User reviews

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.

This movie, in my opinion, is very underrated. Perhaps it's due to the fact that it's Canadian-produced. This is definitely one of the best sports movies out there. However, the story in this one goes above and beyond the sport of lacrosse.

If anything, this movie is very inspiring. It really goes to show that you can change for the better and that hope is never really gone. The students in this one were in rough shape and being introduced to a new sport by a great mentor (Russ Sheppard), they came together for the better and became a family. I found this very inspiring because the kids never had it easy.

It was also great to see information about the characters at the end before the credits. It's great how they (the ones they showed) made something of themselves and got jobs after high school. It's also nice to see that some of them stayed in Kugluktuk. Hopefully they are still playing lacrosse - both for the fun of sport and having an outlet that kids can turn to instead of abusing alcohol and drugs.

Its camerawork was solid, the actors looked like the real people, I really liked all the twists it had, the ending was suiting as well.

Lots of fun, looks super cold. We liked it was a true story. Eskimos and American Indians have crazy high suicide nd alcohol rates, as discussed here. Monthly checks from the state cause the moral to plumet. This coach motivates the kids with Lacrosse. Well done!

7.7 stars.

This is about a twenty-something Canadian male teacher who is stationed in a remote town full of indigenous backcountry people who drink a lot and live off of a variety of welfare and other services. He has to try and motivate a bunch of teenagers to attend school, but they have no desire or need for school. These families in the community primarily hunt, fish and get drunk while benefiting from a variety of low income programs. The town appears to be a few thousand citizens, and this young man appears to be one of a few school teachers. The main aspects of the movie are about him teaching this small class of unmotivated teens. As we continue, we see that he can't hold anyone's attention in his class, he doesn't understand the culture he's "a slow learner". He is inspired by an idea: maybe if he can motivate the teens to play lacrosse, that could mean the difference between a dead-end life and the possibility of something, anything aspirational, to divert them from their dismal lives. This town happens to have the highest suicide rate in North America. This young teacher has a long and difficult road ahead of him.

The film is excellent and inspiring. It's not about the sport as much as it's about a man and his students becoming one big family and the loyalty they share. After seeing this film, anyone should be motivated to pursue self-improvement. Most of us have it pretty easy compared to the folk portrayed in 'The Grizzlies'.