Woodlawn (film)

Woodlawn
File:WoodlawnMoviePoster.jpg Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Andrew Erwin Jon Erwin
Produced by	Kevin Downes Daryl Lefever
Written by	Quinton Peeples Jon Erwin
Starring	Sean Astin Nic Bishop Caleb Castille Sherri Shepherd Jon Voight C. Thomas Howell
Music by	Paul Mills
Cinematography	Kristopher Kimlin
Edited by	Brent McCorkle
Production company	Crescent City Pictures Red Sky Studios
Distributed by	Pure Flix Entertainment
Release dates	October 16, 2015 (2015-10-16)
Running time	124 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$25 million
Box office	$14.4 million

Woodlawn is a 2015 American Christian sports drama film directed by The Erwin Brothers, Andrew and Jon Erwin. The film, which is based on the true story of Tony Nathan, stars Sean Astin, Nic Bishop, Caleb Castille, Sherri Shepherd, Jon Voight and C. Thomas Howell. It was produced by Kevin Downes and Daryl Lefever with Crescent City Pictures and Red Sky Studios and was released on October 16, 2015 by Pure Flix Entertainment.

Synopsis

After a government-mandate, Tony Nathan, a gifted high school football player, and other black students desegregate Woodlawn High School in Birmingham, Alabama in 1973. As cross burnings and riots erupt in the city, Tandy Gerelds, the Woodlawn Colonels football coach, struggles to ease racial tensions between his players. It's only when Gerelds allows Hank, an outsider, to speak to his team that real change begins. Hank, who has been radically affected by the message of hope and love he experienced at a Christian revival meeting, tells the players a "better way" is possible through following Jesus. More than 40 players, nearly the entire team, black and white, give their lives over to Jesus Christ and the spiritual change has a profound effect on the coach, the school and the community.

Cast

• Sean Astin as Hank Erwin
• Nic Bishop as Coach Tandy Gerelds
• Caleb Castille as Tony Nathan
• Sherri Shepherd as Momma Nathan
• Jon Voight as Paul "Bear" Bryant
• C. Thomas Howell as George "Shorty" White
• Kevin Sizemore as Coach Jerry Stearns

Reception

Box office

Woodlawn grossed $14.2 million. In the United States and Canada, the film opened simultaneously with Bridge of Spies, Goosebumps, and Crimson Peak on October 16, 2015. On the film's opening day it grossed $1.5 million, above studio expectations. In its opening weekend, it grossed $4 million, finishing 9th at the box office.

Critical response

Woodlawn has received generally positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 77%, based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. On Metacritic, the film has received a weighted average score of 57 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". On CinemaScore, audiences gave the film an average grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale.

A negative review came from Steve Pulaski of Influx Magazine, who gave the film a D letter grade. He stated, "This is a film that focuses on a nostalgic event during a difficult time in American history and features one of the most beloved sports of the respective culture, so I understand how it's hard not to get wrapped up in teary-eyed, patriotic, spiritual emotions when watching this film. All I ask is for one to remember films of the sports genre that are acclaimed and highly regarded and ask themselves why they are so beloved; the answers vary, but one of them is that they don't use their setting as their primary feature nor do they define characters solely by their position on the field and their race."

External links

• Official website
• Woodlawn at IMDb
• Woodlawn at Box Office Mojo