Wednesday Video Spotlight: Ryan Merriman talks about his casting in the upcoming Jackie Robinson biopic “42″
Choctaw-born and bred actor Ryan Merriman is taking up baseball again for one of his biggest onscreen opportunities to date, playing 1940s Brooklyn Dodgers right fielder Dixie Walker in the Jackie Robinson biopic “42.” The film also will star big-screen icon Harrison Ford, Christopher Meloni (TV’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”) and T.R. Knight (“Grey’s Anatomy”).
Merriman, 29, reported Sunday for a two-week baseball camp with the other actors portraying players in the movie. Shooting will begin May 14 on location in Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama. The film is slated for April 12, 2013, release, just in time for next baseball season.
Before he went South to get on location for “42,” Merriman recently stopped by the NewsOK Studios to talk to me a little about the upcoming film.
To read my feature about Merriman, click here.
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Interview: Ryan Merriman hopes to knock it out of the park with role opposite Harrison Ford in Jackie Robinson biopic “42″
Ryan Merriman
From Wednesday’s Life section of The Oklahoman. To see a video of my interview with Merriman, click here.
Ryan Merriman hopes to knock it out of the park with role in Jackie Robinson biopic
The Choctaw native will star opposite Harrison Ford in the upcoming film “42.”
Over the years, Ryan Merriman has cheated death in “Final Destination 3,” been “Touched By an Angel” in the TV series of the same name and tossed footballs and dribbled basketballs in various roles.
But the Choctaw-born and bred actor is taking up baseball again for one of his biggest onscreen opportunities to date, playing 1940s Brooklyn Dodgers right fielder Dixie Walker in the Jackie Robinson biopic “42.” The film also will star big-screen icon Harrison Ford, Christopher Meloni (TV’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”) and T.R. Knight (“Grey’s Anatomy”).
“Just to work in that kind of caliber of film is very fun, and I’m working forward to it,” Merriman told The Oklahoman during a recent visit to his home state.
Merriman, 29, reported Sunday for a two-week baseball camp with the other actors portraying players in the movie. Shooting will begin May 14 on location in Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama. The film is slated for April 12, 2013, release, just in time for next baseball season.
“It’s running, conditioning, hitting, fielding … and we’re wearing the wool, old-school, real-deal uniforms. My mitt is from the ‘40s, and it’s like almost flat. It has no pocket. I don’t know how these guys caught the balls they did, and then you know, wood bats. No gloves, wood bats, pine tar, so it’s getting pretty cool,” Merriman said, adding that he and his “teammates” already have been honing their skills with a coach in Los Angeles.
“Dixie threw right and batted left, and I’m a righty both sides (of the ball). So I’ve been learning to bat left lately, and it’s been interesting.”
Jackie Robinson in 1948 (AP file)
Taking its name from Robinson’s number, which has been retired by every Major League Baseball team, “42” chronicles Robinson’s historic breaking of the sport’s color line when he made his Dodgers debut on April 15, 1947, blazing a trail for Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and other black players.
Ford will play legendary Dodgers President and General Manager Branch Rickey, who signed Robinson; Meloni will portray the Dodgers’ outspoken manager Leo Durocher, who makes a stand on behalf of the pioneering athlete; and Knight has been cast as Harold Parrott, the team’s traveling secretary who has to deal with housing the black player during the dark days of racial segregation. Chadwick Boseman, who appeared as runningback Floyd “The Franchise” Little in the period football biopic “The Express,” will play Robinson.
Writer-director Brian Helgeland, whose credits include “A Knight’s Tale,” “Payback” and the Oscar-winning screenplay for “L.A. Confidential,” has penned and is helming the project for Legendary Pictures.
“Brian Helgeland … is an amazing writer/director. And of course, Legendary Pics they just did ‘Batman (Begins’ and its super-sequel ‘The Dark Knight’) and ‘The Hangover’ and some big movies. They’re big boys,” Merriman said.
