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More surprising is the flair McG brings to shooting ordinary conversations and action off the field. The camerawork is consistently engaging, and the score makes effective if sometimes predictable use of period music.

Toward the end of the film, We Are Marshall makes a slightly unusual choice: The expected closing voiceover wrap-up, providing perspective on the future of the team and various characters in the years after the events covered in the story, takes place after the penultimate scene, rather than just before the end credits. It's a fitting touch for a sports film that is more about the journey than the destination.

1. Have you experienced a tragedy in your life anything like the Marshall plane crash? How was your experience similar to the characters in the film? How was it different? If you haven't been through anything like that, how do you think you might have reacted as a member of the Marshall "family"
2. Which characters did you find yourself most identifying with? Which did you least identify with? Why
3. Are there any "bad guys" or villains in the film? What sports movies have you seen with villains? Without villains? How does that affect how you way you watch such films? Do villains make a sports film more dramatic? Does not having villains make it more realistic
4. What do you think of the debate in the film over whether or not to keep the football program? If different people grieve in different ways, is there one right answer? If not, what do you think is the best way to respect everyone's feelings?

We Are Marshall is rated PG for emotional thematic material, a crash scene, and mild language. An offscreen plane crash leads to post-disaster scenes at the site of the crash and emotional scenes of grieving afterwards. There is also some fairly intense sports roughness, including a few moderate injuries.

Photos © Copyright Warner Bros.

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