The Slaughter Rule
In life, every season counts.
A dreary Montana winter teaches teenager Roy (Ryan Gosling) how to be a man. First, he loses his father, a possible suicide; then he's cut from his high school football team. So when Gid (David Morse), a pariah in his own hometown, suggests that Roy play for his six-man team, Roy has nothing to lose—or so he thinks. But all too soon, Roy is overwhelmed by his love for an older woman (Clea Duvall) and pressure from the brusque-but-paternal Gid.
Member Reviews
Don't let the football fool you. - cathyottawa
This isn't that sports movie. You know, the one with the big game, and the rag tag team that makes the playoffs, and the rousing locker room speech.
These kids don't even have a locker room, and the football is really just the backdrop.
This is a small town life, coming of age story about life lessons, and growing up, and realizing what kind of man you're going to be.
Ryan Gosling has great instincts. He finds these interesting roles in these small movies that really let him shine and show what he can do, and this early effort is no exception.
Gosling is Roy, a kid in need of a male role model, and some guidance. The underrated David Morse is Gideon, the strange character who is willing to fill that role, as he convinces Roy to join his football team.
Is Gideon the right father figure for Roy? Are his motives pure? Are the rumors about him true?
This film gets the small town in big sky country thing just right. Look for Amy Adams in a small pre-famous role (she's with the school football team in the diner).Coming of age film with too many sub-plots - AvidOscarBee
This drama film is about Roy Chutney (Ryan Gosling) who is a high school senior in a small town in Montana. Roy is not close with his mother Evangelline (Kelly Lynch), and he hasn't seen his father in many years. When Roy learns that his father committed suicide, he is still deeply moved by the loss and his self-esteem suffers further when he is cut from his school's local football team.
Roy starts hanging out with his best friend, Tracy Two Dogs (Eddie Spears), and falls in love with a local tavern bartender, Skyla (Clea Duvall). The relationship starts off very passionate and then fizzles as Skyla starts to discover that Roy is distant and your typical boy who is emotionally detached. Roy then meets Gideon Ferguson (David Morse), who is impressed after watching Roy play on his former high school football team. Gideon coaches a semi-professional, 6 man football team when he isn't singing country songs with his body in local bars or delivering newspapers to make some extra money. Gideon feels that Roy has what it takes to join his 6 man football team.
Roy begins to feel good about himself again as he starts getting to know and playing on this 6 man football team. However, Roy starts to get turned off by Gideon's controlling personality and "too-close" interest and attachment to him. There are rumours in the town that Gideon is gay, so Roy starts to pull away as he wonders if he was asked to play on the team for that very reason and not because he might be talented. And so the drama begins.
The movie is okay but gets lost with too many "mini stories" taking place within the main story. You could see that this is probably one of Ryan Gosling's earliest feels because he's quite young and his acting is not as strong.
Member Reviews
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Don't let the football fool you. - cathyottawa
This isn't that sports movie. You know, the one with the big game, and the rag tag team that makes the playoffs, and the rousing locker room speech.
These kids don't even have a locker room, and the football is really just the backdrop.
This ...Coming of age film with too many sub-plots - AvidOscarBee
This drama film is about Roy Chutney (Ryan Gosling) who is a high school senior in a small town in Montana. Roy is not close with his mother Evangelline (Kelly Lynch), and he hasn't seen his father in many years. When Roy learns that his father committed suicide, ...