All Aboard: Ernie Davis Biopic "The Express" Opens Nationwide

Writers Laud Actor Rob Brown For Portrayal Of Ernie Davis

FILM SCORES A TOUCHDOWN: In Boston, Stephen Schaefer writes under the header, "'Express' Wins Gridiron Glory," while giving the film an "A." The film "scores as high as 'Brian's Song,'" and Fleder "cohesively merges the factual and fictitious to illuminate one man’s journey to greatness." It also "soars in depicting the bigger picture" of the era, which included racial overtones (BOSTON HERALD, 10/10). In N.Y., A.O. Scott writes the scenes in which "racism erupts on the football field -- including at that Cotton Bowl -- are the most powerful, and the most effective in infusing sports nostalgia with a sense of historical consequence" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/10). In Syracuse, Joan Vadeboncoeur writes it is an "accurate portrait of an ingratiating young man who did his talking on the field and spent little time or no time involved with social and political causes." The film has "taken liberties necessary to make a more robust movie that will appeal to a broad audience" (Syracuse POST-STANDARD, 10/10). USA TODAY's Mike Clark writes it is an "entertaining race-laced contest of wills" between Davis and Schwartzwalder (USA TODAY, 10/10). In DC, Ann Hornaday writes Fleder portrays Davis and Schwartzwalder's "complicated dynamic with observant humor and subtlety, for the most part avoiding the most bathetic sports-movie clichés." It "finesses a cinematic hat trick: It’s entertaining, deeply moving and genuinely important" (WASHINGTON POST, 10/10). In Denver, Mike Pearson gives the movie a "B+" grade and writes, "Unlike so many other sports-underdog sagas, there's no heavy-handed drumbeat of destiny" (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 10/10). In Baltimore, Michael Sragow writes under the header, "With Honest Calls, 'The Express' Passes Typical Sports Films" (Baltimore SUN, 10/10). In St. Louis, Kevin Johnson writes under the header, "Clichés Can’t Kill Touching Biopic" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 10/10).

DESERVES TO BE BENCHED: SLANT MAGAZINE’s Nick Schager wrote Davis is a "more than worthy subject for a feature film, but tripe like this does his legacy no good, relegating his genuinely arduous, courageous life as an African-American in pre-Civil Rights America to a series of lame clichés which decimate authenticity" (SLANTMAGAZINE.com, 10/6). BALTIMORE CITY PAPER's Al Shipley wrote the film "looks and feels exactly like every other civil rights-era sports flick, no better or worse, and that’s the problem." The filmmakers "should be blamed for reducing a true and remarkable story to a series of clichés" (CITYPAPER.com, 10/8). In St. Pete, Steve Persall wrote the movie is a "run-of-the-mill sports movie that glosses over fertile material while playing a race card that Davis didn’t." The "fudging [of] facts leads to familiar drama, misrepresenting Davis in the process" (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 10/8). In N.Y., Kyle Smith: "This is a zero-surprise story, strictly warm milk for the soul" (N.Y. POST, 10/10). In L.A., Mark Olsen notes Fleder allows the "energy and enthusiasm of the film’s best moments to dissipate" (L.A. TIMES, 10/10). In Raleigh, Craig Lindsey writes under the header, "'Express' Ticket To Dullsville" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 10/10).

LEAVING UNFULFILLED: SPORTINGNEWS.com’s Vince Grzegorek wrote: "I don’t want to sound too harsh because the film is actually very good," but what does "bother me a little is a missed opportunity to know the man off of the field" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 9/17). In Akron, Rich Heldenfels wrote Davis "provided material for something more grand, more eloquent and moving than what has made it to the screen." But the script, written by Charles Leavitt, and the direction by Fleder "opt for a somewhat understated approach and a straightforward account of Davis’ life from youth to the grave." It is a "deliberately old-fashioned movie" (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 10/9). SI’s Adam Duerson writes the film "beautifully depicts a simpler era in college football, a time when the game was still young." But it "barely explores Davis’s emotional temperance, depicting him instead as simply the world’s nicest guy" (SI, 10/13 issue). In Boston, Wesley Morris writes Davis’ life "may be sad, but it’s inspiring." However, the drama depicting it is "brutally dull." The movie "doesn’t do Davis’s legacy any favors by giving us the store-brand version of his life" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/10). In Orlando, Roger Moore: "It’s a movie that rarely strays from its sports-drama formula, something that robs the history and the tragic trajectory of the man’s story of its heart." While the film "is a decently crafted movie, it fails to generate much heat or emotion" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 10/8).

Actor Dennis Quaid Receives Mixed Reviews For Portrayal Of SU Coach Schwartzwalder

SLOW DEVELOPING PLAY: Quaid said the football action scenes in the film "are fantastic." Quaid: "Allan Graf directed the football scenes. … He had to retrain the players actually, to learn how to block 1959 style, using the shoulders instead of their helmets. It was a different style of football, a different kind of football back then" ("ESPN First Take," ESPN2, 10/8). But in Chicago, Michael Phillips writes, "I don't see how any football picture can rely so heavily on slow-motion game footage and still be called 'The Express'" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/10). The N.Y. POST's Smith writes the football scenes "don't burst out so much as unfurl, majestically." Smith: "Ernie gets the ball, we go to slo-o-o-o motion" (N.Y. POST, 10/10).

SHOE REPAIR: In Syracuse, Donnie Webb reported the Davis statue featuring Nike cleats and a football helmet fitted with a modern face mask "is on its way to the repair shop." The monument, which was unveiled on the SU campus last month, was removed Wednesday so sculpter Bruno Lucchesi can "make modifications to fix the shoes, helmet and football with period-appropriate equipment" (SYRACUSE.com, 10/9).

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