The Senior (film)

Last updated

The Senior
The Senior film poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Rod Lurie
Written byRobert Eisele
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyTucker Korte
Edited by
  • Abbi Jutkowitz
  • Sean Albertson
Music by Larry Groupé
Production
company
Wayfarer Studios
Distributed by Angel
Release dates
  • November 9, 2023 (2023-11-09)(Fort Lauderdale)
  • September 19, 2025 (2025-09-19)(United States [1] )
Running time
99 minutes [2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$5.3 million [3]

The Senior is a 2023 American sports drama film directed by Rod Lurie, written by Robert Eisele, and starring Michael Chiklis, Mary Stuart Masterson, Brandon Flynn, James Badge Dale, and Rob Corddry. It is based on the true story of Mike Flynt who, at age 59, became a college football linebacker. [4]

Contents

Plot

59-year-old Mike Flynt gets a second chance to play college football where he becomes a linebacker.

Cast

Production

The film was shot at Scarborough-Handley Field stadium in the Historic Handley neighborhood in Fort Worth, Texas. [6] In March 2022, it was announced that filming wrapped. [7]

Release

The film premiered at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival on November 9, 2023. [8] The film was originally scheduled for a theatrical release in the United States on March 7, 2025 by Freestyle Releasing but was later removed from the calendar. [9]

In July 2025, it was announced that Angel released the film in theaters on September 19, 2025. [1] [10]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 79% of 29 critics' reviews are positive. [11] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 59 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [12] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale. [13]

Nell Minow of RogerEbert.com awarded the film three stars out of four. [14] Alan Ng of Film Threat rated the film a 7.5 out of 10. [15] Julian Roman of MovieWeb awarded the film three stars out of five. [16]

Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review and wrote, "… the familiar beats are hammered so skillfully you don’t mind the manipulation. And although you may be shocked, shocked, to learn that the film takes some liberties with the truth, they’re not so egregious as to diminish its overall impact." [17]

Owen Gleiberman of Variety also gave the film a positive review and wrote, “It’s basically a soft-hearted paint-by-numbers TV-movie, stocked with homilies about the game of football vs. the game of life. Yet it’s an effective soft-hearted paint-by-numbers TV-movie.” [18]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Jackson, Angelique (July 9, 2025). "Angel Studios Sets 'The Senior,' Wayfarer Studios' Football Drama Starring Michael Chiklis, for Fall Theatrical Release (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  2. ↑ "The Senior". Fort Lauderdale Film Festival. 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
  3. ↑ "The Senior – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  4. ↑ Grobar, Matt (September 15, 2021). "'The Senior': Michael Chiklis To Portray "The Rudy Of The Boomer Generation" In Football Drama From Wayfarer Studios Based On True Story". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Grobar, Matt (October 13, 2021). "'The Senior': Mary Stuart Masterson, Rob Corddry, Brandon Flynn & More Join Michael Chiklis Football Drama". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  6. ↑ Boyum, Jamey (November 8, 2021). "Longview trainer teaches actor to safely play football for upcoming film". KLTV . Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  7. ↑ Dicker, Ron (March 24, 2022). "Michael Chiklis Disses F-Word Advice That Tom Brady Gave Him For Football Movie". HuffPost . Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  8. ↑ Crandell, Ben (November 6, 2023). "Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival is here: Must-see flicks, celebs and parties". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  9. ↑ Grobar, Matt (November 22, 2024). "Wayfarer Studios Sets Nationwide Release For Michael Chiklis Sports Drama 'The Senior'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  10. ↑ Murphy, J. Kim (July 23, 2025). "'The Senior' Trailer: Michael Chiklis Is an Unlikely College Football Player in Angel Studios and Wayferer Studios Drama (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  11. ↑ "The Senior". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  12. ↑ "The Senior Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Home". CinemaScore. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  14. ↑ Minow, Nell. "The Senior". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  15. ↑ Ng, Alan (September 18, 2025). "The Senior". Film Threat. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  16. ↑ Roman, Julian. "'The Senior' Uplifts with a Positive Message of Faith & Football". MovieWeb. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  17. ↑ Scheck, Frank (November 22, 2023). "'The Senior' Review: Michael Chiklis Scores in Rod Lurie's Stirring Sports Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  18. ↑ Gleiberman, Owen (September 18, 2025). "'The Senior' Review: Michael Chiklis Plays a 59-Year-Old College Linebacker in Rod Lurie's True-Life Sports Fairy Tale". Variety. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
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