12 Mighty Orphans
12 Mighty Orphans
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that 12 Mighty Orphans is a Depression-era sports drama based on the true story of one of Texas' most storied coaches, Rusty Russell (Luke Wilson), who led a football team from an orphanage to the state high school championships. The movie explores both prejudice against orphans and the universal manner in which sports bring people together to work toward a common goal. There's occasional strong/insult language (one "f--king," plus "s--t," "ass," "son of a bitch," "dirty orphans," etc.), as well as sexual innuendoes, a couple of quick kisses, and a Peeping Tom incident. The players get into fistfights and are the victims of abuse from orphanage authorities and, in one case, a mother. Families who watch together can research the history of the real Mighty Mites from Forth Worth, Texas, and talk about the movie's themes of empathy, perseverance, and teamwork (as well as the problematic fact that the team's two Latino boys are kept completely in the background).
Community Reviews
Predictable with expected twists
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Inspiring, Emotional True Story
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What's the Story?
Director Ty Roberts' fact-based sports drama 12 MIGHTY ORPHANS compresses the story of the Mighty Mites, an untraditional high school football team formed in the Masonic Home & School in 1930s Fort Worth, Texas. As the movie starts, it's 1938, and teacher/football coach Rusty Russell (Luke Wilson) and his fellow teacher and wife, Juanita (Vinessa Shaw), arrive at the Masonic Home with their young daughter. The kids are treated abominably by abusive print-shop foreman Frank Wynn (Wayne Knight), who routinely beats the boys and scoffs at Russell's presumptuous desire to start a football program. No one has ever played the game before, but Coach Rusty, with the help of volunteer physician Doc Hall (Martin Sheen), gathers the boys -- most notably, resentful new resident Hardy Brown (Jake Austin Brown) -- teaches them the basics, and starts taking on other school teams, all of which are richer and more experienced, including the team of nastily rude Coach Luther (Lane Garrison, a. co-writer).
Is It Any Good?
This corny underdog football drama has decent performances but doesn't quite live up to the inspiring history lesson or deep character study it could have been. Based on sportswriter Jim Dent's same-named book, the movie features the predictable feel-good aspect of most historical sports films: a team of ragtag players, a devoted coach, and all the odds stacked against them. The antagonists -- both Knight's Frank and Garrison's rival coach -- are ridiculously over-the-top, making nonstop cruel comments and coming across as sadistic in their desire to see the orphans completely downtrodden. All that's missing is some exaggerated mustache twirling to make their campy villainy complete. Their performances are so outlandish that it detracts from the dramatic arc of the team's season.
Despite Wilson's and Sheen's standout portrayals, the story doesn't focus enough on the individual players, aside from how Hardy arrives at the orphanage covered in his dead father's blood, or when Wheatie's unstable mother appears and starts slapping him. Several players barely get any lines, notably the two Latino boys who are present but kept completely in the background. Audiences learn more about these players at the end when photos of their real counterparts pop up on-screen. Even Rusty's character, whom we learn was an orphan himself, isn't as fully developed as other famous movie coaches. It's hard to decipher what really happened (reportedly, the movie condenses into one season what it took nearly a decade for Coach Russell to build, and it's unlikely that President Roosevelt would've been that invested in Texas football policies), but the movie may successfully compel audiences to learn more about the scrappy orphans who defied the odds both on and off the field.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why sports movies like 12 Mighty Orphans are so popular -- and often inspiring. What are some of your other favorites?
Discuss how the movie represents class and social status. Is it believable how overtly cruel the other players, coaches, and even announcers were? Did you notice any problematic representations?
What did you learn about the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression? Did the movie make you want to learn more about the time period? How can you research what's real and what's fictionalized? Why might filmmakers change the facts in movies that are based on true stories?
How do the characters demonstrate empathy, perseverance, and teamwork? Why are these important character strengths?
Movie Details
- In theaters: June 11, 2021
- On DVD or streaming: August 31, 2021
- Cast: Luke Wilson, Martin Sheen, Vinessa Shaw
- Director: Ty Roberts
- Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
- Genre: Drama
- Topics: Sports and Martial Arts, Friendship, Great Boy Role Models
- Character Strengths: Empathy, Perseverance, Teamwork
- Run time: 118 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG-13
- MPAA explanation: violence, language, some suggestive references, smoking and brief teen drinking
- Last updated: March 31, 2022
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