Rich Wright This is possibly the only time I can remember where the name of a film was changed for the UK market, and I approve. After all... DRIVE TO DREAM is much better than THE SLAUGHTER RULE, dontcha think? It stars a rather young Ryan Gosling and Amy Adams in an American football themed story, which is usually the sort of thing I turn my nose at... but as long as the film concentrates on the people rather than the intricacies of the sport, I don't really care.The most notable achievement here is in writing the coach as a believable ambiguously gay man which is no mean feat... check out the film My Brother The Devil for an example of this trope done wrong. His friendship with Goslings young hotshot (who is a bit unsure about his sexuality himself) is well done, and there are other minor triumphs of personality based conflicts throughout. A very modest work, but one which is worth your time... 6/10

samkan Short of captivating, TSR is truly intriguing. The acting, script and scenery are all excellent. What really keeps you watching, though, is the story that you hope (against hope) will go somewhere dramatically. It doesn't so you watch the end credits looking for another meaning. Such led me to read a lot of the other comments for TSR listed here.One viewer (Paul-8) says, "Not finding true love with women, Gid searches and grasps for intimacy the only way he has known: football". That is an interesting idea and supported by Gid's admission that he'd been with only prostitutes, never having been kissed by a woman. Also backing up this idea is Sky's belief that football types in the American West culture will never be intimate enough for a true relationship. Gid and Sky might disagree on which gender is at fault, though the result is the same.On reflection, I've a tough time buying the above idea, though truly such may be what the makers intended. The heavy dose of brutal climate seems clearly intended to serve as a key element. And its this Nature that shapes things. Gid is a closet homosexual, that's HIS nature. Floyd warns Gid early on that "it's gonna happen again". What's leading Gid's charge, the football or his sexual urges? I'm going with a more realistic approach, though it doesn't prevent this movie from being a very good one.Some notes. Check the deleted scenes? It shows Gid watching Roy's early HS football practices. Also factor in the jock "circle jerk". Finally, I share a viewer's feelings that mom crying naked on the bed lacks adequate treatment. However, I matched it along side Sky's loneliness and longing for intimacy.

michaelmartinez This movie's tone captures the atmosphere that fuels the main characters' angst and ennui. There are characters that seem purposely written vague as a story devise. Things revealed about them make this devise effective. One teen's survival seems to be the salvation for so many. But the main character is not a Christ figure. Gosling has played this type of character before -- Trapped between doing the right thing and rebelling against himself ("The Believer"). A gripping character study. David Morse continues to demonstrate his versatility. And the cinematography paints the bleak surroundings that inform the consciousness of Gosling's character. Clea Duvall gives good misunderstood-tortured-soul, and the secondary characters were all appropriately shallow and callous. There was no effort to break ground with this film. But the filmmakers did manage to capture ordinary moments, pause over them and offer some insights. No one will mistake this for the Coen brothers, but they, too, started with basic ideas and developed a unique style of film-making that was shaped by their early experiences and the story arc of their own maturation. Small films like this are a luxury for young actors, most of who are pushed to become silver screen icons as a heartthrobs, action muscle or totally irreverent rakes. Gosling -- for one -- is getting an opportunity to hone his skills as a character actor and cane likely find work no matter what the genre. Morese also will not hurt for work and Duvall has shown that she rises above the roles she's asked to play. I think there is more good work to come for all of them. There is should be more good work from these filmmakers as well. How they handle more complex material will be the next thing to watch for.

Miss S Having this movie shot in my hometown (Great Falls, Montana), I answered a local casting call for extras. Blink and you'll miss me in the bonfire/party scene. My high school (Great Falls High) was the school used in the beginning of the film, and the locker room the team is in happens to be the girl's locker room. David Morse's character lives above a vacuum place downtown. The hospital in the movie used to actually be the old Colombus hospital, but is now a office building.The twins in the movie (Matt and Paul Pippinich), I went to school with for 7 years, and that old orange truck is theirs. Matt played clarinet in a dixieland jazz band.When I saw this movie at the Wilma theater in Missoula, MT, one of the directors was there to answer questions. He said that they chose Great Falls (pop. approx. 60,000) for shooting "because it was sort of the town that time forgot." In some ways, this is true, but the city is not as run down and rural as it appears in the movie.Overall, I found myself enjoying this movie more for the "hey, I know him!" or "I lived 2 miles from there" situations. While this wasn't a movie that I would want to watch repeatedly, I still highly suggest it for rental. It's more than just a "sports" movie.Also, a stellar soundtrack that makes the movie that much better.