"Inspiring Sports Biography"
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What You Need To Know:
THE EXPRESS is the inspiring biography of the man who, along with Jim Brown, helped smash the color barrier in football. The cast does a great job. Best of all is the Christian strength of Ernie’s grandfather, who instills Ernie with the quiet fortitude and grace that help him overcome the racism around him. The movie contains, however, plenty of foul language that requires strong caution for families.
Content:
(CC, BB, Pa, AB, LLL, VV, S, N, A, M) Strong Christian worldview rebuking racism, including a couple Bible quotations and two prayers, including the start of the Lord’s Prayer, but with some strong foul language and one white Christian makes a racist comment but his comment is rebuked; 22 obscenities (but no “f” words), eight strong profanities and two light profanities; strong football violence, players try to hurt another player by hitting him when he’s down, racist crowd throws bottles at players, and players get into a major fight on the field in one sequence; bedroom scene between married couple interrupted; upper male nudity and woman in bra; alcohol use; no smoking; and, racism rebuked, cheating.
More Detail:
THE EXPRESS is a touching sports biography of Halfback Ernie Davis, a black athlete who followed in Jim Brown’s footsteps at Syracuse University, only to have his career cut short by a fatal illness.
The movie opens in 1949 in Pennsylvania coal-mining country. A young Ernie runs away from a group of hostile white boys. He’s so fast, they can’t catch him.
Then, Ernie’s mother returns from being in New York for a while. She wants to take Ernie away from his kindly Christian grandfather to live with her in Elmira with Ernie’s new stepfather. Reluctantly, Ernie leaves, but his grandfather remains a major part of his life.
In Elmira, Ernie’s prowess in high school football catches the attention of Syracuse University Coach Ben Schwarzwalder in 1957. The coach convinces football great Jim Brown, his most recent star running back, to help recruit Ernie for the school.
Ernie decides to play for Syracuse, but, like Jim before him, experiences the racism prevalent at the time. Everything comes to a head in 1960 when Syracuse, rated No. 1, battles for the National College Championship against No. 2 University of Texas at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas.
THE EXPRESS is the inspiring biography of a man who, along with Jim Brown, helped break the color barrier in football. The cast does a great job. Best of all is the Christian strength of Ernie’s grandfather, who instills Ernie with the quiet fortitude, grace, integrity, and sense of justice that help him overcome the racism around him. The movie contains, however, plenty of foul language requiring strong caution for families. There is also a brief, but light, bedroom scene with Ernie and his wife.