The Junction Boys

When I saw this movie being previewed, I figured we'd see all the sweat and tears portion of the movie in preparation for game day. I guess I was a little surprised when game day never came. Be that as it may, the movie generated an atmosphere completely fitting for the setting. The acting was better than average and the accents, to me, were very believable. I enjoyed it, but I wish we could have seen some games.

My main complaint is the use of made up names, in the manner of North Dallas Forty. I can not imagine the real "Junction Boys" having any trouble with their real names having been used. I also have a minor complaint about the players hugging each other. They did not do that, not in 1954. They just didn't. Otherwise, it is an outstanding diversion. As near as I can tell, not a whole lot of

other liberties have been taken with the truth. It is worth watching...

Tom Berenger does a nice, understated turn as a young Bear Bryant trimming the deadwood from his first Texas A&M squad. Bear's method - take the team to Junction, Texas, work the team to death and see who's left. I suspect the story's been somewhat "Hollywoodized". Just the same, it presents a fair picture of the positives and negatives of driving a team to the edge. Worth a view.

If you're a fan of Tom Berenger you might like this film somewhat. He's one of my favorites but still I didn't find much enjoyment out of this true tale of legendary Football coach "Bear" Bryant.

Berenger's performance was very good, I thought, having read that the actual "Bear" was a really tough S.O.B. in real life. Everything else here is mostly mediocre. The film depicts well the hell these boys went through under his leadership but somehow none of this affects the viewer in any way. It could easily have been longer and fleshed out more characters, this is pretty shallow stuff.

As said above, Berenger does a good job at displaying the character's motivations for his cruel and unusual training method. Like in Rough Riders where Berenger basically became Teddy Roosevelt, here he seems to quite simply BE Paul "Bear" Bryant. Really good actor.

I'm not really a football fan but even *I've* heard of the great Bear Bryant. I didn't know how interesting I'd find this film, but found myself sucked in by it. I cared about the Junction boys, worried about them, and was shocked at what they had to endure. I stuck it to the end of the film, because I cared about their fate. I also was intrigued by the character of Bear Bryant. What was the deal with him? Why was he so tough and mean? What portion of this meanness was justified, and what wasn't?

I thought all the acting was pretty good. I confess I admired Tom Berenger's willingness to be seen looking rather "seedy". He still has the looks to play a leading man, (a middle-aged leading man, sure, but leading man nonetheless). So to be seen looking pot bellied, sweaty and a little dissipated was a bold and daring move, in my opinion. And he does a good job in his role; his accent is authentic, his tough meanness (and then humble contrition) is effective.

Nick Tate was excellent as Bryant's hard-drinking, grizzled assistant and I really got a kick out of him. The character of Johnny (Bernard Curry) especially made an impression. His sincere devotion to the game and his self-sacrificing willingness to put up with almost *any* abuse amazed me, and I especially found myself touched by his story.

I don't know much about football, and I certainly won't present myself as an expert on the story of Bear Bryant or Texas A & M. But I found this tale to be interesting enough.