I didn't realize that this was originally a made-for-TV movie when I first saw it and I think this movie shows how far TV has come in the last 30 plus years. Maybe I'm the only one who doesn't think this is a wonderful film, but it left me somewhat unfulfilled. The movie does have some good performances by its cast especially the roles of Pic and Sayers, their wives, and the head coach. Nevertheless, the acting seems geared towards making it play strictly as a tear-jerker, not a serious drama. My biggest complaint, however, was that there was not enough development in the characters to see how and why they became good friends. When did they go from playing practical jokes on each other to becoming like brothers? And then there was Pic's very unfunny racial humor. When Sayers gave him a pint of blood, he had an urge for chitterlings. Maybe that was funny in 1971, but wasn't a professional golfer roundly criticized for a similar comment about Tiger Woods? I couldn't understand some of the football humor either and the laughs seemed contrived rather than heartfelt. I think this could have been a much better movie if it had moved slower and there had been a little more character development to understand why these two guys clicked and became such good friends and then the loss would not seem contrived but real.
Review of Brian's Song