Merriman will play a significant role. One of the team’s most popular players, Walker opposed Robinson joining the squad, even writing a letter to Rickey asking to be traded. Walker ultimately came to respect Robinson, calling him “a gentleman” and “as outstanding an athlete as I ever saw.”
“He was kind of the main bigot almost when it came to African-Americans being introduced into baseball. His reason came more from the upbringing in those times. He owned a hardware store, and he knew that that would affect his business. … But you know, Jackie did amazing things with how people treated him and what he had to go through,” Merriman said of his character.
“From an actor’s standpoint, Dixie probably actually has the most screentime out of the ballplayers that are on the team; unfortunately, when Dixie kind of turned around doesn’t happen until the ‘50s. So in this film, you don’t really see that change in him. But he did later in life apologize.”
Merriman, whose recent credits include a guest appearance on “Hawaii Five-O,” a recurring role on “Pretty Little Liars” and a supporting part in the Roger Corman’s upcoming debut 3-D feature “Attack of the 50ft Cheerleader,” found his years of baseball experience invaluable to winning a place on the “42” roster. He started with T-ball as a boy, made the Choctaw High School baseball team and still plays with a recreational softball team in Los Angeles.
“I went through four different auditions for four different characters, and I came back in the fifth time for Dixie. And then on top of that they had baseball tryouts, and there were 20 guys and five of ‘em made the cut. It was definitely a blessing from the man upstairs. It’s a big one, and hopefully I’ll knock it out of the park,” he said with a laugh.
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Video: Ryan Merriman to guest star on tonight’s “Hawaii Five-0″
Choctaw-born and bred actor Ryan Merriman will appear as a guest star on tonight’s episode of the CBS series “Hawaii Five-0.”
He will play a character named Dennis Mack in the episode titled “I Helu Pu,” which is Hawaiian for “The Reckoning.”
Here is the episode description:
When Five-0 nearly causes an international incident while on a case, Lt. Governor Denning tells them one of the team members will pay for it with their job.
“Hawaii Five-0,” starring Alex O’Loughlin, Scott Caan, Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park, airs at 9 p.m. Mondays on CBS (KWTV-9).
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Ryan Merriman to appear on Monday’s episode of “Hawaii Five-0″
Ryan Merriman
Choctaw-born and bred actor Ryan Merriman will appear as a guest star on Monday’s episode of the CBS series “Hawaii Five-0.”
He will play a character named Dennis Mack in the episode titled “I Helu Pu,” which is Hawaiian for “The Reckoning.”
Here is the episode description:
When Five-0 nearly causes an international incident while on a case, Lt. Governor Denning tells them one of the team members will pay for it with their job.
“Hawaii Five-0,” starring Alex O’Loughlin, Scott Caan, Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park, airs at 9 p.m. Mondays on CBS (KWTV-9).
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Blake Shelton, Rascal Flatts, Kristin Chenoweth nominated for People’s Choice Awards 2012
Blake Shelton
Rascal Flatts (AP file)
Kristin Chenoweth (AP file)
Nominees for People’s Choice Awards 2012 were announced today at The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills by Elisha Cuthbert (“Happy Endings”), Julianne Hough (“Footloose”), Joe Jonas (The Jonas Brothers), Jennifer Morrison (“Once Upon A Time”), Sharon Osbourne (“The Talk”) and Busy Philipps (“Cougar Town”), along with People’s Choice Awards 2012 host Kaley Cuoco (“The Big Bang Theory”) and Executive Producer Mark Burnett. Prior to today’s announcement, fans cast more than 40 million votes to pick new categories and determine the nominees for the annual awards show that celebrates fan favorites in movies, music and television.
In the music categories, Tishomingo country music star Blake Shelton is nominated for Favorite Male Artist and Favorite Country Artist. NBC’s hit reality TV show “The Voice,” on which Shelton serves as a celebrity coach, is nominated for Favorite TV Competition Show.
