The Express

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: The life story of Ernie Davis, the first Black person to win the Heisman Trophy. (And hence, paving the way for OJ.)

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Rob Brown, Dennis Quaid, Darrin Dewett henson, Omar Benson Miller, Nelsan Ellis, Charles S. Dutton, Justin Martin, Justin Jones, Nicole Beharie, Aunjanue Ellis, Saul Rubinek, Geoff Stults

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. It's so hard to make a biopic interesting. How do you build suspense when everyone already knows what's gonna happen? In this movie they try to build conflict around the racism that Ernie Davis and his Black teammates faced-- which much like movies about the Holocaust, always makes for interesting and accessible emotional intensity-- but the movie still suffers from the fact that it's a biopic.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: In honor of Sarah Palin, I'm going to ignore that question and answer a different one... You may have noticed that I'm on a roll with seeing race-themed movie about the mid-20th century. And here's something interesting that I've learned from the experience: A Black man won the Heisman Trophy before Black people had the right to vote. I suppose as a country, we never have quite gotten our priorities straight.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: I'm a sucker for these kinds of movies. It's like with romantic comedies, you know where it's going, but it still makes you teary and shivery inside.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: To give an award to a movie about a guy who gets an award is ridiculous. What would be next? A movie about the movie getting an award? And would we have to give that an award, too? No, we have to stop the self-eating cycle of ridiculousness before it begins.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Dennis Quaid is like a fine wine, he gets more textured and tasty as he ages.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Football is one of the trickiest things to film because there are tons of guys running around the field at once, they're all dressed the same, and they're all wearing helmets. Gary Fleder does a good job of keep your focus on #44, and shooting tight close-ups inside his helmet, so you can keep an eye on your main character at all times.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Even though it's a true story, it feels a little like it's been done before. And Remember the Titans did it better. If you like Football-Racism movies, you must rent Remember the Titans immediately.

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