Although he only lived for 22 years on planet earth Freddie Joe Steinmark touched a whole lot of lives and still does today in the great state of Texas. He's their version of the Gipper for those University of Texas Longhorns.

The film is done in flashback with Freddie's Knute Rockne, UT's coach Darrell Royal played here by Aaron Eckhart. Freddie Joe Steinmark did not make All American, but in Royal's mind he's his once and forever My All American.

Finn Wittrock plays Freddie with a minimum of sentimentality who led that Texas team to its first national championship in a generation and then it's discovered he has one bad almost always terminal version of bone cancer. Both Wittrock and Eckhart are supported by an impeccably cast group of supporting players.

To this day in Texas the Longhorns win for Freddie the way Knute Rockne had them win one for George Gipp. The film is also a winner.

An elderly Coach Royal (Aaron Eckhart) is being interviewed about his playing days. He starts recounting one of his player named Freddie Steinmark (Finn Wittrock). Steinmark isn't an All-American player but he has an All-American heart. He is a hard-working, religious, and pious kid. He's the first to arrive and the last to leave. Linda Wheeler (Sarah Bolger) is his high school sweetheart. He plays for Royal's University of Texas Longhorns.

Nothing really dramatic happens in the first two thirds of the movie. There are some cute stuff like his puppy love with Sarah Bolger. Wittrock isn't that charismatic and the character is very square. It's a very straight biopic. The writer should realize the meat of the story is the eventual expected medical issue. Honestly, I don't know anything about the true story. Since nothing happens for most of the movie, I assumed that some big tragedy happens in the climax. That's what happens in most of these movies and in this one, it's not that climatic.

Even the twist is problematic. Essentially, Steinmark is too stubborn to go to a doctor. It's playing-thru-the-pain ethos on steroids. Even his refusing to use a wheelchair is problematic. He's willing to pop his stitches and ignore his doctor. There are ways to make this a compelling journey. It would make more emotional sense if people start pitying him. This could have been a great movie about the battle for his life. Instead, we're spending hours on the predictable football games.

This story starts out a bit like 1993's "Rudy", in which an undersized high school football player dreams of playing college and pro ball, but is thwarted by his lack of height and brawn. Owing to his high school coach's friendship with University of Texas head coach Darrell Royal (Aaron Eckhart),Freddie Steinmark's (Finn Wittrock) determination and unyielding desire lands him a spot on the team along with a fellow classmate from Wheat Ridge High. Utilizing a new offensive configuration he calls the 'triple option' offense, Royal sets out to build a championship caliber team out of the remains of a devastating six and four won/loss season. What may be a bit different about this championship story is the fact that Steinmark is not an offensive player, he instead becomes an integral part of the Texas Longhorn's defense, noted for shutting down opposition teams as they climb the ranks of nationally ranked football programs. But there's also tragedy waiting to rear it's ugly head, as the talented Freddie grinds through the latter half of the 1969 season with a noticeable limp, eventually to be diagnosed as bone cancer in his left leg. With a national championship on the line, Freddie Steinmark inspires his teammates from the sidelines following an excruciating recovery from an amputation that ends his dream of a sports career. Fair warning, it's hard to keep a dry eye while following the events that cripple the young football player, as his inspirational story resonates with anyone who has to struggle to make the team.