Spirit of the Game

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Spirit of the Game
Directed byJ.D.Scott
Written byJ.D.Scott
Produced bySteve Jaggi
Spencer McLaren
Kate Whitebread
Starring Aaron Jakubenko
Kevin Sorbo
Wade Briggs
Grant Piro
Anna McGahan
CinematographyBrian J. Breheny
Edited byAdrian Powers
Music byNed McPhie
Matt Rudduck
Production
companies
The Steve Jaggi Company
McLaren House
KW Films
Distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films
Purdie Distribution
Momo Films
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Release date
  • 7 October 2016 (2016-10-07)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish

Spirit of the Game is a 2016 biographical film written and directed by J.D.Scott with cinematography by Brian J. Breheny ( The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert ). The film is based on the true story of the Mormon Yankees, an American basketball team which played in exhibition games before the 1956 Summer Olympics. The film stars, Aaron Jakubenko, Kevin Sorbo, Wade Briggs, Grant Piro and Anna McGahan.

Contents

Plot

It’s 1956 and 20 year old DeLyle Condie travels to Melbourne, Australia, on a mission for the LDS Church in an attempt to recover from a broken heart after his fiancée jilted him. He leaves behind a promising college basketball career and finds himself in a city gripped with Olympic fever. DeLyle struggles to maintain his spirits when faced with the indifference of the locals, but when an opportunity arises to help train Australia’s first Olympic basketball team, DeLyle sees his chance to connect. His passion leads to the formation of the Mormon Yankees basketball team, and in the run up to the Games, fierce competition with the French leads to a bloody rematch, through which DeLyle and his Yankees are able to prove their faith - and their mettle - to the world.

Cast

Reception

The Deseret News criticised the "stiff acting" in the movie, but highlighted Piro's performance and described the story as "compelling". [1] The Salt Lake Tribune thought the film was full of "ponderous piety" but praised Sorbo for adding some gravitas to his role. [2] The film was nominated for best dramatic cinema in the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.

References

  1. Terry, Josh (7 October 2016). "Fascinating true story of 'Spirit of the Game' is undermined by poor execution". The Deseret News . Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  2. Means, Sean P. (6 October 2016). "Movie review: Mormon sports drama 'Spirit of the Game' misses the mark". The Salt Lake Tribune . Retrieved 30 March 2017.