‘The Senior’ falls flat by refusing to let the genre rest

By Josh Ball

Football movies are an old trope. It sounds weird coming from someone who identifies it as his favorite sport, but it’s true.  Hollywood uses football stories as a way to write an uplifting story about overcoming adversity, but football means so much more to those who play. “The Senior” conveys both of these messages in a fresh set of paint on the old house of football movies.

The film opens in 1970 on Mike Flynt (Michael Chiklis) playing linebacker for Sul Ross State University in Texas in the last game of his junior year. During practices the following summer, Flynt was kicked out of his school for fighting.

The film picks up 38 years later, when Flynt’s wife convinces him to go to his college reunion. During the stay, 59-year-old Flynt reconnects with his old teammates, who mentioned he could still play football due to his remaining year of eligibility because he was expelled. 

Inspired, Flynt decided to try out for the team, playing just as well as the younger boys, earning himself a spot on the roster. As football took a bigger role in his life, Flynt let his relationships with his family fall into the background.

Due to an injury, Flynt had little time on the field, leaving him time to deal with his traumatic memories of how his father treated him as a child. On a visit to his mother’s house, Flynt discovered a Bible she had gifted to his father toward the end of his life. Inside was an inscription, “Lord, give me the strength to forgive others. And myself.” On reading the words, Flynt realized the mistakes he made raising his own son and decided to fix their relationship.

In the last game of the season, Flynt had still not played, but supported his team by providing encouragement and unity.  Even though the coach played Flynt in a smaller role, he saved the play and won the game! His family met him on the field, including his reluctant son who did not initially support Flynt playing football in his old age.

Michael Chiklis as Mike Flynt was a great choice, not only because both men are bald, but because Chiklis is the size one would expect for a football player. He had great chemistry with his on-screen wife, played by Mary Stuart Masterson. Chicklis brought energy to the film, both through his laughing and smiling moments, and through the darker scenes. He captured the essence of nostalgia in playing football. Overall, each performance was great and brought a realistic character to the screen.

Aside from the acting, there was a lot to be desired on the storytelling front. The film opened with a monologue from the real Mike Flynt expressing his faith journey, I was expecting this to take center stage. Instead, they only mentioned Christianity through two references to the Bible he found in the shed.

To tell a compelling story, each character must have depth and reasons for what they do. At times, the scriptwriters exemplified this, but usually, the characters seemed flat. This made the general story flounder because the anger, joy or sadness evident on the actors’ faces felt unearned. There was no evident reason for why characters would react the way they did, based on their dispositions and personalities.

For all the flaws, not everything was done poorly. The tension between the joy Mike Flynt felt on the field and the relational problems within his family kept the audience engaged despite all the film’s problems. The balance of screen time between football play and off-the-field dynamics kept the pacing on track, but overall, the filmmakers relied on nostalgia to drive attendance.

Football films about overcoming adversity have a long history, but the storytelling sin goes beyond archetypal films. Nostalgia was played on to attract former football players. But, in the words of Mike Flynt “it’s not just a game.” To those of us who played, it is so much more than that.

“The Senior” is currently playing in theaters

Josh Ball is a junior history major. He loves “The Lord of the Rings” and reading literature to evaluate the author’s worldview in light of Christianity.

Images courtesy of Angel Studios