Plot Summary
When Courtney Smith-Donnelly, an inexperienced coach, is given the job as the new cross country coach at Orange Hills Christian Girls Private School, many parents are skeptical of her ‘unusual’ training methods. She insists on not wearing the girls out, but the parents want a winning team. Under the threat of being fired, Courtney pushes forward and encourages her girls to remember the goal no matter what.
Production Quality (2.5 points)
At least since they have been making films for nearly two decades, the Christiano brothers have learned how to craft a professional production. Video quality, camera work, and audio quality are all what they should be. The soundtrack is a bit silly at times, but outdoor locations and indoor sets are on market standard. The only real issue to point out here is the slightly poor editing job, which manifests in too many sports montages. But in the end, at least the production quality of this film is fine.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
Unfortunately, after all these years, the Christiano brothers have not been able to figure out how to craft a plot that relates the real people and real circumstances. They still demonstrate a trite and sometimes childish outlook on life, which includes a silly and plastic handling of otherwise important issues. The characters are also extremely thin and one-dimensional due to mindless dialogue. There is hardly any content in this plot except for sports sequences and lingo and there are a lot of disjointed subplots. But perhaps the most memorable part of this plot—for all the wrong reasons—is the forced and confusing parallels between Christianity and cross-country, as well as the ridiculous persecution the main character undergoes for training her team in a supposedly controversial fashion. This component dominates the film and is downright laughable, not to mention all of the quick fixes in this film. Basically, there is still nothing good to say here.
Acting Quality (1.5 points)
Though the Christianos mostly departed from their usual cast in his film, there are still issues here. The lead actress is often overly practiced yet unsure of herself at the same time. Other cast members are fine, but emotions often seem forced. Overall, this is an average performance.
Conclusion
Remember the Goal is a departure for the Christianos in that they have finally allowed a female character to take a lead role in a plot that does not involve them being confined to the house. Yet it still contains a lot of their typical shallow elements and their limited outlook on life and faith. Unfortunately, they’re not going to improve until they learn how to relate to real people and stop thinking that everything is a persecution ploy. But after all this time, why would they change?
Final Rating: 4 out of 10 points
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