Rascal Flatts, which includes Picher-bred guitarist Joe Don Rooney, also is nominated for Favorite Country Artist
Broken Arrow native Kristin Chenoweth, who will be inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame on Thursday, is nominated for Favorite TV Guest Star for her role as April Rhodes on “Glee.”
Also in the television categories, “Pretty Little Liars,” on which Choctaw native Ryan Merriman had a recurring guest role, is nominated for Favorite Cable TV Drama.
In the movie categories, “Soul Surfer,” starring Oklahoma country music star Carrie Underwood, is nominated for Favorite Book Adaptation.
Voting began today for all 43 categories and will end on Dec. 6, except for Favorite New TV Drama and Favorite New TV Comedy which will remain open for voting until the night of show. Winners will be revealed during the live broadcast of People’s Choice Awards 2012 from the Nokia Theater L.A. Live on Jan. 11 on the CBS Television Network.
How to Vote for the People’s Choice Awards 2012:
- Website – PeoplesChoice.com houses the main voting platform for People’s Choice Awards 2012. Registered fans are automatically entered to win tickets every time they cast a vote.
- Facebook – Facebook.com/PeoplesChoice features a custom application where fans can personalize their voting experience, share their votes, enter to win tickets and submit their Facebook profile picture for a chance to be featured in the People’s Choice Awards 2012 live telecast on Jan. 11.
- Twitter – Fans can cast official votes for People’s Choice Awards 2012 by tweeting a specific series of hashtags based on the nominee’s name and category. To see a complete list of hashtags created for each nominee, please visit PeoplesChoice.com/pca/vote.
- Mobile – Fans can vote in all categories on the People’s Choice Awards mobile site, and via the official voting application for Android devices. The free app is available for download from the Android Market.
Now in their 38th year, the People’s Choice Awards are voted on entirely by the public for fan favorites in music, movies and television.
See the complete list of nominees after the break.
New releases for Aug. 30, 2011: Stoney LaRue releases new album “Velvet”; Ryan Merriman stars in “The 5th Quarter”
Stoney LaRue
Red dirt music star Stoney LaRue, who lives in Edmond, is releasing today his long-awaited new studio album “Velvet,” the follow-up to his debut studio effort, 2005′s “The Red Dirt Album.”
“Everybody wants a reason. I’ve been getting that a lot, like ‘why did it take so long?’ Well, I don’t know, but it’s like so the art doesn’t suffer,” LaRue told me in a recent phone interview from the road in Montana.
“We recorded (2007′s) ‘Live at Billy Bob’s’ two weeks after I put my band together, which is kind of unheard of. So then after that we released the album and it kind of took off from there. And I spend a lot of time touring, and what I mean (by) a lot of time is 262 days … a year, and when you’re traveling that much, it’s hard to find time for other things. It became a priority that I put out another album and that I start writing a lot more. I never stopped writing, but I started collaborating a little bit more and really focusing on it.”
“As far as the reason, I would just say that art kind of produces itself when it’s supposed to. I don’t want to make excuses; I’m no good at it,” he added with a laugh.
Although he has been honing his craft onstage for 12 years, the indie musician considers “Velvet” his first truly professional recording experience, and he was able to line up top-notch talents to help him. Frank Liddell, who has helmed projects by Tishomingo resident Miranda Lambert, Jack Ingram and Lee Ann Womack, signed on to produce “Velvet.” Along with connecting him with renowned session musicians and backing vocalists — including Liddell’s wife Womack and Sarah Buxton — the producer also paired LaRue with Nashville, Tenn.-based singer-songwriter Mando Saenz, who co-wrote nine of the album’s 10 tracks.
To read more of my recent interview with Stoney, click here. And look for my review of “Velvet” in the coming days.
Ryan Merriman appears in a scene from "The 5th Quarter."
Among new DVDs, Choctaw-born and bred actor Ryan Merriman stars in the indie inspirational sports drama “The 5th Quarter.”
