User reviews

In 2005, Russ Sheppard (Ben Schnetzer) is a recent Canadian teaching graduate who flies to a small Inuit town in Nunavut for his first job. Trying to help the teens who have a high rate of suicide and despair, he teaches the kids lacrosse and organizes a local league.

There are moments when "The Grizzlies" feels like a formulaic sports movie though it thankfully has some unpredictable moments which fall outside that usual narrative. Also, Russ starts out as a naïve do-gooder / rescuer who is initially hard to take. But the movie wins for various reasons. The main one: it is based on a true story.

The film exposes the long-term difficulties of the community including not only the suicide rates mentioned but addiction, domestic violence, school truancy, and the legacy of the egregious residential school system. These other stories make the film gripping and moving with many emotions coming to the surface. It also provides hope in a sincere way that does not gloss over the long-term history of great struggle. As "The Grizzlies"joins the list of recent stories of First Nations histories, it is certainly more than a typical sports movie. Let's hope for more of these stories to be told. - dbamateurcritic

I was fortunate enough to view a free screening of this film. Unfortunately, the director and cast were not in attendance, although I did hear that some other screenings (including paid ones) had them show up at the end to talk about this film. The subject matter is pretty dark, but not overwhelming. Young people, mostly males, committing suicide. You get attached to certain characters, next thing you know, they've killed themselves, and for reasons that to us would seem almost trivial. We see how Russ Sheppard, who initially was only there until he could find a better teaching position elsewhere, was moved to try to bring some hope to the young folks, which was something lacking in the town. The ending is satisfying, not quite the disney hollywood ending, but totally Canadian. Speaking of Canadian, I'm usually not a fan of Canadian movies, and I believe in supporting home talent. The problem is I find they tend not to 'feel' right, I have a certain cinematic sense I'm looking for, and sadly, many Canadian films lack it for one reason or another. However, this particular film does a very good job of being both Canadian, and also international cinematically speaking, if that makes sense. It doesn't feel like, say, a CBC TV movie production, but one that deserves to be seen on the big screen. And it should be seen. There are some clips on youtube regarding the real life Grizzlies if you want to see more about them. You can view interviews with the real Russ Sheppard and maybe one or two of the real life characters that were used in the Grizzlies film. Check this one out!

A Canadian Sport movie wouldn't be of much interest. I stumbled on this following a particular actress, but the movie itself was a real mind opener. The Arctic Inuit are more a curiosity than an integral part of my country. There is a lot of distrust and they are suffering with a high suicide rate and too much alcoholism and abusive families, but there is something stirring. Lacrosse was a passion of a naive teacher who was able to spark an interest that translated to school attendance and improved behaviour. Professionally done, you won't be bored from the first two minutes.

Based on a true story, the Grizzlies tells the story of a young hotshot from southern Canada who heads up to the Arctic for a year to teach history to high school students in the remote Nunavut community of Kugluktuk. There he finds a group of kids who have little interest in school and are struggling to find ways just to persevere through a harsh environment beset by alcoholism, abuse, suicide, and the legacies of colonialism.

In an attempt to reach out to his students, he strikes upon the idea of starting a school lacrosse team. Once the idea starts to catch on, the young teacher learns that not everybody in the community is happy about the team, and that he might have just as much to learn from the Inuit as he has to teach them.

The Grizzlies is, at its heart, an underdog sports movie, and will thus appeal to anyone out there who likes a good sports movie. Beyond the sport of lacrosse, though, it really has a lot more to say about life itself, and the need to grind your way through its everyday struggles just to find a purpose to help keep you going. As with all good movies, it finds a way to tell a story that is both uniquely about a particular time and place and people, but still resonates with themes universal enough to be understood and deeply felt by anybody.

At various times funny, tragic, and inspiring, not everyone is going to make it through this one without shedding a few tears.

