Greater is the story of Brandon Burlsworth. Burlsworth was an Offensive Lineman for the Arkansas Razorback from 1995-1998. He started his career as a walk-on and through hard work and dedication, he not only earned a scholarship and a starting position but he was named a First Team All-American and eventually drafted in 1999 by the Indianapolis Colts. Tragically, he died in a car accident 11 days after being drafted.

His life story continues to serves as inspiration for the underdog. The Brandon Burlsworth Foundation provides free eye care to children in poverty and also provides tickets to each Arkansas Razorback home game to impoverished youth. The Brandon Burlsworth Trophy is given to the most outstanding Division 1 Football player who began his career as a walk-on.

Greater is told from Brandon’s funeral as his older brother Marty reflects on his life. It starts with Brandon as a probably 13 year-old kid (Marty is 17 years older) and builds the foundation for their relationship as a family. Brandon has dreams of playing for the Arkansas Razorbacks and as he goes to playing on the high school football team, he still has that dream. He walks-on at Arkansas at a staggering 335 pounds but it’s not muscle and he struggles to keep up in practice. Relegated to the practice squad and facing an enormous uphill climb he drops his weight to a fit 275 pounds and then builds back up to a muscled 300 pound lineman. By the end of the season, he’s earned the respect of his teammates, a scholarship, and a spot on the team.

Greater is a really, well-made film. It has some really good actors. Neal McDonough (TV’sLegends of Tomorrow) is a great character actor who is normally in supporting roles but shines and commands the screen as Marty Burlsworth. Michael Parks (Red State, Tusk) is another solid character actor who does well as Brandon’s deadbeat Dad. Brandon’s Mom was played by Leslie Easterbrook (Police Academy) and she does well but her character seems a little too happy at her son’s funeral and she doesn’t look like she was old enough to have two sons that were born 17 years apart. Christopher Severio is pretty good as Brandon Burlsworth but he’s the weakest of the main cast. That’s not a knock against him. Everyone in this movie was pretty good.

The characters in this movie all feel very noble. Even Brandon’s father who is a terrible person, comes across as a noble soul. When he starts his career, his teammates are mean and bully Brandon but their nobility comes though when he becomes a good football player. Coaches are noble. Rowdy fans become noble. Everyone felt a little too noble. There’s a scene in the film in which Brandon apologizes to another player for a mistake that cost the team a victory. I won’t mention the player’s name but I asked him about it and he said that Brandon didn’t apologize but he owned his mistake. In fairness, the player in question hasn’t seen the movie yet so he can’t really comment on what was truth and what was exaggerated. Sometimes movies tweak the story to fit the narrative, not that it matters in this case because most will agree that Brandon was a pretty good person and that scene helped the audience understand the kind of player he was and the effect he had on those around him.

I am still curious to know how close the portrayal of Brandon and his relationship to his teammates is to what really happened.

There is an undertone of Faith and Religion that may be off-putting to some. Some will say thatGreater sends a message of “if you pray and trust God, good things will happen” but I took it as a “if you work hard and dedicate yourself, good things will happen”. There are scenes where Brandon expresses his faith and shares in bible study with a coach and his teammates but the message of that isn’t thrown in your face. Of course, good things happened to Brandon Burlsworth but he also died so young and that should make you ask “why”. This is a struggle that Marty faces through the film, “If God is so good then why do bad things happen to good people while evil men thrive”. It’s a question that the film doesn’t answer except to say that Brandon was able to achieve so much because he had faith in God and also in himself and even though he is gone, his legacy continues.

If you love the Hogs and you love Underdogs, then you will love Greater. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will cheer but most importantly you will be inspired.