The Mighty Macs

This is a movie about a basketball coach that strives to make some somewhat good basketball players; excellent! The only problem is that she has no one in her corner, not even her husband so she has to find some common ground that the girls she recruits knows what it’s like to win! Oh one thing though these are catholic girls that go to a struggling catholic school! So basically she has to do anything she can to save it! I’m not going to say anything else about the movie so I don’t give away too much; but what I will say; it’s a must see!

This movie is like the female version of "Hoosiers," even opening with a similar retro montage where a basketball coach (Carla Gugino) drives to her new school through the countryside, this time a college in Pennsylvania rather than a high school in Indiana. Like "Hoosiers," it's based on the true story of an unlikely basketball championship, this time a 1970s basketball team at a small Catholic women's college in Pennsylvania. It even features the same underlying theme of religion (this time Catholicism rather than Protestantism) as it relates to basketball as a metaphor for life. Knowing this much about the film and having seen the trailer, I was not really expecting much from it, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it highly entertaining. While it may not match "Hoosiers" in the emotional depth of its performances, as it lacks the touching triangle of broken lives (Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey, and Dennis Hopper) of that 1986 gem, "The Mighty Macs" is refreshing in bringing a lighter touch to this genre. Above all, it works because it treats basketball as a game, not as a pseudo-religious substitute for the divine. Therefore it's a more lighthearted alternative to "Hoosiers" and "Hoop Dreams," but it likewise avoids the cliched melodrama and buffoonish comedy of sports films like Disney's "Glory Road." Carla Gugino makes it work, giving an understated and insistently sincere performance as a Baptist basketball coach hired to coach girls at a small Catholic college in danger of bankruptcy. There are cliched themes, of course, like the independent woman trying to make it in the 1970s and the misfit players learning to work together as a team. But it works because of the good will of the performers to tell this story. Rather than being a schlock production by Disney or some other major studio, this one was produced independently, and it shows in the genuineness of human interactions in the film between the players and among the adults featured. If this inspirational film is ultimately a tad lightweight, perhaps that's because it is reminding us that sports like basketball are ultimately just games, not substitutes or metaphors for real relationships and careers as many people in our society have come to believe. In that sense, I loved this movie, and I think others -- both male and female -- will enjoy it as well if they are open to the idea that sports films based on true stories do not need to imbue their stories with life-or-death implications. This film reminds us that the games we learned in childhood, no matter how much we have come to idolize them as moneymakers, are ultimately for enjoyment rather than profit. Sometimes a game is just a game.

The journey from production to the big screen for "The Mighty Macs" was a tortuous one. My father worked for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia who offered assistance to the film while they were making it a few years ago. The film had a hard time getting a distributor. It finally came out last Fall in the wake of "Moneyball" another film about a sports team with little financial resources who rise to the top. "Moneyball" had a bankable star in Brad Pitt as a selling point. "The Mighty Macs" pretty much disappeared in limited release. It's a shame because it's an excellent film. Ostensibly the film chronicles the first year of a run of three consecutive NCAA titles for the tiny Immaculata College's women's basketball team in the early Seventies. Really the film is about what it means to be a winner. What the film stresses is that winning is a group effort that can't be done alone. Yes, Coach Cathy Rush (Carla Gugino) can philosophize the intracacies of playing together but that is reciprocated by her players who teach Rush a few things about the facts of life. The coach and players are assisted in their journey by the assistant coach, Sister Sunday(Marley Shelton), who may be young but not unwise to the potholes in life. They are also inspired by the humility and self-sacrifice of the Immaculate Heart Sisters led by their Mother Superior played by Ellen Burstyn who administer the beseiged college. I'm sure there are some embellishments but most of the events portrayed in the film are true. If you're looking for exciting game footage this is the film for you. If you're looking for a testament to human faith you found it. Judging from the overwhelmingly positive reaction to the film from those who've seen "The Mighty Macs" this is the one that got away.

One of the best movies of the year! Great inspirational movie. True story and well done, down to the scores of the games and how the teams got there.The movie tells the true story of Cathy Rush and the Immaculata girls basketball team. Make sure you check her incredible story online and then watch the movie. The best scenario is written by life. No need to imagine and make things up. She had tremendous courage for that time (1972) and she is pushing everybody to their limits. If she was using the same methods today with all the idiotic parents who want to be their kid's friend instead of parenting, and who want to give trophies to everybody just for participation, she should have been out of a job and probably sued by some low life lawyer.There are several extras on the DVD that are very interesting. The ESPN production is fabulous and shows the real team in 1972. The interviews with the cast are also great. But the real interesting things on the DVD are the three deleted scenes. I definitely think that they should have included at least two of the scenes in the movie to remind some people (and to show the younger generation) how women were treated just 40 years ago in the so called civilized world. Maybe the producers cut the scenes because didn't want to hurt people feelings. But maybe they didn't put these scenes in because didn't want to distract from the real subject which is the unbelievable courage and tenacity of Cathy Rush in a time where she was supposed to stay home, cook for her husband, and take care of the kids.Five stars all around for the magnificent story of a woman who changed our civilization forever!

Well done. Great for a young women's group

Not has exciting as I thought

no dislikes. used for personal use

Overall a good story and was surprisingly capitivating.

Brilliant film

Family friendly drama. Also useful in a youth group or intro psych class for discussing life philosophy and overcoming challenges.

This is a delightful family-friendly film about the wonderfully inspiring true story of the birthplace of women's basketball. Cathy Rush (played by Carla Gugino) is a woman with a dream, and the courage and conviction to commit herself to achieving it. "Mighty Macs" is a story which clearly illustrates what can be gained through sacrifice, hard work, and perseverance. It also conveys the message that women should not allow themselves to be defined by others, but should believe in themselves and not be afraid to set their goals high. Cathy Rush (who was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008) was a role model for so many young women who learned from her that teamwork is vital, and that something worth doing is worth doing well. This is a film that speaks volumes about equality between the sexes, and the potential within each of us. Thank you to producer Tim Chambers and actor Carla Gugino for making a film like this that illustrates the real and substantial contribution which women make in our society. Well done!