I was impressed by the film's ability to present delicate topics such as the difficulty of bridging the deep cultural divide between Canada's north and south without reducing any of its characters to stereotypes. The performances of the cast--many of whom were apparently acting in a feature film for the first time ever--were also remarkably compelling.

I honestly feel like this is the best Canadian movie I've ever seen, and one of the most touching sports movies ever made. I'd recommend this movie to anyone with a heart.

Definitely an important movie for Canadians to see. Really helps put the Indigenous youth crisis in perspective. I cried, but laughed even more. The young actors were absolutely authentic and did such a great job. Hats off to the makers of this film for making something so real and important.

In a cold, frozen land where boredom and alcoholism loom, a group of inuit students learn how to play lacrosse. The new teacher russ doesn't know any of the customs, isn't sure how to meet the locals on their terms, but he is determined to try. And one thing he's knows is lacrosse. So many obstacles. Can he get the town to pull together? Directed by miranda de pencier. This won a bunch of film fest awards. Good stuff. What you see is what you get. Educational in many ways.

The storyline of this fine film is something we've seen before in all kinds of ways: a young, idealistic, somewhat naive new fellow arrives in a small town to teach in the local high school. The students are aimless, cynical, disillusioned. Idea! get them to bond, focus, genuinely care about something through sports and team-building. They go on to success (of a kind) and the town is transformed.

But in this case, the sport is lacrosse, the town is an isolated settlement in Nunavut, and the kids are Inuit. The scenery, which makes an understated backdrop for much of the movie, speaks for itself -- treeless, snow-blanketed throughout most of the year, immense horizons. Hunting and fishing are their way of life, and the coexistence between the Inuit and the whites is still very uneasy. Alcoholism and suicide are common, a legacy of decades of contact with the whites and even worse, the residential-school era. The opening shots are a truly unsettling montage of photos from that period that the natives were subjected to -- we see historic black-and-white shots of a few kids, then dozens, then hundreds, all in regimented rows and all wearing school "uniforms" that looked more like prison gear.

But fortunately "Grizzlies" wastes no time getting right into the story, and introducing the class of kids that teacher Russ (a captivating Ben Schnetzer) meets. They start mutually adjusting to one another and it's not long at all before Russ -- himself a lacrosse player from college -- hits on the idea. It's a nice countercultural twist that lacrosse, which was played by the natives centuries before the whites arrived, is a sport that none of the Inuit kids have ever heard of, and at first they think it's yet another crazy white scam. Key players are Adam (Ricky Marty-Pahtaykan), Zach (Paul Nutarariaq), and Kyle (Booboo Stewart), the most prominent of the young men. But an even bigger key is Miranda (Emerald MacDonald), a stout, shy young woman with a magic smile and latent leadership competency just waiting for an opportunity like this new school team. Her friend Spring (a beautiful Anna Lambe) was a little underused, I thought; she has to represent both the touchstone artistic genius of the Inuit, and some of the results of domestic violence afflicting the town, but her part could easily have been more substantial. But everyone in the cast is just great. The kids are natural and unforced, and Russ is played as a quite uncomplicated guy who wants more and more deeply as the story goes on to do the best he can. The best-known cast member is Tantoo Cardinal, as the school principal who's had just a bit TOO much experience trying to keep things together: every time I see her, I'm totally impressed at her easy command of the screen.

None of this sufficiently gets across the style of this movie. It's a conventional fell-good story, led up to by many bumps in the road, but it has lots of humor, happiness, and fun to go with it. You won't regret seeing this even if you've sat through lots of previous versions of this storyline. "Grizzlies" stands among the best of them.

At first I was a little "Another white guy saves the natives, fantastic" but the story was engaging and the acting was very good, and the cinematography was just great, and I soon got over my initial concerns. Having worked in the Arctic for a few years I think it was a realistic view of the land and it's people (although in the beginning I wondered if it was going to be a typical and oft-told tale of problems in the Native world from an outsiders POV) but it went past that, into the actual characters, people that I cared about. I liked the story and the ending, and the sign at the end is exactly what would happen in the native village I spent time in, and it was wonderful! (no spoilers here, just go watch the movie!) LOVED the end.

