Knute Rockne, All American

1940 · Lloyd Bacon (William K. Howard uncredited) · Sports biography

Recommended. Age: All ages. A Catholic review of this movie for parents.

Our review

This is an old-fashioned picture about a coach who cared more about making men than winning games. Movieguide's log finds a strong moral frame of family, loyalty, hard work and right living, with crosses and references to Mary on screen. The honest reservation is small: the faith stays in the background, and the film polishes its hero until he has no faults.

For parents

Good for the whole family, though the black-and-white pace will test young children. Gipp dies of an illness and the coach dies in a plane crash, so sit with sensitive children. Ask: why did Rockne care how his players lived off the field? What does it mean to do something for a friend who cannot?

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