Undefeated Review - 3 Stars

“Undefeated” won the Academy Award this year for documentary.  It follows the championship season of an inner city Memphis, Tennessee football team (Manassas High School)  coached by local businessman Bill Courtney.  As in “The Blind Side” Courtney, a well off white man,  volunteers his time to work with inner city black kids for whom daily living presents a challenge. The struggle involves keeping the players in school, out of trouble, and inspiring them to play a winning season.   Sometimes the movie feels a little preachy and sometimes Courtney seems a little overbearing, and with many documentaries of this kind, I wondered how much the subjects played to the camera.  But things come together in a manner that reminds me of “The Blind Side.”  You leave the theater uplifted, but also wondering about the next phase of these kids lives, especially the players who use football to try for a better life.   Does it deliver what it promises?  True story of inner city football.  Is it entertaining?  Well made.  Is it worth the price of admission?  For an uplift.