Balls Out
The poster shows a rear view of a woman in skimpy athletic clothes, holding an American football to her hip. Text on her bottom reads "THIS SEMESTER EVERYONE SCORES", and text on the football reads "BALLS OUT". There is a billing block below the football.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAndrew Disney
Written byBradley Jackson
Produced by
  • Russell Wayne Groves
  • Andrew Lee
  • David Ward
  • Red Sanders
  • Tucker Moore
  • Bradley Jackson
Starring
CinematographyJeffrey Waldron
Edited byKody Gibson
Music byAlice Wood
Production
companies
  • Ralph Smyth Entertainment
  • Red Productions
Distributed by
Release dates
  • April 19, 2014 (2014-04-19) (Tribeca)
  • June 19, 2015 (2015-06-19) (United States)
Running time
97 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Balls Out is a 2014 American sports comedy film directed by Andrew Disney, based on a script by Bradley Jackson.[1] The film stars Jake Lacy, Beck Bennett, Jay Pharoah, Nikki Reed, Kate McKinnon, DC Pierson, Nick Kocher, Brian McElhaney, Nick Rutherford and Gabriel Luna, and focuses on a group of college seniors that decide to form an intramural football team before graduating.[2]

The film, originally titled Intramural, stars cast members of comedy groups Saturday Night Live, Derrick Comedy, BriTANicK, and Good Neighbor. The film was picked up by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Orion Pictures and was given a limited release on film and video on demand on June 19, 2015.[3]

Plot

The fifth-year senior preparing to the fun day of flag football on the beach with Caleb, Vicky, and Grant. Little did any of them know that it would be the last time Grant would ever have the chance to play in his beloved sport. Later that day, while Grant was showering, he slipped and fell. His dreams of playing flag football were gone in an instant as a visit to the hospital confirmed news no one wanted to hear; Grant was paralyzed from the waist down. It was devastating news for everyone, but Vicky decided to make the best of it. After Grant was out of the hospital, she proposed to Caleb at her birthday party. But things took an unexpected turn when Caleb said “Yes” without thinking. Caleb felt horrible about the mistake and immediately attempted to take back his answer, but the damage had already been done. In an effort to make up for the mistake, Caleb took on a mission to get the old flag football team back together for an intramural league. Everyone was up for the idea, everyone except Grant. Part of him was in denial that he wouldn’t be playing, but deep-down he knew it wasn’t possible for him anymore. But Caleb was determined not to take no for an answer, and it was up to Vicky and the rest of the team to persuade Grant that it was still possible to be part of the game.

Grant is a determined trainer, using a montage to show just how hard Caleb needs to work in order to become the athlete he dreams of being. As the weeks go by, Caleb continues to train and develops an intense focus on mastering the Triple Z play. However, Caleb finds himself losing confidence as his will fails him at the hardest moment. He's so afraid of possibly blowing the play that he makes a split-second decision to abandon the formation and just runs the ball in himself. Although Grant is frustrated with Caleb's lack of trust in his own abilities, he decides to have some mercy by giving Caleb and Meredith an evening off to enjoy themselves. So, the two go roller skating together for a date night. They have a great time skating around and holding hands, until Homeless Bob and his gang show up to spoil the fun. Caleb and Meredith are scared off by the intimidating group, turning what was supposed to be an evening of romance into a hasty retreat.

Despite the turmoil of his own relationships, Dick is determined to win the intramural football championship. He has devised a strategy to focus on offense instead of defense, a tactic he believes will give them the best chance to win. Although it is a risky move, he is certain it will pay off. Despite Dick's enthusiasm, Caleb is less convinced. He worries that his team won't take the strategy seriously, which is why he gives a stirring motivational speech to his team in an attempt to rally them. Dick's response, However, is to try and pump his team up with harsh words, which are largely met with derision and annoyance. Caleb and his team struggle to embrace the new strategy and it seems like the odds of winning are slim.

Just as things seem to be at their darkest, Vicky proposes to Caleb at her birthday party in front of all of his teammates. He nervously accepts, to everyone's surprise, and suddenly his team is more motivated than before. Because of his newfound engagement, Caleb's team rallies with newfound enthusiasm and manages to start executing Dick's strategy to perfection. Unfortunately, this moment of triumph is quickly overshadowed as it turns out that Dick's strategy was not as effective as many had hoped. Not only that his abrasive attitude and tactics had in fact, ruined Caleb's relationships with both of his women.

Jimmy was blessed with a beautiful singing voice. He used it to captivate Thad, the star of the football team, until he eventually fell under Jimmy's spell. As Jimmy sang, Thad was entranced unable to move or take his eyes off Jimmy. Jimmy then used the opportunity to snatch the football away from Thad and race off with it, leaving Thad stunned and bewildered. Jimmy's singing had made Thad completely forget about the football and be oblivious to the world around him. Jimmy's quick wit and charming singing voice had been the perfect tools to fool his opponent and steal the football. Even now, Thad still can't believe what happened and still wonders to himself how it could have happened. Jimmy's voice is powerful and he certainly knows how to use it to his advantage.

