''Spirit of the Game'' is a 2016

biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...

written and directed by Darran Scott aka Darran Page with cinematography by Brian J. Breheny (''

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert ''The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert'' is a 1994 Australian road comedy film written and directed by Stephan Elliott. The plot follows two drag queens, played by Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce, and a transgender woman, played by Tere ...

''). The film is based on the true story of the

Mormon Yankees The Mormon Yankees were an exhibition basketball team in Australia from 1937-1961. Composed of young missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the team played all over Australia and became widely known. One Mormon Yankee ...

, an American basketball team which played in exhibition games before the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...

. The film stars,

Aaron Jakubenko Aaron Jakubenko (born 8 December 1988) is an Australian actor. He is known for playing Yuri in ''Conspiracy 365'' and Augie McTeer in ''Tidelands''.Kevin Sorbo Kevin David Sorbo (born September 24, 1958) is an American actor. He had starring roles in two television series: as Hercules in ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'', and as Captain Dylan Hunt in '' Andromeda''. Sorbo is also known for acting ...

, Wade Briggs, Grant Pino and

Anna McGahan Anna McGahan (born 2 May 1988) is an Australian actress and playwright, who has appeared in Australian television, film and theatre. She is best known for playing the roles of Nellie Cameron in the Australian television series, '' Underbelly: ...

Plot

It’s 1956 and 20 year old Delyle Condie travels to Melbourne, Australia, on a Mission for his Church in an attempt to recover from a broken heart. He leaves behind a promising basketball career and finds himself in a city gripped with Olympic fever. Delyle struggles to maintain his spirits when faced with the indifference of the locals, but when an opportunity to help train Australia’s first Olympic basketball team arises, Delyle sees his chance to connect. His passion leads to the formation of the Mormon Yankees basketball team, and in the run up to the Games, fierce competition with the French leads to a bloody rematch, through which Delyle and his Yankees are able to prove their faith - and their mettle - to the world.

Cast

* Aaron Jakubenko as DeLyle Condie *

Kevin Sorbo Kevin David Sorbo (born September 24, 1958) is an American actor. He had starring roles in two television series: as Hercules in ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'', and as Captain Dylan Hunt in '' Andromeda''. Sorbo is also known for acting ...

as Parley Condie * Wade Briggs as Don Hull *

Grant Piro Grant Piro is an Australian actor. He is best known as the host of the children's television show ''Couch Potato'' on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He also appeared as Captain Schnepel in Escape From Pretoria. Career He began his care ...

as Ken Watson *

as Elspeth * Heidi Arena as Mary Condie * Mark Mitchell as President Bingham * Alex Cooke as Elder Garn * Brenton Cosier as Elder Kimball * Andrew Hearle as Elder Frodsham * Rudi Baker as Stan Page * Cameron Caulfield as Brett * Emilie Cocquerel as Emily * Hanna MacDonald as herself

Reception

The ''

Deseret News The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...

'' criticised the "stiff acting" in the movie, but highlighted Piro's performance and described the story as "compelling". ''

The Salt Lake Tribune ''The Salt Lake Tribune'' is a newspaper published in the city of Salt Lake City, Utah. The ''Tribune'' is owned by The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc., a non-profit corporation. The newspaper's motto is "Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871." History ...

'' thought the film was full of "ponderous piety" but praised Sorbo for adding some gravitas to his role. The film was nominated for best dramatic cinema in the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.

References

External links

* * {{rotten-tomatoes, id=spirit_of_the_game_2016, title=Spirit of the Game 2016 films 2010s sports films Basketball films Films set in 1956 Films set in Australia Australian sports drama films 2010s English-language films