Can you name Canada's national sport? If you picked hockey, you'd be wrong. The official national sport of Canada is actually lacrosse. Saying that, it is no brainier that "The Grizzlies" is based on true story of an impoverished native community in Canada battling mental illness and suicides by creating a sports team. The film achieves a sense of almost documentary authenticity as it invites audiences into the homes of native residents and shows their family dynamics, both the good and the bad. Because of it, "The Grizzlies" is more than the typical inspiring sports drama 'cos it offers hope no matter that you can see student punches the new teacher in the face on day one. Movie, actually, manages to stay fresh, mostly in its portrayal of the indigenous kids. The acting is usually strong all around. However, towards the end movie slips into cliché. No matter that it is very well-crafted, film does start to demonstrably run out of steam as it passes its half, but regains to finish strongly on a positive note. The script works, very effectively indeed, because we connect with these characters and root for them as they learn self-respect and team solidarity. In a season of routinely, empty blockbusters "The Grizzlies" is a treat that will make you take a notice.

Rating: 7+/8-

Truly left speechless after the credits rolled on screen. Had no idea this was based on a true story. Send chills down my spine. I cried, laughed, and was shocked. Astonishing performance by the actors. This film deserves so much more exposure than it has gotten. 9/10

DVD lacked subtitles for the elderly, disabled, hearing impaired, and ESL viewers. Disrespectful & cheap on the part of the producers especially when audio & enunciation is poor. Also no menu of special features (source of additional info) & chapter headings. Given the large number of production/filming crew they could afford it.

Nunavut (a territory in NE Canada governed by the Inuit) in 2004. Highest suicide rate in North America (although with a total population of 40,000 the small numbers can easily skew that rate). Based on a true story. No highway so access is by boat, plane. Alcohol sales is mostly non-existent, but still obtainable with bootlegging as the prevalent source. Hockey, despite our film's focus on Lacrosse (an indigenous roots sport), is the main sport.

Good acting, good authenticity on student - new teacher interactions.

I have never cried & laughed so much in a movie before, it was so overwhelming from the start to the finish. The casting was perfect, the cinematography was breathtaking & the direction was inspiring. This movie should be made mandatory in schools across Canada.

I grew up in Southern Saskatchewan, my hometown For Qu'Appelle is surrounded by multiple First Nation reserves, as well as a very large Metis population, which I am very proud to be a part of. So I understand a lot of what First Nations people endure, but I never really knew what these strong people endured in the far north of our beautiful country. This amazing movie was educational and emotional to me. I would like to thank the amazing cast & crew for sharing the story of The Grizzlies with the world.

One of the best sports movies I've seen in years. Never thought I could be so invested in a film about lacrosse, but then The Grizzlies is a rare film with a big heart.

It felt both tragic and heartwarming. I was completely transported into that little part of Canada and Inuit culture. The characters felt authentic and the scenery hard to look away from.

I thought it did a great job of acknowledging challenges facing Inuit and First Nations people both past and present. It was as much a cultural lesson for me as it was heartwarming film based on true events.

I felt invested in the plight of each character and felt quite connected to each of them by the end of the film. It was this connection that caused me to be pretty damn emotional at times!

Highly recommend.

It's a good movie don't get me wrong but it's just that good not great It's the same story you see in every coaching movie kids don't like coach Coach finds way to break through to the hard to get kids Coach gets them to play Something uplifting at the end Roll credits Where the kids are now

Literally the same movie as coach carter Hoosiers etc.

If you know nothing about the North that's a good way to start to have a glimpse of what people, especially the youth, experience on a daily basis. You will smile and cry, and hope for these kids. Thanks for creating such an inspiring movie.

This movie was fantastic, the story was great, well made , good acting , extremely important message and kept you into it start to finish .

