams, they were not forced to let them actually play.
It becomes pretty obvious early on that things are gonna work out for Nathan and that is the whole reason why there is a film. However, there is a twist and the actual film ends up having a religious message that i wasn't expecting beause as it turns out this community was brought together by something called the Jesus Revolution (I wasn't alive but it was in Time Magazine so yes, it was and still is a real thing.)
[source](https://woodlawnmovie.com/_images/_cast/sean.jpg)Oh, and Samwise is in the move as well and does a good job with his role. Apparently this inspired the players to get along, even with players on the other teams. This movement and the excitement that it inspired with the people of Alabama lead to the highest level of attendance for a high school football game.... ever. I think that's pretty special, despite the fact that I am not a religious person.
I don't generally like it when religion gets thrown into a film but I don't think that this movie is actually trying to convert anyone and they don't get terribly preachy either. There is no denying that spirituality definitely played a major part in why the events featured in this movie took place and therefore, it is appropriate and admirable. I don't think this movie is as good as some of the best sport biopics that exist out there. But it was entertaining and very well done. I skipped very little of the film and for the most part didn't look at my phone... that's a pretty good sign that we're dealing with a good film.
