When I was asked if I wanted to review the new movie, The Mighty Macs, about Immaculata College's National Women's Basketball team and their National Championship run, I was very excited- HOW many sports related movies can you count that were focused on WOMEN?
Right!
So I wanted to see this movie and support the team,
that I remembered from MY childhood!
Check out the trailer before I tell you about the movie!
About the Movie: It's 1971. Cathy Rush is a woman ahead of her time ... and she's about to embark on an adventure for the ages. A new era is dawning in the country and in collegiate athletics, where a national champion will be crowned for the first time in women's basketball.
In the lead up to this historical season, major universities are preparing their game plans to win that first title. Meanwhile a tiny all-women's Catholic college in Philadelphia has a more modest goal: find a coach before the season begins. Providentially, Cathy Rush is about to find Immaculata College.
Recently married, Cathy is dealing with the aftermath of a truncated playing career. While cultural norms would have her staying at home, she's willing to do the hard work necessary to help her new team reach their goals—or perhaps she's just trying to achieve her unfulfilled dreams through them.
From the beginning, her challenges are as imposing as the big-school teams Immaculata will face on the court. Cathy learns there is no gymnasium on campus, she receives little support from the school's Mother Superior, and the school is in dire financial straits. To top it off, she may not even have enough players to field a team!
While it appears the Macs don't have a prayer, all hope is not lost. With the help of Sister Sunday—a spunky assistant coach—and the support of a booster club of elderly nuns, Coach Rush creates a new game plan that just might bring the team—and the school—together.
Will this pioneer buck cultural norms and spur her rag-tag team to unexpected heights?
Or will her hard-driving ways create a wedge between the coach and everyone around her? One thing's for certain: there's never been anyone like Cathy Rush at Immaculata!
Review: First, and foremost, if you have a daughter, TAKE HER TO SEE THIS MOVIE! Period.
It doesn't matter if she is into sports or not, the core of the movie is something that Coach Rush says toward the end of the movie "anything can happen when you commit to your dreams". Pretty profound advice/wisdom/counseling, isn't it? And this movie exemplifies that notion to the utmost and gives you an inspirational movie that you can take your entire family to and not worry about language or situations in it.The movie is executive produced by self-made entrepreneur Pat Croce, who was president of the 76ers for years and has been in charge of many sports/empowerment businesses, so it is no surprise at the excellence it has. ALL the actors are top notch, in fact one of the actresses (Katie Hayek, who played team player Trish Sharkey, and actually played basketball for the University of Miami!) was fighting cancer (with chemo!) while shooting the movie, but continued on, as all the actors were all so inspired by the script.
When you watch the movie you can see this love for the script and inspiration for what they did come through. You will believe you are there fighting every step of the way with them. And if you attended Catholic school like I did, certain scenes, like a nun putting newspaper clippings into a scrapbook, will make you smile and remember the nuns you were around! I urge you to see the movie multiple times, as there are so many nuances that you might miss the first go round, that make the movie even MORE special (check out the nuns after the last game, for instance), including a cameo by Cathy Rush herself!
Cathy Rush is a dominant force in women's basketball (Immaculata won THREE National Championships in a row!) and this 1971 team produced many coaches who have gone on to their own fame, teaching at major colleges. It is no surprise she was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. She had a career record of 149 wins and 15 losses - a 91% winning percentage. How many male coaches have that stat? AND she is still a busy woman with many business ventures right now. AND, as it is October, she is a breast cancer survivor too. You want inspiration? She IS the poster child!
This movie is definitely in my Top Three for the year, hands down,and in by Top 10 for all time! Go see it and you will agree! (Check the movie website for theatre locations and to buy tickets!
When you watch the movie you can see this love for the script and inspiration for what they did come through. You will believe you are there fighting every step of the way with them. And if you attended Catholic school like I did, certain scenes, like a nun putting newspaper clippings into a scrapbook, will make you smile and remember the nuns you were around! I urge you to see the movie multiple times, as there are so many nuances that you might miss the first go round, that make the movie even MORE special (check out the nuns after the last game, for instance), including a cameo by Cathy Rush herself!
Cathy Rush is a dominant force in women's basketball (Immaculata won THREE National Championships in a row!) and this 1971 team produced many coaches who have gone on to their own fame, teaching at major colleges. It is no surprise she was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. She had a career record of 149 wins and 15 losses - a 91% winning percentage. How many male coaches have that stat? AND she is still a busy woman with many business ventures right now. AND, as it is October, she is a breast cancer survivor too. You want inspiration? She IS the poster child!
This movie is definitely in my Top Three for the year, hands down,and in by Top 10 for all time! Go see it and you will agree! (Check the movie website for theatre locations and to buy tickets!
Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this movie preview, free of charge, from Propeller PR, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it.
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