Facing the Giants Blu-ray

Facing The Giants DVD

From the producers of Flywheel, Fireproof, Courageous, and War Room comes a modern day David and Goliath story of faith in the face of failure. Facing The Giants tells the story of small town football coach Grant Taylor, whose life is going down the drain. He's fighting to keep his job as coach of the Shiloh Christian Academy Eagles, his house and truck are falling to pieces (literally), his finances are in shambles, and worst of all he and his wife are struggling with infertility. With nowhere else to turn he cries out to God for help, and challenges his team and wife to do the same. What follows is a remarkable story about the miracles that happen when we align our will with God's, and remember all things are possible through him.

Facing the Giants was the second film to be released by the Kendrick Brothers, the two men behind Sherwood Pictures and other terrific films like Flywheel, Courageous, and the recently released War Room movie. Although they are no longer making films under the Sherwood Pictures branding, the Kendrick Brothers continue to be a driving force in the Christian film industry.

Praise at All Times

While the plot and characters are captivating to watch, the most beautiful part of this film are the biblical life lessons that are presented in an entertaining yet engaging manner. Perhaps the most powerful of these is the idea of praising God at all times. Psalm 34:1 says "I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth," and this theme is woven throughout the film Facing the Giants. After realizing the profound effect the attitudes of our heart have on our lives and the outcomes of our actions, Coach Taylor presents a new motto to the football team. In a serious locker room discussion with his boys Taylor says, "We need to give God our best in every area, and if we win we praise him, and if we lose we praise him." The Eagles attempt to adopt this motto into their team and lives, and the change that becomes evident as a result is remarkable. Not only does the team's losing streak finally end, but forgiveness and reconciliation are achieved in Taylor's life, as well as in the lives of many of his boys. In addition, the boys' attitudes and actions spur a campus wide revival, as the students rededicate their lives to God.

Our Priorities Are God's Priorities

In addition to highlighting the need to praise God in each and every situation, Facing The Giants presents another powerful reminder--the need to align our priorities with God's priorities. In the beginning of the film, as Taylor, his wife, and his team fight to accomplish their goals and dreams apart from God everything is obviously going wrong. Distrust, failure, doubts, broken relationships, and feelings of inadequacy abound and things seem to be going everywhere but up. After surrendering his life and dreams to God, however, Taylor's life begins to abound with miracles, culminating in a remarkable ending of redemption and the power of faith. After Taylor reminds his team, "Our goal is not to win games, it's to honor God," the same walk of faith, littered with miracles, is taken by his team, school, and wife. The coach presents the concept of surrender in a simple phrase, easily understood by everyone, when he says, "I've resolved to give God everything I've got, and leave the results to him." God doesn't disappoint.

Never Give Up, Never Lose Faith

While aligning our priorities with God's and surrendering our dreams is an important beginning, we must not give up when "the going gets tough." This is yet another of the valuable lessons Facing the Giants instills in its viewers. During a poignant scene in the movie Coach Taylor forces a player to do the "death crawl." A grueling exercise in which player must crawl on their hands and knees for a specified number of yards with another player on their back. For an added challenge, Taylor makes the boy do the death crawl blindfolded. The player has no idea how far he has come and how far he has left to go. As the boy slowly creeps along Taylor encourages him not to give up, to keep pushing further, and not lose faith in his ability. When the boy finally collapses from exhaustion he asks his coach how far he has crawled, guessing he only made it a few yards. In great astonishment the player is told he has crawled the entire 360-foot-long football field. Whether the producers intended it or not, this scene is a fantastic metaphor for our own faith journeys. Sometimes we feel like we have barely moved through the rough spot. Perhaps we feel that we haven't budged from the spot God found us at. When he removes the blindfold, however, we realize how far he has taken us. We can only travel far, however, if we do not give in to failure, hardship, rejection, or shattered dreams. As you watch Facing the Giants you will watch the characters crawl across the field of their lives, and as you do you will watch them follow the words of Hebrews 10:33, "Therefore do not throw away your confidence which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised." Never give up, and never lose faith. God has a plan.

Facing The Giants is a family friendly film that will encourage all ages to run with perseverance. This 111 minute film was rated PG by the MPAA for some thematic elements, and while we suggest screening the film for younger children Facing the Giants was rated "Faith-friendly" for all ages by the Dove Foundation. Written, produced, and directed by the Kendrick brothers, Alex and Stephen, and starring Alex Kendrick as Coach Grant Taylor, Facing The Giants will not only provide you with a quality Christian film to enjoy, but many Biblically based lessons to ponder and discuss with your family.

Starring: Alex Kendrick, Shannen Fields, Chris Willis, and Tracy Goode

DVD Features:

• Rated: PG
• Region: Region 1 (USA, Canada)
• Languages: French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Thai
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Portuguese, Thai
• Format: Widescreen
• Bonus Material: -
  - "With You" Musical Tribute to the Volunteers
  - 13 Deleted Scenes - Behind the Scenes of Facing the Giants
  - Filmmaker Commentary
  - Fumbles, Funnies, and Other Fun Stuff
  - Interview with Mark Richt: University of Georgia Bulldogs Football Coach
• Time: 111 minutes
• Release: 2007

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