All In: Miracle At St. Bernard's
Parents say
Based on 3 reviews
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All In: Miracle At St. Bernard's
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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 All In: Miracle at St. Bernard's is a 2022 documentary about the community and football team of a Catholic school in Massachusetts working together to save the school. It's an inspiring documentary that highlights positive messages like community spirit, teamwork, resilience, and perseverance. The principal discusses the suicide of a student. "S--tty" is said twice, "hell" once.
What's the Story?
ALL IN: MIRACLE AT ST. BERNARD'S tells the story of how a small Catholic high school in central Massachusetts won back-to-back state championships. These championships happen at a time when St. Bernard's Central Catholic faces closure due to lack of funds from the diocese -- a chronic problem impacting Catholic schools across the country as enrollment continues to drop. Together, the principal, football coaches, staff, concerned members of the community, and students work together to find ways to raise the money necessary to keep the school open.
Is It Any Good?
This is an inspiring story of football and community spirit. All In: Miracle at St. Bernard's addresses the crisis in Catholic education of declining enrollment and the shuttering of schools with long histories in their communities, but viewers don't need to be Catholic to enjoy it. Fans of underdog sports stories will be especially interested. It's a great story of a seemingly outmatched high school football team representing their struggling school, and perfectly symbolic of the greater struggle the school faces to keep its doors open.
While it's a solid story, some of the production values mar the overall enjoyment. Documentaries like these always feel the need to be playing "rousing" and "inspirational" background music on an endless loop, as if the story itself can't move the audience. It mostly balances the story with the broader concerns, but it would've been helpful if there was more talk of the bigger picture for Catholic education -- the problems of declining enrollment and funds.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about documentaries like All In: Miracle at St. Bernard's. How is this similar to and different from other documentaries you've seen?
What character strengths are on display? Why are these so important?
Who are some of the positive role models in the documentary, and what makes them positive role models?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: December 13, 2022
- Cast: Michael George
- Director: Gregg Backer
- Studio: Gravitas Ventures
- Genre: Documentary
- Topics: Sports and Martial Arts, Friendship, Great Boy Role Models, Great Girl Role Models, High School
- Character Strengths: Perseverance, Teamwork
- Run time: 96 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: December 16, 2022
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