American Underdog(2021)

Plot Summary

• A young Kurt Warner watches Super Bowl XIX. He makes a lifelong commitment to become a Super Bowl and MVP quarterback. 1 million kids play high school football. 5% of them make it to college ball and 1% of them get drafted in the NFL.Several years later, Kurt (Zachary Levi) is playing his 5th year at the University of Northern Iowa with coach Terry Allen (Adam Baldwin). Kurt has spent 4 yrs warming the bench and only now got the chance to play ball in his 5th yr. He threatens to bench him after repeatedly not staying in the pocket after dropping back to pass, which would effectively end his NFL dream. After a brutal practice following the coach's orders, Kurt continues to be the starter and his numbers climb to a point where he has a chance at the draft.Meanwhile, Kurt becomes attracted to a woman he sees dancing at a country bar. He decides to learn how to dance to impress her. He finds out her name is Brenda (Anna Paquin) and that she is a single mom with two kids and is a nursing student struggling financially. Even though she doesn't think it will work out, Kurt becomes persistent and walks three miles to her house to get her number and finds out that she was a Marine corporal and that her son is disabled. He instantly bonds with the children and they decide to give it a try.Brenda confides in Kurt that she signed up for the Marines right out of high school. She married a Marine Brad and had her first son Zack a yr later. When Zack for 4 months old, Brad dropped him on his head in the bathtub and his brain swelled. Brad didn't tell anyone for 24 hours and thus Zack lost his eyesight. Brad then cheated on Brenda when she was pregnant for the 2nd time and Brenda divorced him.With his last season of college football over, Kurt anxiously awaits the draft. He doesn't get picked and wonders why God gave him a dream that he would never obtain. He later finds out that Green Bay gave him the chance to try out. The tryout goes badly, and Kurt goes home dejected. Becoming homeless, he moves in with Brenda and lives in the basement. He takes a job at a Hy-Vee grocery store, working nights stocking shelves. He finds out that success is not found on the football field, but how one acts when confronted with disappointments.Brenda's parents sell the house and move to another state, putting them in a tough situation, and the couple continue to struggle. The US is hit by the coldest front in 25 yrs and Brenda and Kurt haven't been able to pay their heating bills. At one point, their car runs out of gas and Kurt walks several miles in a blizzard to get to the nearest gas station. Kurt gets approached by Jim Foster (Bruce McGill), who offers him the quarterback position for the Iowa Barnstormers in Arena football (football at the speed of NASCAR in a 50 ft playing area). Kurt agrees after he finds that no one in the NFL is interested in him.Arena football is different as it is smaller and much more fast paced. He loses his first game but wins the next game. Kurt and Brenda's relationship is strained from the long commute, and they briefly break up. Brenda's parents are killed in a tornado and she and Kurt decide to get back together. They get married and Kurt finishes the season with a heart-breaking loss when his completed pass on the last play of the game comes up one yard short of the end zone.Kurt is given another chance when he gets invited to a tryout by the St Louis Rams. He doesn't think he will make it as he is having to readjust to normal football and the offensive coordinator, Mike Martz (Chance Kelly), berates him relentlessly for every mistake. The head coach, Dick Vermeil (Dennis Quaid), believes in him and tells Kurt he made the team. When starting quarterback Trent Green goes down with an injury, Kurt eventually becomes the starting quarterback.In his first game, Kurt and the Rams face a strong Baltimore Ravens defense led by linebacker Ray Lewis (Nic Harris). After a turnover on his first drive, Kurt picks the Ravens defense apart. With a 27-10 lead, the Rams go into victory formation, and Warner takes a knee to end the game. He immediately gives thanks to God for the opportunity and kisses Brenda in the stands.The Rams would post a 13-3 record that season and become known as The Greatest Show on Turf because of the high-powered offense led by Warner. The Rams would go on to defeat the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV. During the game, Kurt would throw the most passing yards in a Super Bowl, breaking Joe Montana's record. Doing so helped him win Super Bowl MVP and be crowned the League MVP, making him the first Undrafted player to be named either of those in NFL history.The credits show that he would play in two other Super Bowls, become enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017, and he and Brenda continue to live happily married with 7 kids.

Storyline

• Kurt Warner , who went from stocking shelves at a supermarket to becoming an American Football star. The inspirational true story of Kurt Warner (Zachary Levi), who went from a stockboy at a grocery store to a two-time NFL MVP, Super Bowl champion, and Hall of Fame quarterback. The film centers on Warner's unique story and years of challenges and setbacks that could have derailed his aspirations to become an NFL player, but just when his dreams seemed all but out of reach, it is only with the support of his wife Brenda (Anna Paquin) and the encouragement of his family, coaches, and teammates that he perseveres and finds the strength to show the world the champion that he already is. — Lionsgate