ESPN's "Catholics vs. Convicts" on the famed Miami-Notre Dame '88 game premieres Saturday night following the Heisman Trophy presentation, and the fact that the "30 for 30" achieves such a "high degree of drama -- despite being about one of the more infamous games in the history of college football -- is saying something." Even those who "don’t know what’s going to happen can sense what’s coming," and yet director Patrick Creadon "creates, and maintains, tension" (WSJ.com, 12/8). The documentary is "storytelling at its finest," as viewers "need to know almost nothing about college football to enjoy the series of backstories tied to an epic 1988 game" (CABLEFAX DAILY, 12/9).
Creadon, a student at Notre Dame in '88, "narrates the film himself and weaves together archival footage with commentary" from Pat Walsh, who created the T-shirt that inspired the name for the game. It also includes footage from his "classmates, players and fans on both sides," along with UM coach Jimmy Johnson and Notre Dame's Lou Holtz. Together, this cast "tells the story of the T-shirt, the game and the implications of both" (ASPENTIMES.com, 12/8).
