Here in the UK football is probably the biggest sport, next to rugby. Over the Atlantic they play a different type of football which is the subject of 12 Mighty Orphans. Ahead of it’s UK cinema release this month, Sony Pictures Classics have released the UK version of the Trailer.
Luke Wilson stars as the coach in the film based on the true story of the team called the Mighty Mites. The team was based in the Forth Worth area of Texas and we find ourselves in the Great Depression era (1930s). The classic story of the underdogs with no boots or even football to their names, rising through the Texas Championships.
If you have seen the film Leatherheads, you might just dig this one…
12 MIGHTY ORPHANS tells the true story of the Mighty Mites, the football team of a Fort Worth orphanage who, during the Great Depression, went from playing without shoes—or even a football—to playing for the Texas state championships. Over the course of their winning season these underdogs and their resilient spirit became an inspiration to their city, state, and an entire nation in need of a rebound, even catching the attention of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The architect of their success was Rusty Russell, a legendary high school coach who shocked his colleagues by giving up a privileged position so he could teach and coach at an orphanage. Few knew Rusty’s secret: that he himself was an orphan. Recognizing that his scrawny players couldn’t beat the other teams with brawn, Rusty developed innovative strategies that would come to define modern football.
The film also stars Vinessa Shaw, Martin Sheen, Wayne Knight, Jake Austin Walker and Robert Duvall.
12 Mighty Orphans will be released in the UK and Ireland from 17th September.
