Balls Out (2014 film)

Balls Out is a 2014 American sports comedy film directed by Andrew Disney, based on a script by Bradley Jackson. The film stars Jake Lacy, Beck Bennett, Jay Pharoah, Nikki Reed, Kate McKinnon, DC Pierson, Nick Kocher, Brian McElhaney, Nick Rutherford and Gabriel Luna, and focuses on a group of college seniors that decide to form an intramural football team before graduating.

The film, originally titled Intramural, stars cast members of comedy groups Saturday Night Live, Derrick Comedy, BriTANicK, and Good Neighbor. The film was picked up by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Orion Pictures and was given a limited release on film and video on demand on June 19, 2015.

Plot
The fifth-year seniors prepare for the fun day of flag football on the beach with Caleb, Vicky, and Grant. Little did any of them know that it would be the last time Grant would ever have the chance to play his beloved sport. Later that day, while Grant was showering, he slipped and fell. His dreams of playing flag football were gone in an instant as a visit to the hospital confirmed news no one wanted to hear; Grant was paralyzed from the waist down. It was devastating news for everyone, but Vicky decided to make the best of it. After Grant was out of the hospital, she proposed to Caleb at her birthday party. But things took an unexpected turn when Caleb said “Yes” without thinking. Caleb felt horrible about the mistake and immediately attempted to take back his answer, but the damage had already been done. To make up for the mistake, Caleb took on a mission to get the old flag football team back together for an intramural league. Everyone was up for the idea, everyone except Grant. Part of him was in denial that he wouldn’t be playing, but deep down he knew it wasn’t possible for him anymore. But Caleb was determined not to take no for an answer, and it was up to Vicky and the rest of the team to persuade Grant that it was still possible to be part of the game.

Grant is a determined trainer, using a montage to show just how hard Caleb needs to work to become the athlete he dreams of being. As the weeks go by, Caleb continues to train and develops an intense focus on mastering the Triple Z play. However, Caleb finds himself losing confidence as his will fails him at the hardest moment. He's so afraid of possibly blowing the play that he makes a split-second decision to abandon the formation and just runs the ball in himself. Although Grant is frustrated with Caleb's lack of trust in his own abilities, he decides to have some mercy by giving Caleb and Meredith an evening off to enjoy themselves. So, the two go roller skating together for a date night. They have a great time skating around and holding hands until Homeless Bob and his gang show up to spoil the fun. Caleb and Meredith are scared off by the intimidating group, turning what was supposed to be an evening of romance into a hasty retreat.

Despite the turmoil of his own relationships, Dick is determined to win the intramural football championship. He has devised a strategy to focus on offense instead of defense, a tactic he believes will give them the best chance to win. Although it is a risky move, he is certain it will pay off. Despite Dick's enthusiasm, Caleb is less convinced. He worries that his team won't take the strategy seriously, which is why he gives a stirring motivational speech to his team in an attempt to rally them. Dick's response, however, is to try and pump his team up with harsh words, which are largely met with derision and annoyance. Caleb and his team struggle to embrace the new strategy and it seems like the odds of winning are slim.

Just as things seem to be at their darkest, Vicky proposes to Caleb at her birthday party in front of all of his teammates. He nervously accepts, to everyone's surprise, and suddenly his team is more motivated than before. Because of his newfound engagement, Caleb's team rallies with newfound enthusiasm and manages to start executing Dick's strategy to perfection. Unfortunately, this moment of triumph is quickly overshadowed as it turns out that Dick's strategy was not as effective as many had hoped. Not only that his abrasive attitude and tactics had in fact, ruined Caleb's relationships with both of his women.

Jimmy was blessed with a beautiful singing voice. He used it to captivate Thad, the star of the football team until he eventually fell under Jimmy's spell. As Jimmy sang, Thad was entranced unable to move or take his eyes off Jimmy. Jimmy then used the opportunity to snatch the football away from Thad and race off with it, leaving Thad stunned and bewildered. Jimmy's singing had made Thad completely forget about the football and be oblivious to the world around him. Jimmy's quick wit and charming singing voice had been the perfect tools to fool his opponent and steal the football. Even now, Thad still can't believe what happened and still wonders to himself how it could have happened. Jimmy's voice is powerful and he certainly knows how to use it to his advantage.

They won the football game, surprising everyone and making the hometown crowd roar with joy. Then out of nowhere, Caleb got the girl confessing on the field that he'd been admiring her from afar since before the game started. It was a touching moment that filled the hearts of everyone watching with warmth and happiness. But just when it seemed like the night couldn't get any better, Grant, a Panther's team member, unexpectedly revealed to the crowd that he had been lying about his disability; while he had a medical condition, it was making much better and he wanted to prove he could still play football with the best of them. The crowd was in shock and then erupted in rapturous applause in appreciation of his bravery. It was a night no Panthers fan will ever forget.

Cast

 * Jake Lacy as Caleb Fuller
 * Nikki Reed as Meredith Downs
 * Kate McKinnon as Vicky Albrecht
 * Beck Bennett as Dick Downs
 * Nick Kocher as Grant Rosenfalis
 * Brian McElhaney as Chance Gilman
 * Gabriel Luna as Vinnie
 * Will Elliott as George Irwin
 * Kirk C. Johnson as Ace
 * Sam Eidson as Jimmy Harris
 * Nick Rutherford as Hank
 * Jay Pharoah as Dan Albert
 * DC Pierson as Bill Costas
 * Michael Hogan as Mr. Albrecht
 * Clint Howard as Philip Bronson
 * John Merriman as Fireman
 * Mike MacRae as Doctor

Production
The film's script was written by Bradley Jackson during his sophomore year at the University of Texas, where he was inspired to create the script after listening to his friends brag about their intramural sports games. Jackson expressed his desire to have Andrew Disney direct the film, as he greatly enjoyed his work. Nikki Reed was later confirmed to be performing in the film, as were Beck Bennett and Michael Hogan. Jackson and Disney raised funds for the film through a successful Kickstarter campaign, and filming began on July 12, 2013, in Austin, Texas and continued for six weeks, ending on August 22, 2013.

Release
The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 19, 2014. The film went on to screen at the Montclair Film Festival on May 4, 2014. and the Seattle International Film Festival on June 6, 2014. The film was picked up by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Orion Pictures and was retitled Balls Out. The film was released in a limited release and video on demand on June 19, 2015.

Reception
The film was met with positive reviews from film critics. It currently holds an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 15 reviews. Andy Webster of The New York Times praised the film for its self-aware humor and talented cast for having comedic timing, singling out Kate McKinnon as a standout, concluding that "she displays talent too vast for the small screen. Now watch her career rocket." Nick Prigge of Slant Magazine gave a mixed review of the film, saying that it was at odds with itself of being either a straight sports film or a satire of the genre. Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly said that while there's some funny commentary on the absurdity of sports films he found the film less a feature film and more a long television sketch.

It won both the Cinema Dulce Best of Fest and Best Actor (Jake Lacy) awards at the Hill Country Film Festival and the Best Guilty Pleasure Audience Award at the Seattle International Film Festival. It also won the Best Sport Comedy award in The Vancouver Sun's 2015 Sports Market Movie Awards.