Yeah, this movie's pretty good. However, it is kind of limited by the conventions and budgets of the television movie. While some of the introductory scenes are quite good and engrossing, the second act flirts all too closely with melodrama. Yes, it's melodrama that's written, directed and acted well, but it's still melodrama.
The film, as is to be expected of a television movie, pales in comparison with a very similar feature film released around the same time, "Bang the Drum Slowly", which tells a similar story, albeit without a racial element, but also without the slightest hint of melodrama.
"Brian's Song" is somewhat better known, but "Bang the Drum Slowly" is the true masterpiece. Still, "Brian's Song" is a solid film, especially of interest to football fans.
The film, as is to be expected of a television movie, pales in comparison with a very similar feature film released around the same time, "Bang the Drum Slowly", which tells a similar story, albeit without a racial element, but also without the slightest hint of melodrama.
"Brian's Song" is somewhat better known, but "Bang the Drum Slowly" is the true masterpiece. Still, "Brian's Song" is a solid film, especially of interest to football fans.