HistoryDramaAction

12 Mighty Orphans

- Based on the true story of the team that inspired a nation.

Haunted by his mysterious past, a devoted high school football coach leads a scrawny team of orphans to the state championship during the Great Depression and inspires a broken nation along the way.

Release Date : 2021-06-18

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Greenbelt FilmsSanta Rita Film Co.Sony Pictures Classics

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles : Twelve Mighty Orphans

Cast

Character Name : Rusty Russell

Original Name : Luke Wilson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Juanita Russell

Original Name : Vinessa Shaw

Gender : Female

Character Name : Frank Wynn

Original Name : Wayne Knight

Gender : Male

Character Name : Doc Hall

Original Name : Martin Sheen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hardy Brown

Original Name : Jake Austin Walker

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rodney Kidd

Original Name : Scott Haze

Gender : Male

Character Name : Fairbanks

Original Name : Levi Dylan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Snoggs

Original Name : Jacob Lofland

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pop Boone

Original Name : Rooster McConaughey

Gender : Male

Character Name : Remmert

Original Name : King Orba

Gender : Male

Character Name : Amon Carter

Original Name : Treat Williams

Gender : Male

Character Name : President Roosevelt

Original Name : Larry Pine

Gender : Male

Character Name : Betty

Original Name : Lillie Fink

Gender : Male

Character Name : Betty

Original Name : Josie Fink

Gender : Male

Character Name : Wheatie

Original Name : Slade Monroe

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dewitt

Original Name : Preston Porter

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sheriff Red Wright

Original Name : Ron White

Gender : Male

Character Name : Leon Pickett

Original Name : Woodrow Luttrell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Scott McCall

Original Name : Jacob Audirsch

Gender : Male

Character Name : Young Rusty

Original Name : Gavin Warren

Gender : Male

Character Name : Crazy

Original Name : Michael Gohlke

Gender : Male

Character Name : Miller

Original Name : Bailey Roberts

Gender : Male

Character Name : A.P. Torres

Original Name : Tyler Silva

Gender : Male

Character Name : Carlos Torres

Original Name : Manuel Tapia

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ray

Original Name : Austin Shook

Gender : Male

Character Name : Chicken

Original Name : Sampley Barinaga

Gender : Male

Character Name : Opal

Original Name : Natasha Bassett

Gender : Female

Character Name : Annie

Original Name : Carlson Young

Gender : Female

Character Name : UIL Member

Original Name : David Lambert

Gender : Male

Character Name : Luther Scarborough

Original Name : Lane Garrison

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mason Hawk

Original Name : Robert Duvall

Gender : Male

Character Name : Maywood

Original Name : Austin Robert Russell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Poly Kicker

Original Name : Kellen McAlone

Gender : Male

Character Name : Referee Poly Game 1

Original Name : Aaron Beck

Gender : Male

Character Name : Wanda Sealy

Original Name : Lucy Faust

Gender : Female

Character Name : Earl

Original Name : Jeff Swearingen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Referee Poly Game 2

Original Name : Lee Ellis

Gender : Male

Character Name : Big Poly Player

Original Name : Keath Kibbey

Gender : Male

Character Name : Young Mary Jame

Original Name : Kelly Frye

Gender : Female

Character Name : Pinkney Russell

Original Name : Zach Rose

Gender : Male

Character Name : Coach Cox

Original Name : Heath Freeman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Referee #2

Original Name : Brian Lafontaine

Gender : Male

Character Name : Highland Park Coach

Original Name : Scott Sayers

Gender : Male

Character Name : Referee Highland Game

Original Name : Robert Henry

Gender : Male

Character Name : Amarillo Reporter

Original Name : Troy Dungan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mineral Wells Coach

Original Name : Robert Musgrave

Gender : Male

Character Name : Burly Assistant

Original Name : Jake McAlister

Gender : Male

Character Name : Radio Announcer

Original Name : Hal Jay

Gender : Male

Character Name : Reveler

Original Name : Matt Herring

Gender : Male

Character Name : Secretary

Original Name : Kelly Dealyn

Gender : Female

Character Name : Greathouse

Original Name : Breckyn Hager

Gender : Male

Character Name : Amarillo Coach

Original Name : George Young Jr.

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mason Band Leader

Original Name : Gil Prather

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sister Cora

Original Name : Angelique De Luca

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Worley

Original Name : Harry Hudson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Movie Theater Announcer

Original Name : Michael Lockwood Crouch

Gender : Male

Character Name : Announcer

Original Name : John Torres

Gender : Male

Character Name : Orphan (uncredited)

Original Name : Braden Balazik

Gender : Male

Character Name : Young George (uncredited)

Original Name : Jack Doke

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jersey Boy (uncredited)

Original Name : Nicholas Reed

Gender : Male

Character Name : Homeless Kid (uncredited)

Original Name : Keegan Bouton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Homeless Kid (uncredited)

Original Name : Alex Bilbrey

Gender : Male

Character Name : Young Orphan Boy (uncredited)

Original Name : Casey Grisham

Gender : Male

Character Name : Young Orphan Boy (uncredited)

Original Name : Cooper Justin Grisham

Gender : Male

Character Name : Orphan (uncredited)

Original Name : Victoria Paige Watkins

Gender : Female

Character Name : Football Fan / Mom (uncredited)

Original Name : PaulaSu Grisham

Gender : Female

Reviews

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2023-01-24

Luke Wilson is quite effective here as a football coach (Rusty) who, with his teacher wife (Juanita) and his daughter arrive at a run down orphanage, home to 150 children of all ages abandoned by their parents in the midst of the Great Depression. Pretty quickly, they get the general idea that those in the establishment are considered more like the inmates of a prison, and those running it are at best indifferent, at worst ruthlessly exploitative of their charges. Rusty sets out to try and galvanise the disparate young men into some sort of cohesive unit. Initially, they are sullen, demotivated and would rather fight each other than try to play a game and the task looks impossible, but luckily he has some help from school doctor "Hall" (Martin Sheen) a worldly dipsomaniac with a thorough knowledge of American football and of human nature. The younger cast are made of relative unknowns, but as with the aspirations for their their team, they bond well - especially Jacob Lofland as the skinny Snoggs; Slade Monroe as the chunky quarterback Wheatie and a there is strong, heartfelt effort from Jake Austin Walker - the sort of recalcitrant-in-chief Hardy Brown. The coach enables the boys to feel something other than despair for the first time in their lives - he gives them hope, a sense of purpose and of family. Wayne Knight - whom i always recall as the dodgy IT bloke from "Jurassic Park" (1993) is really quite good as the odious teacher Frank Wynn, who uses the youngsters as cheap labour - and is brutal with his paddle if anyone steps out of line. Director Ty Roberts has done well to illustrate the sense of abandonment felt by the youngsters, and to a certain extent by the school management too, but more so - he manages, through some sparing appearances from Treat Williams - to share with us the sensational effects these young men had on the ordinary men and women of the USA - desperate for something positive to get behind after years of poverty and gloom. For reasons that make no sense to me, the timeline has been shifted from the mid 1920s until the late 1930s. It's not that it makes a great deal of difference to the narrative it's just curious that the end credits are accompanied by interesting mini-bios of the boys that don't remotely tie up - unless they were flying bombers WWII at a very early age. Still, it is a well structured production which has just enough of the facts to keep it real, but just enough imagination to enable me to feel engaged with the men, their efforts and ultimately, I rather enjoyed it.