57
Metascore
6 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- Coming on the eve of the 9/11 anniversary, this snapshot of middle America is a worthwhile addition to the cultural conversation.
- Fordson, however, does not condemn the United States. It rather proudly affirms the American dream, reclaiming it for Muslims who see no conflict between their patriotism and their faith.
- 60VarietyJoe LeydonVarietyJoe LeydonFor most of its running time, Fordson wanders far from the gridiron to offer overall impressions of a close-knit community of Arab-Americans who, in the wake of 9/11, often have found themselves targeted and stereotyped as militant Islamists or worse.
- 60Village VoiceVillage VoiceThankfully, the kids' complicated impulses resist such packaging, whether they're catcalling head-scarved co-eds outside the local gas station or channeling racial resentments into extra hard hits.
- 50Washington PostWashington PostThe biggest travesty isn't that the movie fails to stir "Rudy"-caliber emotions. It's that there was a meaningful story hiding behind the guise of a less serious genre.
- 38Slant MagazineDiego SemereneSlant MagazineDiego SemereneIn the documentary, the game is a make-believe war of pent-up frustrations linking race, nation, and manhood, one which teenage boys named Mohamed can actually win.