December 15, 2021 (TCL Chinese Theater)
December 25, 2021 (United States)
American Underdog is a 2021 American biographical sports film about National Football League (NFL) quarterback Kurt Warner. Directed by Andrew and Jon Erwin, the film follows Warner's journey as an undrafted player who ascended to winning Super Bowl XXXIV. It stars Zachary Levi as Warner, alongside Anna Paquin as his wife Brenda and Dennis Quaid as his head coach Dick Vermeil.
The film was released theatrically in the United States on December 25, 2021, by Lionsgate. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and grossed over $26 million. American Underdog was nominated for the GMA Dove Award for Inspirational Film/Series of the Year at the 2022 GMA Dove Awards.
Storyline
A young Kurt Warner watches Super Bowl XIX. He then makes a lifelong commitment to becoming a Super Bowl and MVP quarterback.
Several years later, Kurt is playing his fifth year for the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) Panthers with coach Terry Allen, and nothing is going Warner's way. Allen threatens to bench him after repeatedly not heeding his coaching, which would effectively end Warner's NFL dream. After a brutal practice following the coach's orders, Kurt continues to be the starter and his numbers climb to where he could have a chance at the Draft.
Meanwhile, Kurt becomes interested in a woman he sees dancing at a country bar, so decides to learn how to dance to impress her. Brenda is a single mom with two kids and is a nursing student who is struggling financially. Even though she doesn't think it will work out, Kurt is persistent, walking three miles to her house to get her number. He finds out she was a Marine corporal. Kurt instantly bonds with her disabled son, convincing her they should be together.
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. Later, the Green Bay Packers give him the chance to try out, but it goes badly and Kurt goes home dejected. Becoming homeless, he moves into Brenda's basement. He takes a job at a Hy-Vee grocery store, working nights stocking shelves. He discovers success is not found on the football field, but how one acts when confronted with disappointment.
Brenda's parents sell the house and move to another state, putting them in a tough situation, and the couple continue to struggle. At one point, their car runs out of gas and Kurt walks several miles in the snow to get gas.
Kurt gets approached by Jim Foster, who offers him the quarterback position for the Arena Football League's Iowa Barnstormers. Kurt agrees after discovering no one in the NFL is interested in him.
Arena football is different. The field is smaller and the play is much more fast-paced. He loses his first game but wins the next. 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 marry and Kurt finishes the 1996 Arena Football League season with the Iowa Barnstormers in ArenaBowl X, a heartbreaking loss when his completed pass on the last play of the game comes up one yard short of the end zone.
Kurt is invited to another tryout for the St. Louis Rams. He doesn't think he will make it; he is having to re-adjust to normal football. Offensive coordinator Mike Martz berates him relentlessly for every mistake. Head Coach, Dick Vermeil, believes in him and tells Kurt he made the team. When starting quarterback Trent Green goes down with an injury in the 1999NFL preseason, Kurt eventually takes his place.
In his first game, Kurt and the Rams face a strong Baltimore Ravens defense led by linebacker Ray Lewis. 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 post a 13–3 record that season, becoming known as The Greatest Show on Turf due to the high-powered, Warner-led offense. The Rams went on to defeat the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV. During the game, Kurt breaks Joe Montana's record for throwing the most passing yards in a Super Bowl. Doing so helped him win Super Bowl MVP and be crowned the NFL 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, Super Bowl XXXVI and Super Bowl XLIII. He becomes enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017, and he and Brenda continue to live happily married, with seven children.
Sound Effects Used
- Hollywoodedge, Medium Exterior Crow PE140401
- Sound Ideas, BIRD, LOON - COMMON LOON: SINGLE CALL, ANIMAL 03
- Sound Ideas, COW - SINGLE MOO, ANIMAL 01
- Sound Ideas, COW - SINGLE MOO, ANIMAL 02
- Sound Ideas, COW - SINGLE MOO, ANIMAL 03
- Sound Ideas, COW - SINGLE MOO, ANIMAL 04