The Grizzlies

Though it's a familiar plot about kids learning discipline and teamwork through sports, The Grizzlies is brought to life through the specifics that make the characters and their sense of place — and of displacement — central to the story.

Director Miranda de Pencier and writers Graham Yost and Moira Walley-Beckett haven’t dodged hard sociological truths lurking beneath the gentle humor, engaging performances and stirringly photographed tundra, lending The Grizzlies a decisive, transformative edge.

Like any good, inspirational athletic adventure, the film forges a strong connection with the human side of the story.

This is a “feel good” movie that lets you feel good only after it shows you how bad everything can get.