“The Express” didn’t get a lot of attention when it was in theaters or a lot of respect from critics. But, it’s an outstanding film that made my list of the Top Five Family Films of 2008.
“The Express” is based on the remarkable, true story of Ernie Davis who was the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy. Davis is played nicely by Rob Brown.
The movie begins with a few scenes of Ernie as a young boy and high school football star. But the story kicks-in when he gets recruited to attend Syracuse University. Dennis Quaid plays the role of Orangeman Coach Ben Schwartzwalder.
“The Express” is a serious film. It explores the issue of racism in the United States in the early 60’s as Davis and a few of his teammates are treated badly by the players on other teams and fans because they are black. And it is a sad film, since Davis is never able to reach his goal of playing in the NFL. However, the story is so inspiring that I almost gave the movie a standing ovation.
All of the acting is great, with Quaid’s performance the most outstanding. I thought he deserved some considering for an Oscar nomination.
“The Express” is rated PG for some crude language and fighting scenes. But it’s an important film so I wouldn’t stop anyone, age 10 and above, from seeing it.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, “The Express” gets a B+. If you skipped it when it was in theaters now’s your chance to see one of the best sports films in recent years.
Lights Camera Jackson (a.k.a. Jackson Murphy) began his career as a film critic/entertainment reporter in 2006 at the age of 7. Jackson has written nearly 1,000 reviews of new releases. All together he has seen more than 1,500 films. In 2010, Jackson became the youngest person to win a NY Emmy Award, for his on-air movie reviews on Time Warner TV station, Capital News 9.
LCJ appears every Friday morning on WGNA-FM . His movie reviews are also posted on his website, his YouTube channel and the popular website Cultjer.com. He is also a contributing writer for Jerry Beck’s AnimationScoop.com. Jackson hosts the weekly internet pop culture news show “LCJ LIVE” (every Sunday at Noon ET). And “The LCJ Q&A Podcast” features interviews with celebrities and filmmakers.