“The 5th Quarter” is based on the true story of Wake Forest linebacker Jon Abbate (Merriman), whose younger brother Luke was killed in a February 2006 car accident. After the devastating loss, Jon struggles to cope and ultimately decides to honor his brother’s love for the game by “playing for two” during the 2006 football season. Jon switches his jersey number to Luke’s No. 5, and he and his family begin holding up five fingers during the fourth quarter as a tribute to Luke. Before long, the rest of the crowd and even rival teams adopt the practice.
With Jon and his teammates playing inspired football, the Demon Deacons, predicted to finish last in their division, embark on a record-setting winning season, culminating in an Atlantic Coast Conference championship.
Here is a list of new CDs, DVDs and books out this week, and there’s several promising new albums out for music fans. The list is compiled from Amazon.com and VideoETA.com:
CDs
Stoney LaRue, “Velvet.”
Red Hot Chili Peppers, “I’m With You.”
Lil Wayne, “Tha Carter IV.”
Robert Earl Keen, “Ready for Confetti.”
Glen Campbell, “Ghost On The Canvas.”
Lenny Kravitz, “Black and White America.”
Ry Cooder, “Pull Up Some Dust & Sit Down.”
Jake Owen, “Barefoot Blue Jean Night.”
Puddle Of Mudd, “Re:(disc)overed.”
David Guetta, “Nothing But the Beat.”
Edwin McCain, “Mercy Bound.”
DVDs
The 5th Quarter
Bereavement
Cougar Town: The Complete Second Season
Desperate Housewives: The Complete Seventh Season
Forks Over Knives
House: Season 7
Nikita: The Complete First Season
Prom
Skateland
Sons of Anarchy: Season Three
Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family
The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Second Season
Wrecked
Books
Just My Type: A Book About Fonts by Simon Garfield
Kill Me If You Can by James Patterson, Marshall Karp
The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta
In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir by Dick Cheney, Liz Cheney
The Cut by George Pelecanos
The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers Book 1: The Medusa Plot by Gordon Korman
Only Time Will Tell (The Clifton Chronicles) by Jeffrey Archer
1105 Yakima Street (Cedar Cove) by Debbie Macomber
A Trick of the Light: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel (Chief Inspector Gamache Novels) by Louise Penny
One Grave at a Time: A Night Huntress Novel by Jeaniene Frost
-BAM
New releases for June 7, 2011: Ronnie Dunn, Shawna Russell, Randy Travis, “True Grit,” “Just Go With It,” “Pretty Little Liars,” new Theodore Boone
Ronnie Dunn, former Tulsan and former half of the superstar duo Brooks & Dunn, releases his first album as a solo artist today. The self-titled album already has notched a top 10 single on the Billboard Top Country Songs chart with the passionate anthem “Bleed Red.” Look for my review of “Ronnie Dunn” in the coming days.
Okemeh singer-songwriter Shawna Russell drops her self-titled sophomore album today. Russell first came on to the national and international music scene with the release of her debut album “Goddess” (Way Out West Records), in 2008, for which she co-wrote 12 of the 13 songs. The Country Music Association named her “Who New to Watch,” and three radio singles, “Goddess,” “Should’ve Been Born With Wheels” and “Fire In The Desert,” cemented her status as a contender, with action on the Billboard New and Active, Music Row and Texas Music Charts. Look for my interview with Shawna in the coming days.
Country stalwart Randy Travis marks 25 years as a recording artist with “Anniversary Celebration,” featuring duets with Oklahoma natives Kristin Chenoweth and Carrie Underwood (Travis and Underwood scored a hit duet with “I Told You So”; this time they collaborate on “Is It Still Over?”), along with fellow country stars Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown Band, Brad Paisley, Alan Jackson, Josh Turner and more.
In DVDs, the Coen brothers’ masterful remake of “True Grit,” the Adam Sandler-Jennifer Aniston comedy “Just Go With It” and the acclaimed recession drama “The Company Men,” starring Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper and Tommy Lee Jones, are among the new films available for home viewing. Several summer TV series have released their previous seasons in anticipation for their new beginnings, including “White Collar,” “Burn Notice,” “Breaking Bad,” along with “Pretty Little Liars,” which features Oklahoma-born and bred actor Ryan Merriman.
