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This Movie Will Encourage You to Stand Firm in Your Convictions, No Matter the Cost

Photo from AVERAGE JOE’s Instagram

This Movie Will Encourage You to Stand Firm in Your Convictions, No Matter the Cost

By Movieguide® Contributor

Former high school football coach Joe Kennedy’s stand for God landed him in a Supreme Court battle. Now his story is coming to the big screen.

“High school football coach Joe Kennedy had no other choice but to fight,” a synopsis AVERAGE JOE reads. “A childhood in foster care followed by 20 years in the Marine Corps was nothing compared to his biggest battle: his commitment to stand for God publicly by taking a knee in prayer after each game. When he was fired, Joe and his wife Denise knew this battle for religious freedom, freedom of speech, and the rights of all Americans was one they would have to fight—no matter the cost. ”

In an interview with Eric Close, who plays Kennedy in the movie, said he hopes the film encourages viewers to always stand up for what’s right.

“I hope people are encouraged to stand strong in their convictions and doing what’s right,” Close told Movieguide®. “I think sometimes it’s a scary thing to do that, you know, there’s a lot of fear, a lot of times people are afraid they’re going to get canceled or whatever it is, and yet when you know in your heart when something’s right, you need to stick to your convictions and stand strong but treat people with kindness in that pursuit.”

One of the main reasons he took on the role is because it’s a “real-life story based on Joe and [his wife] Denise’s life.”

“And I am always a sucker for redemption stories,” he told Women’s World. “When people ask me, “What’s your favorite movie?” I always say IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, because it’s such an amazing story of redemption. And Joe’s life is that.”

Close always does his best to embody the character he plays, and one way he was able to do that is through Kennedy’s love of country.

“Something I don’t have in common with Joe is that he served in the military, but I personally resonated with his love for our country,” Close said. “I have relatives in my immediate family who found freedom in America and freedom from oppression and got to start over and build a life here. I am incredibly grateful for our country. I love this country, and that resonated with me as did Joe’s unaltered conviction. He just stayed the course, and I admire that a great deal.”

Movieguide® previously reported on Joe Kennedy’s story:

Praying coach, Joe Kennedy, has been reinstated at his high school football job after winning his Supreme Court Case last June.

The assistant football coach was removed from his position in 2015 after silently praying at midfield following the conclusion of his games. Although Kennedy never asked or required students to join him, the school fired him over fears that allowing him to openly pray around students would have been seen as a government endorsement of religion. 

After six years of legal battles, the case found itself in the Supreme Court, to decide if the had violated Kennedy’s right to free speech when it barred him from silently praying on the field after games, a practice inspired by FACING THE GIANTS.

The court ruled in Kennedy’s favor 6-3, stating Kennedy would be restored to “his previous position as assistant coach of the Bremerton High School football team on or before March 15, 2023.”

AVERAGE JOE arrives in theaters on Oct. 11.