They won the football game, surprising everyone and making the hometown crowd roar with joy. Then out of nowhere Caleb got the girl confessing on the field that he'd been admiring her from afar since before the game started. It was a touching moment that filled the hearts of everyone watching with warmth and happiness. But just when it seemed like the night couldn't get any better, Grant, a Panther's team member, unexpectedly revealed to the crowd that he had been lying about his disability; while he had a medical condition, it was making much better and he wanted to prove he could still play football with the best of them. The crowd was in shock then erupted in rapturous applause in appreciation of his bravery. It was a night no Panthers fan will ever forget.

Cast

Production

The film's script was written by Bradley Jackson during his sophomore year at the University of Texas, where he was inspired to create the script after listening to his friends brag about their intramural sports games.[4] Jackson expressed his desire to have Andrew Disney direct the film, as he greatly enjoyed his work.[5] Nikki Reed was later confirmed to be performing in the film, as were Beck Bennett and Michael Hogan.[6] Jackson and Disney raised funds for the film through a successful Kickstarter campaign,[7][8] and filming began on July 12, 2013, in Austin, Texas and continued for six weeks,[9] ending on August 22, 2013.[10]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 19, 2014.[11] The film went on to screen at the Montclair Film Festival on May 4, 2014.[12] and the Seattle International Film Festival on June 6, 2014.[13] The film was picked up by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Orion Pictures and was retitled Balls Out. The film was released in a limited release and video on demand on June 19, 2015.[14][15]

Reception

The film was met with positive reviews from film critics. It currently holds an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 15 reviews.[16] Andy Webster of The New York Times praised the film for its self-aware humor and talented cast for having comedic timing, singling out Kate McKinnon as a standout, concluding that "she displays talent too vast for the small screen. Now watch her career rocket."[17] Nick Prigge of Slant Magazine gave a mixed review of the film, saying that it was at odds with itself of being either a straight sports film or a satire of the genre.[18] Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly said that while there's some funny commentary on the absurdity of sports films he found the film less a feature film and more a long television sketch.[19]

It won both the Cinema Dulce Best of Fest and Best Actor (Jake Lacy) awards at the Hill Country Film Festival[20] and the Best Guilty Pleasure Audience Award at the Seattle International Film Festival.[21] It also won the Best Sport Comedy award in The Vancouver Sun's 2015 Sports Market Movie Awards.[22]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Burton, Brad; Burton, Kim-Williams (August 8, 2013). "Intramural Shooting in Austin With a Cast of Comedy Heavy Hitters". Screen. The Indian Express. Archived from the original on March 29, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  2. ↑ Ragland, J. Parker (August 9, 2013). "For all the athletes who never could..." Fort Worth Business Press. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  3. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (May 13, 2015). "'SNL'-Packed Football Comedy 'Balls Out' Lands Distribution From Orion Releasing". TheWrap. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  4. ↑ Guerrero, Dorothy (October 31, 2013). "Almost Famous". The Alcalde. Texas Exes. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
  5. ↑ Mejia, Lisa (September 13, 2013). "Viewing the World Through Words". Austin Fusion Magazine. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  6. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (July 24, 2013). "'Twilight' Star Nikki Reed Leads Cast of Football Comedy 'Intramural'". TheWrap. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  7. ↑ Luippold, Ross (July 24, 2013). "Kate McKinnon, Jay Pharoah Shooting Indie 'Intramural' In Austin This Summer". The Huffington Post. AOL. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  8. ↑ Riese, Monica (August 9, 2013). "Kickstart Your Weekend With the 'Intramural' Team". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  9. ↑ Kay, Jeremy (July 24, 2013). "Intramural shoots kicks off". Screen Daily. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  10. ↑ Champion, Matthew (September 2, 2013). "That's a Wrap: Austin Sports Film Intramural Completes Production". The Austinot. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  11. ↑ Kemmerle, Karen (April 20, 2014). "Andrew Disney on 'Intramural,' Test Audiences And Why Film School Matters". Tribeca Film Festival. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  12. ↑ "MFF 2014: COMEDY". Montclair Film Festival. April 3, 2014. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Intramural". Seattle International Film Festival. Archived from the original on June 20, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Balls Out the Movie". Orion Pictures. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  15. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (May 13, 2015). "'SNL'-Packed Football Comedy 'Balls Out' Lands Distribution From Orion Releasing". TheWrap. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Balls Out (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  17. ↑ Webster, Andy (June 18, 2015). "Review: 'Balls Out,' a Sports-Movie Satire Packed With 'S.N.L.' Talent". The New York Times. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  18. ↑ Prigge, Nick (June 15, 2015). "Balls Out". Slant Magazine. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  19. ↑ Anderson, Kyle (June 18, 2015). "'Balls Out': EW review". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  20. ↑ "HCFF AWARDS". Hill Country Film Festival. Archived from the original on August 11, 2014. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  21. ↑ Seattle Times staff (June 9, 2014). "SIFF 2014 films returning to Seattle". The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  22. ↑ "The Sport Market Movie Awards 2015". The Vancouver Sun. Postmedia Network Inc. February 20, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
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