Can Ben’s “23 Blast” movie review convince you to see it?

23Blast-posterI am not a football fan. Any sport with a 100% injury rate is too much for me. And if you read the comments to my post earlier this month about actors with disabilities, you know that while I’d like to see (okay, hear!) more films with people who have disabilities in them, I prefer we just be part of the fabric of the movie, not necessarily the heroic central figure.

So when I heard a movie called 23 Blast is opening in theatres nationwide today, I wasn’t particularly interested. 23 Blast is a movie based on the real-life story of Travis Freeman, a teenager who grew up in a small town in Kentucky and lost his sight overnight when an unusual infection destroys his optic nerve. His parents love him, his physical therapist challenges him, and a high school football coach inspires him to compete on the gridiron. In the end, of course, his Corbin High School team advances to the state playoffs.

I wouldn’t have given this movie a second glance, ahem, until colleagues told me that my fellow blogger Ben Trockman got to see it in advance of today’s opening.

Ben said Blast 23 is actually a pretty good film. “It’s not a documentary in any way,” he said. “But they portrayed the disability pretty well, and they also included a good amount of entertainment and humor in the film.”

Ben said 23 Blast was inspirational, and that most anyone could watch it. “No cursing or offensive actions,” he said. “It was put together to tell a real person story, and it communicated a real message on a bond between friends, family, and a football team.”

The film’s release today includes a descriptive audio channel, which means people who are blind or have visual impairments can use headphones in theaters to take it all in. Who knows –maybe I’ll give it a listen.

If you see this movie, let us know what you think kin the comments below!


 

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