American Underdog tells the inspirational true story of Kurt Warner (Zachary Levi), who went from a stockboy at a grocery store to a two-time NFL MVP, Super Bowl champion, and Hall of Fame quarterback. The film centers on Warner’s unique story and years of challenges and setbacks that could have derailed his aspirations to become an NFL player – but just when his dreams seemed all but out of reach, it is only with the support of his wife, Brenda (Anna Paquin) and the encouragement of his family, coaches, and teammates that Warner perseveres and finds the strength to show the world the champion that he already is. American Underdog is an uplifting story that demonstrates that anything is possible when you have faith, family and determination.
For in-depth thoughts on American Underdog, please see my colleague Dom Fisher’s review from its original theatrical release here.
Video Quality
American Underdog comes to Blu-Ray in an AVC encoded transfer in 2.39:1 courtesy of Lionsgate featuring lovely cinematography from Kristopher Kimlin. This presentation is quite gorgeous and offers a stable image quality throughout. The visual majesty of the film translates well on disc with most shots looking stable and breathtaking. Kimlin captures varied landscapes throughout this journey that really pop in high definition. Not only do the textural details render cleanly, but the lush colors of the jerseys leap off the screen and appear naturally. There is no evidence of compression artifacts or other digital nuisances outside a very minor bit in the darkest sections of the film. Skin tones look natural throughout the runtime. I do not see how this disc could have been improved significantly without checking out the 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc, which was not made available for review. It’s a real beauty as is.
Audio Quality
This disc comes equipped with a wonderful Dolby Atmos presentation that packs one heck of punch from beginning to end. Even though this is far from your typical sports movie, there are plenty of moments that put you into the thick of the action. Sounds are appropriately rendered with precise directionality from the more kinetic action scenes to interpersonal moments of dialogue. Ambient details are plentiful and quite satisfying in the rear and overhead channels. The overhead channels serve to complement the other channels rather than carry the main load, which adds a nice sense of space to the mix. Musical cues and the serviceable score envelope the room with a vengeance. Dialogue is presented perfectly clear without ever being overwhelmed by any of the competing sonic elements. The scenes at the game provide an all-encompassing soundscape that kicks in throughout all the speakers. The low end is engaged in a really solid way that you will feel in your seat. The mix offers up the best experience for those with the home theater system to support it.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Directors Andrew and Jon Erwin, and Producer Kevin Downes gather together to provide a solid commentary track for this one in which they speak to why they wanted to tell this story, the universal themes, the collaboration with Kurt Warner, the performance of Zachary Levi, the importance of the core relationship in the film, the filming conditions of the film, the structure of the story and more.
- Inspired: A 16-minute featurette in which the cast, crew and subjects discuss the process of bringing the story to the screen, the importance of casting someone who understands and respects the story of Kurt Warner, the place of faith in the narrative, the cameos of Kurt and Brenda, the relationship between Warner and Coach Vermeil, the response for the Warners and more.
- Making The Cut: A 14-minute featurette which takes a look at the editing process, how Warrior inspired the tone of the feature, finding elegant solutions to certain obstacles, the attempt to stay accurate to history, building pace within the dialogue, holding test screenings in Texas and Tennessee and more.
- A Coach’s Faith: A 31-minute piece in which Heidi Gardner from Saturday Night Live (a huge football fan) interviews Coach Vermeil in which details his decision to become a football coach, his desire to inspire others, his rollercoaster career coaching, his relationship with Kurt Warner, his coaching instinct, his experience at the Super Bowl and more. This is a tremendous addition to the package that football fans should not overlook.
- New To The Scene – Hayden Zaller: A six-minute featurette which delves into the critical casting choice of Zack and how young Hayden embodies everything that is so special about the Warner’s real-life child. The best bits of this are the candid moments with the young actor that will warm your heart.
- Meet The Champion: A 15-minute interview between Coach Steve “Mooch” Mariucci and Kurt Warner in which he discusses the process of having his life story told on screen, working with the filmmakers, the narrative structure and more. There is also another interview with Coach Vermeil and the filmmakers.
- Behind The Game: An eight-minute look at how the documentary background of the filmmakers fueled the narrative of the film, the universal themes within the story, the actual filming of the games and more.
- American Underdog – Behind The Story: A four-minute featurette which provides a glimpse at the “Cinderella story” and how it was brought to the big screen in a personal way.
- Deleted Scenes: Eighteen minutes of unused material is provided here including an extended intro with young Kurt Warner, a scene between Brenda and her mom, a scene showing Kurt interacting with some legendary players and more. This is provided with optional commentary from Andrew Erwin.
- Theatrical Trailer: The two-and-a-half minute trailer is provided here.
Final Thoughts
American Underdog is an inspiring true-life story that is brought to life with great care by the filmmakers. While this may have an undercurrent of faith-based elements, the story is universal enough in its approach that all audiences should find an easy entry point to this heartfelt story. Zachary Levi does an incredible job bringing this memorable figure to the big screen, and the remainder of the ensemble match him in charisma and screen presence. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray featuring a truly excellent A/V presentation and a loaded supplemental package. If you are interested in the subject matter, you should be really pleased by this entire package. Recommended
American Underdog is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-ray, Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Lionsgate Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