In books, John Grisham is releasing the second book in his “Theodore Boone” series for young readers.
Here is a list of new CDs, DVDs and books, from Amazon.com and VideoETA.com:
CDs
Ronnie Dunn, “Ronnie Dunn.”
Shawna Russell, “Shawna Russell.”
Randy Travis, “Anniversary Celebration.”
Arctic Monkeys, “Suck It and See.”
Original Broadway Cast, “The Book of Mormon.”
Daniel Radcliffe, John Larroquette and more, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”
Tedeschi Trucks Band, “Revelator.”
Depeche Mode, “Remixes 2: 81-11” (3CD Deluxe Edition).
Tech N9ne, “All 6′s And 7′s.”
DVDs
The Big C: The Complete First Season
Blue Crush 2
Breaking Bad: The Complete Third Season
Burn Notice: Season Four
The Company Men
Green Lantern: Emerald Knights
Hawthorne: The Complete Second Season
Just Go With It
Pretty Little Liars: The Complete First Season
Rubber
Sanctum
Shadows and Lies
True Grit
White Collar: The Complete Second Season
Books
Theodore Boone: The Abduction by John Grisham
Hit List (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 20) by Laurell K. Hamilton
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
Robopocalypse: A Novel by Daniel H. Wilson
The Simplicity Primer by Patrice Lewis
License to Pawn: Deals, Steals, and My Life at the Gold & Silver by Rick Harrison, Tim Keown
Sister: A Novel by Rosamund Lupton
Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
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Video: Ryan Merriman talks about “The 5th Quarter”
Conference loyalties aside, Ryan Merriman figures film fans in his home state can relate to a movie about faith, football and family.
So, the Choctaw-born and bred actor successfully lobbied to have his inspirational indie drama “The 5th Quarter” brought to Oklahoma City, where it will open this weekend exclusively at the AMC Quail Springs 24. Merriman will attend the 7 and 9:45 p.m. screenings Friday-Sunday and sign autographs for “The 5th Quarter” ticketholders.
In this NewsOK video, Merriman talks with host Angi Bruss about the movie.
“The 5th Quarter” is based on the true story of Wake Forest linebacker Jon Abbate (Merriman), whose younger brother Luke was killed in a February 2006 car accident. After the devastating loss, Jon struggles to cope and ultimately decides to honor his brother’s love for the game by “playing for two” during the 2006 football season. Jon switches his jersey number to Luke’s No. 5, and he and his family begin holding up five fingers during the fourth quarter as a tribute to Luke. Before long, the rest of the crowd and even rival teams adopt the practice.
With Jon and his teammates playing inspired football, the Demon Deacons, predicted to finish last in their division, embark on a record-setting winning season, culminating in an Atlantic Coast Conference championship.
To read my interview with Ryan, click here.
To read my review of “The 5th Quarter,” click here.
-BAM
Oklahoma native Ryan Merriman brings inspirational football film “The 5th Quarter” to his home state
Ryan Merriman
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Ryan Merriman brings inspirational football film to his home state.
The Choctaw-born and bred actor stars in the fact-based family drama “The 5th Quarter” and will sign autographs as select screenings as the movie opens this weekend exclusively at AMC Quail Springs 24.
Conference loyalties aside, Ryan Merriman figures film fans in his home state can relate to a movie about faith, football and family.
So, the Choctaw-born and bred actor successfully lobbied to have his inspirational indie drama “The 5th Quarter” brought to Oklahoma City, where it will open this weekend exclusively at the AMC Quail Springs 24. Merriman will attend the 7 and 9:45 p.m. screenings Friday-Sunday and sign autographs for “The 5th Quarter” ticketholders.
“I told them, you know, Oklahomans, they take care of each other,” I was like, ‘we can sell out a theater if you get it there’ … and what do you know, they listened to me,” Merriman, 27, said by phone earlier this week. “Everybody here is so good about supporting me and sticking together, so I figured it would work out pretty well and hopefully it does.
