Here's the thing: Facing the Giants has its heart absolutely in the right place. The messages about perseverance, faith, and community are genuinely positive, and it's refreshingly safe for families.
But let's be real—this is rough to watch. Made by Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia with volunteer actors and a shoestring budget, it shows. The acting is stiff, the pacing drags, and the dialogue feels like it was written for a church skit. The 17% critic score vs 85% audience score tells you everything: if you're part of the target faith-based audience, you'll overlook the amateur production and connect with the message. If you're not, you'll be checking how much runtime is left.
The famous 'death crawl' scene is legitimately inspiring—a coach pushes a player to crawl the football field while carrying a teammate, blindfolded, teaching him not to quit. Moments like that show what this movie could have been with better execution.
Bottom line: This is really for families who are already deeply Christian and can appreciate faith-based cinema despite its limitations. For everyone else, there are better underdog sports movies that deliver similar messages without feeling like homework.




