The Express

Movie: The Express (2008), Rated PG

Date Watched: April 25, 2009

Stars Your Parents May Know: Dennis Quaid, Charles Dutton

Recommendation: ★★★☆☆


Treats Served: Popcorn

Interruptions: First David came and lay down on the couch and talked. Then my mom made him watch the movie. About 10 minutes later, Julia came in asking if she could watch the movie. About a half hour later, we stopped to make popcorn. David left. And Julia and I threw popcorn in the air and tried to catch it in our mouths. Then he came back about 30 minutes later and made Julia leave. Oh, and Hanky meowed the whole time.

Review: The Express is the true story of the short life of Ernie Davis, who became the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy. Ernie lived his early childhood with his grandparents until his mom came and got him. He moved with his mom to upstate New York and became the star of the high school football team.

This was a hard time for African-Americans because they weren't treated equally. They couldn't use the same bathrooms as whites. They couldn't stay at the same hotels and they couldn't go to the same restaurants.

It was a hard time for Ernie too. His teammates and people outside of football were mean to him because he was black. Ernie tried to ignore them, but when he couldn't, he outran them. He got his inspiration from Jackie Robinson and his grandfather. When Ernie attended Syracuse University, he learned from Jim Brown, another African-American football player who attended Syracuse.

It was good to learn about Ernie Davis. Even my dad didn't know who he was. I have heard about these times, but this was the first time I actually saw it. It was hard to watch. And my mom said what they were going to say right before they even said it. She said the movie was "predictable."

There were three similarities to Breaking Away. First, Dennis Quaid was in both. Second, they were both about sports. And third, they were both about struggles between two types of people competing against each other.

I think you should watch this movie. But watch the trailer and you decide.

Patchy: Wasn't interested at all in the movie.