“It’s a good family film, faith-based, it’s a triumphant story, it’s a true story, 100 percent true. And in the end, it’s a great football movie as well.”
“The 5th Quarter” is based on the true story of Wake Forest linebacker Jon Abbate (Merriman), whose younger brother Luke was killed in a February 2006 car accident. After the devastating loss, Jon struggles to cope and ultimately decides to honor his brother’s love for the game by “playing for two” during the 2006 football season. Jon switches his jersey number to Luke’s No. 5, and he and his family begin holding up five fingers during the fourth quarter as a tribute to Luke. Before long, the rest of the crowd and even rival teams adopt the practice.
With Jon and his teammates playing inspired football, the Demon Deacons, predicted to finish last in their division, embark on a record-setting winning season, culminating in an Atlantic Coast Conference championship.
“As an actor, it’s always nice to do something that you can be proud of, and this had such a good story. And I loved playing football when I was growing up,” said Merriman, who was enjoying a weeklong visit to his home state, where he was promoting the film, visiting friends and family and even helping a pal with his landscaping business.
The role also allowed Merriman to stretch his abilities as an actor, as he worked to believably convey his character’s struggle with grief, depression and alcohol.
“Some of the scenes were pretty heavy, you know. It was definitely a challenging role,” he said. “The shoot was definitely emotionally draining. You can’t really just go to work with a smile on your face, snapping you fingers and roll in and do like those hospital scenes. You gotta stay in it, and it definitely affected me for a while after the film.”
In February, he won the best actor prize at the 13th annual California Independent Film Festival. In addition, he has been nominated for the Donate Life Hollywood Person of the Year Award, given annually to honor people in the entertainment industry raising awareness about organ donation. The Abbates donated Luke’s organs upon his death.
Ryan Merriman plays Jon Abbate in "The 5th Quarter."
Although he has been acting since 1993, “The 5th Quarter” marked the first role in which Merriman made a marked physical transformation, packing on 15 pounds of muscle and getting hair extensions to portray the linebacker.
The Abbates were heavily involved in the production, but Merriman said he tried not to lean too heavily on Jon as a reference.
“It’s hard on them to relive those days and talk about those days. … I didn’t want to grill him. I didn’t want to make him relive every moment. I just wanted to kind of get his mannerisms and his tone of voice,” he said. “It was written really well, so a lot of the story just came out on the page. But it was definitely a pleasure having them on set.”
At the North Carolina premiere, Merriman watched the movie with the family, including Jon and his parents, Steve and Maryanne Abbate, who are played by Aidan Quinn and Andie MacDowell in the movie.
“When you tell a true story, you become a part of that. And “The family is such a loving family, they all welcomed all of us into their arms and their story. We definitely hit it off and I talk to Steve and Maryanne, and every time I see ‘em, I call ‘em Mom and Dad. It’s cool I kind of got a little family out of it,” he said.
The Abbates weren’t the only ones who helped make the low-budget movie. Some of Jon’s teammates, friends and acquaintances portrayed themselves, while Wake Forest opened its campus to the cast and crew and even loaned them the actual 2006 jerseys, helmets and pads.
“We shot during football season there, so we actually go to use the field like during football games at halftime,” he said.
“They opened their arms. You know they wanted the story to be told … and we couldn’t have done it without the school, obviously. They really stepped it up and made it look like a huge feature.”
Since the filmmakers only had about a $6 million budget, Merriman said writer/director/producer Rick Bieber got the rights to the actual NCAA TV footage of the 2006 Wake Forest games and incorporated it into the movie.
“It’s the real footage of people really going through the story,” Merriman said. “And it’s a great story— it’s a true story — about family, faith and football. And that’s just kind of what Oklahoma’s about I think. I think that message fits very well with a lot people here.”