The most important line of the movie is when Miranda tells Russ " it's not about you". The main complaint many will have with this film is the idea of another movie about a "white savior". At first glance it presents that way, but if you know coaching you know the truth lies in Miranda's words and the story is about the kids on the team and how they saved themselves .

I currently coach a high school program and I can assure you that as hard as I might work I do very little , in the end I am the one learning , the kids do everything . You can't force kids to work or to want it that comes from within and I thought this showed that in a brilliant way .

Thoughts provoking and inspiring .

A Canadian production I assume make it less popular. Haven't been watched such a inspirational movie based on a true story that telling us life is full of hope. No matter how challenging it's, keep the belief and neglect how the end result will be, the process matters. It totally move my heart.

Starts off with promise and descends into all the regular clichés but with a unique Canadian outlook. Gets quite slow and boring at times because of the dialogue and there is a lot of moralising political correctness bordering on lecturing about it.

Not one I'd recommend.

I stumbled across this movie on Netflix under hidden gems section. Simply put, definitely a gem. Great acting, great story, and a great watch.

I cried almost the whole movie... i don't watch a lot of sports films but i wanted to watch something with representation and the trailers sold me on the plot. beautiful movie in every way. highly recommend.

The Grizzlies is a profound drama based upon true events that shows how a young teacher and lacrosse player named Russ Sheppard accepts a job in remote hamlet Kugluktuk in Nunavut which has the highest suicide rate of any community in North America. People suffer from the lack of perspectives, the haunting past of residential schools, drug abuse, domestic violence and alcoholism. Russ Sheppard is motivated to inspire change upon arrival but soon realizes that students disrespect him because of his skin colour, don't hand in their assignments and skip school. He doesn't give up however and wants to start a lacrosse competition which is something the community has never seen before. After initial negative reactions, the young teacher convinces more and more students to train, form teams and participate in challenges and tournaments. The teacher and his students now need to convince the entire community to finance a trip to a national competition in Toronto.

The culture, history and well-being of Canada's First Nations has always been a very important subject to me and that should be the case for any Canadian or person who identifies with Canadian values. What Canadian governments have done to First Nations is often rightfully described as a genocide and no excuses can heal the wounds of the past. It's a long and painful process for First Nations to embrace their identities again and this struggle can be seen throughout this touching film. The first scene of the movie shows how a teenager chases his dog away and then commits suicide. The new teacher is often about to give up when he gets physically assaulted by a student, learns of another student having committed suicide and witnesses brutal domestic abuse. Despite those realistically gloomy circumstances, this movie shows that the remote community needs something to believe in and that there are great human beings within those desperate souls. The movie perfectly balances depressing and hopeful elements and is a moving tearjerker. It's great to see movies like The Grizzlies or Indian Horse getting critical acclaim and attention and such movies must be selected to represent Canada at international film competitions like the Academy Awards as well.

If you are Canadian or sympathizing with Canadian values, you must watch this emotional drama that is The Grizzlies. Even nowadays, prejudice, racism and rejection of First Nations is still a problem and this movie helps decreasing such issues and promoting the togetherness of all communities in Canada. The film's noble intentions are amplified by oustanding acting, superb cinematography and a profound story.

This one is real, raw and goes far beyond the concept of sport and winning which is secondary. The trailer for this movie almost takes away from what the movie actually is.

Watching this movie is a very real and sobering experience highlighting the important issue of what goes on in remote communities. What lies at the heart of everyone and how fragile life can be when you don't have anything meaningful to look towards. It highlighted to me that unless one believes there is something meaningful to look forward to, there is almost no need for motivation to change. It highlighted to me the importance of community, meaning, respect and connection.

What's even better was that the movie actually didn't lean on sport to tell its story, and made it about the people. It showed that often we run away and hide from something if something bad happens, but what about the people that live in it everyday and can't run from it.. How do they grow through it? What part can we play in that?

The best part - was seeing that this wasn't just "inspired by true events" but was an actual true story.

Very underrated film that is very relevant whilst being raw and inspiring at the same time.