American Underdog (2021) * * *

Directed by:  Jon Erwin and Andrew Erwin

Starring:  Zachary Levi, Anna Paquin, Hayden Zaller, Dennis Quaid, Chance Kelly, Bruce McGill

The story of NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner may remind you of Rocky, but it is based on a real quarterback who was undrafted out of college working at a grocery store to a backup who led the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl title.   I am sure not all of American Underdog is 100% accurate and like all "true stories" takes the infamous "dramatic license", but at its core is a heartfelt and inspiring story of a man who never gave up on his dream even when the rest of the world told him he should.  More than that, it is also a love story in which Kurt (Levi) falls for a military veteran mom of two named Brenda (Paquin) and how they were able to juggle his dreams with near poverty and trials of their own which test their faith in God.   

It wouldn't be an Erwin Brothers movie without at least a mention of the Almighty, but in American Underdog, faith is part of Kurt's and Brenda's nuclei as a couple and family.   It is ingrained in who they are.  Thankfully, American Underdog doesn't feel the need to underline their faith in every scene.  Instead, it focuses on how it provides the Warners strength to push on against overwhelming odds against them.  Kurt meets Brenda during the mid-90's when he was a quarterback at Northern Iowa sending videotapes out to agents and scouts in hopes of being drafted.   Brenda is a divorced single mom of two with one of her children a legally blind young boy.   

Kurt isn't drafted by the NFL, takes a job supporting his new family, and later gains fame as an arena league quarterback which catches the attention of St. Louis Rams' head coach Dick Vermeil (Quaid), who Sees Something In Him, much to the chagrin of his offensive coordinator Mike Martz (Kelly), who doesn't See Something In Him.   For a while, Martz is set up as the unconvincing villain of the movie, much like Dan Devine was unfairly portrayed as a villain in Rudy.   But there is a plan which is made clear later to toughen up Warner in the event he would have to start.   The Rams' starting quarterback Trent Green went down with a season-ending injury in preseason, Warner took the reins and the rest is NFL history.

Levi and Paquin are a naturally endearing couple whom we can root for easily.   The actors are a tad old to play people in their 20's, but we forget about that and just roll with it.   While American Underdog tells a story many football fans are already familiar with, it succeeds because it also tells a story of the people who lived it and made them interesting.   When you do that, the rest falls into line.