-BAM
Movie review: “The 5th Quarter”
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman. 2 1/2 of 4 stars
Movie review: “The 5th Quarter”
Choctaw native Ryan Merriman gives a solid lead turn as the talented Wake Forest linebacker who led the Demon Deacons to a championship in the wake of tragedy.
The modestly budgeted inspirational football drama “The 5th Quarter” plays out unevenly but scores points with its powerful fact-based story.
Choctaw native Ryan Merriman gives a solid lead turn as Jon Abbate, the talented Wake Forest University linebacker who led the Demon Deacons to a championship season in the wake of the 2006 death of his 15-year-old brother Luke (Stefan Guy).
Director/writer/producer Rick Bieber quickly establishes Luke, the youngest of four children, as the good heart of the close-knit Christian family. The Marietta, Ga., teen comes across as a good-hearted jock who isn’t afraid to swap affectionate farewells with his mom, Maryanne (Andie MacDowell) when she drops him off at school. And Luke may roll his eyes when his dad Steven (Aidan Quinn) requests a thank-you hug in exchange for delivering his forgotten lacrosse jersey, but he doesn’t really mean anything by it.
The family’s peaceful life is shattered when Luke catches a ride home from practice with a reckless acquaintance who joyrides a carful of his classmates into a tree. Luke suffers a devastating brain injury. Doctors soon inform his family that he will never wake up, and the Abbates make the heartbreaking decision to take the teen off life support and donate his organs.
After the funeral, Jon returns to Wake Forest’s North Carolina campus, and without his family to lean on, he struggles to cope with the loss of his brother. His coaches, teachers and friends remain understanding, even when he sleeps all day, skips classes and expresses doubts about continuing his football career. But when he takes to swilling multiple pitchers of beer and melting down in local restaurants, his lifelong best buddy and teammate Steve Justice (Josh Smith) decides its time for Jon to head back home and focus on healing.
Jon gets his drinking under control, his body back in top condition and rejoins the football team with a new outlook: He will be “playing for two,” since his little brother loved the sport as much as he does. He switches his jersey number to No. 5, which Luke wore on his high school squad, and becomes the spiritual leader of the Demon Deacons, which have been picked to finish last in their division.
The linebacker and his family also start a new tradition: At the beginning of the fourth quarter of every game, they hold up five fingers, dubbing it the fifth quarter and dedicating it to Luke. As other fans and even rival teams pick up on the tribute, Jon’s teammates are inspired and embark on a record-setting winning season, culminating in an Atlantic Coast Conference championship.
But trouble awaits Jon back home, as his family continues to grieve: His older brother Adam (Matt McGrath) begins to have doubts about his future, including his longstanding goal of attending law school. Mother Maryanne drowns her sorrows in too many glasses of wine, father Steven buries himself in work and withdraws from the family and sister Rachel (Mandy Manis), who is disabled and lives at home, is stuck dealing with her parents’ dysfunction.
Bieber’s script and direction sport significant flaws. Too many subplots and characters are introduced, fail to adequately develop and then awkwardly fade away, and too much of the dialogue is self-conscious and clunky. Merriman, who gained 15 pounds of muscle and got hair extensions to play Jon, puts in a sturdy lead turn. But MacDowell and Quinn, both experienced actors, give wildly shifting performances, though both consistently overplay the most emotional scenes.
But the filmmaker deserves points for creativity, since he finds inventive ways to stretch the film’s tight budget — Merriman said the movie was made for about $6 million — and make it seem like a bigger feature. Filming on location at Wake Forest, with the actors wearing the actual 2006 Demon Deacon jerseys, lends the production a vital authenticity.
Bieber also obtained the rights to the actual NCAA TV footage of the 2006 Wake Forest games, and he carefully splices it into the movie. The results are occasionally disjointed but give the indie that crucial hard-hitting football action.
Bieber also warrants kudos for creating a faith-based film in which realistic, flawed people cope with real-world problems. It isn’t always warm and fuzzy, but “The 5th Quarter” at least stays true to its true story.
— BAM
