'Safety' - very good!

Disney enters the sports drama market for what feels like the billionth time, though in fairness they usually nail it - and do the same with this. They've done many better, e.g. 'The Greatest Game Ever Played' and 'Glory Road', but I very much felt entertained by this.

The cinematography is, truly, excellent - credit to Shane Hurlbut. I also took note of the editing (Terel Gibson),which is particularly neat at the beginning. The plot is compelling and features a lot of heart, it certainly uses the usual Disney/sports biopic beats but there's a lot of goodness in there as well. On this note, it has a decision scene where I half expected Chuck Norris to appear. Iykyk.

I enjoyed the cast. Jay Reeves gives a terrific performance as Ray, while Thaddeus J. Mixson is more than solid as brother Fahmarr. Corinne Foxx (daughter of Jamie),James Badge Dale and, despite only a short appearance, Amanda Warren are also good. Cool, for me anyway, to see 'The Walking Dead' alum IronE Singleton involved.

I'd recommend this, for sure.

Everyone said things like "it's cheesy" or stuff like that, but this movie has a feel good story and was very inspiring. In my book, a 9 is like a ten. I barely give tens but this movie was incredibly great and I recommend you watch the whole movie before you make a decision on it.

Ray-Ray McElrathbey is a freshman scholarship football player for Clemson University. He's a first year safety. School and football is overwhelming but they don't compare to his home. His mother is in jail. His younger brother Fahmarr is abandoned at home. With her going to rehab, Ray-Ray decides to hide Fahmarr on campus instead of leaving him in the foster system.

This is a true story which got some media play including Oprah. It's a sports bio inspirational story. It is too easy to say that this is too safe. It is too long at two hours. This type of movies needs to be ninety minutes or so. It feels its extra length. The film needs to snip out extra seconds everywhere in the movie. First, it needs to be compressed for a simpler reason. It needs to get Fahmarr on the screen much sooner. The brothers' relationship is the heart and soul of this movie. It needs to bring that out as quickly as possible. They need to interact and build that chemistry. As for the two actors, they're fine especially for lesser known actors. They are able to build that chemistry over time. They have some great moments like the North-South scene. The movie needs to zero in on that like a laser beam. The other stuff often feels like overloading on Ray-Ray's back. If the movie wants to end with the NCAA stuff, it needs to be set up with some better foreshadowing. I know that I advocated for cutting out the fat but the movie could start with his recruitment. It would show his mother's condition, the brothers' relationship, and the NCAA restrictions all in one scene. In the end, just cut out about thirty minutes and this would be better.