Plot Summary
The Conagheys could never have children, so they decided to adopt a pair of twin boys who was in need of a home. As proud members of a small community in Texas that greatly valued high school basketball, the Conagheys encouraged their two boys, Josh and Matt, to get involved. However, one became better than the other and became tired of being stuck in the small town team. Instead, he wanted to play for the better team in the next town. The Conagheys decide to let him live with his aunt so he can attend the other school, but at what cost will is come at?
Production Quality (2.5 points)
For the most part, Breaking the Press has a fairly professional production with no glaring errors. The sports filming is definitely great, include good action shots and camera work. Video quality and audio quality are what they should be. The soundtrack is a bit generic, but it is adequate. Sets, locations, and props are on par with what they should be. The biggest issue to point out here is the poor editing, including abrupt cuts and transitions, as well as musical montages. But this is not enough to derail this section, which is nearly perfect.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
Unfortunately, the storyline of Breaking the Press is not very creative at all. For starters, there is too much narration, which of course stunts natural character and story development. The time jumps certainly don’t help this either. The whole thing is just a typical and formulaic sports storyline mixed with a predictable prodigal son storyline. There is really no creativity here, and the characters come off as plastic and manufactured. Also, sports montages are commonplace, along with a random Christmas inclusion in the middle of the film. Edgy content is not handled very well either. On the whole, this just seems like someone trying to pander to Christian audiences.
Acting Quality (2 points)
Yet this cast is mostly professional and is definitely above average. The only thing holding back this section are the overdone moments and overly practiced lines. Yet for the most part, emotions are realistic. This rounds out an overall average film effort.
Conclusion
It’s hard to get more formulaic than movies like Breaking the Press. Throwing a prodigal son story into the inspirational sports genre does not exactly excite. Creativity is very minimum here, and it seems like this is a low-effort attempt to grab some quick cash from a Christian audience. If you are going to make a typical story, the least you can do is to craft realistic and accessible characters. But once again, a film is left wanting.
Final Rating: 4.5 out of 10 points
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