The Game of Their Lives (2005)

Director:

David Anspaugh

Writers (WGA):

Geoffrey Douglas (book)
Angelo Pizzo (written by)

Release Date:

26 August 2005 (South Korea)

Genre:

Drama | History | Sport

Tagline:

The match against England in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on June 19, 1950 was "the game of their lives".

Plot:

Based on a true story, this film tells the tale of the 1950 US soccer team who, against all odds, beat England 1 - 0 in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Although no US team has ever won a World Cup title, this story is about the family traditions and passions which shaped the lives of the players who made up this team of underdogs. |

Plot Keywords:

Amateur | Soccer | 1950s | Airplane | Banquet

Cast

Gerard Butler	...	Frank Borghi
Wes Bentley	...	Walter Bahr
Jay Rodan	...	Frank 'Pee Wee' Wallace
Gavin Rossdale	...	Stanley Mortensen
Costas Mandylor	...	Charlie 'Gloves' Columbo
Louis Mandylor	...	Gino Pariani
Zachery Ty Bryan	...	Harry Keough (as Zachery Bryan)
Jimmy Jean-Louis	...	Joe Gaetjens
Richard Jenik	...	Joe Maca
Nelson Vargas	...	John 'Clarkie' Souza
Craig Hawksley	...	Walter Giesler
Bill Smitrovich	...	Admiral Higgins
Patrick Stewart	...	Older Dent McSkimming
Terry Kinney	...	Dent McSkimming
John Rhys-Davies	...	Bill Jeffrey (as John Rhys Davies)

Also Known As:

The Miracle Match (USA) (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for some mild language and thematic elements.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:G | Malaysia:U | Finland:K-3 | South Korea:All | Argentina:Atp | USA:PG (certificate #40148) | Singapore:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Company:

Game of Their Lives

Trivia:

Gavin Rossdale's acting debut.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Although Bill Smitrovich's character is clearly an Air Force general, he is identified in the credits as "Admiral Higgins".

Movie Connections:

Referenced in My Big Break (2008)

Soundtrack:

Casta Diva

Very inspirational and uplifting

Saw this movie while on a flight several months ago (AmericaWest - now USAirways). Could not understand how I missed it at the theaters, but from reading the posts, I now know -- very limited distribution.

As my daughter is a serious club soccer 'keeper (they are #1 in AZ, 7th in the USA) I wanted to buy the DVD to show to her club team mates AND some of the other players in her Olympic Development Program. It's been driving me nuts trying to find this film! Seems like I am the only one in this state to have seen the film! I found it to be light on the actual soccer but full of sacrifice and inspiration and a true demonstration of how the human spirit can triumph over seemingly impossible odds.

A lighter, soccer version of "Remember the Titans" -- but not as "gritty". If you can find it -- go see it.

Drew