The Senior (PG)
14/01/26 20:11 Filed in: 2025
Starring: Michael Chiklis
September 2025
Warning! This is NOT a movie review. This is a critique of the film. Intended to initiate a dialogue, the following analysis explores various aspects of the film and may contain spoilers. For concerns over objectionable content, please first refer to one of the many parental movie guide websites. Ratings are based on a four star system. Happy reading!
When it comes to “based on a true story” movies, the premise behind The Senior has got to be one of the least likely and most outlandish in cinema history. Having never completed his senior year of college, Mike Flynt (Michael Chiklis) tries out for the football team at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, TX, and, against all odds, makes the team…at age 59!
And if that isn’t unbelievable enough, Mike, who is injured in training camp and rehabs all season, finally gets some snaps at the very end of the final game of the season—making Mike the oldest player in college football history.
Though there’s plenty of on-field action here to rivet football fans, The Senior (a clever double entendre) is much more than a sports movie; it’s a top-shelf “follow your dreams” flick with a strong moral undercurrent to please the faith and family crowd.
The emotional center of the movie is its poignant subplot involving two generations of fathers and sons. Flashback scenes of Mike’s father (James Badge Dale), teaching him how to be a man by bashing him with boxing gloves until he gets a bloody nose, are rough to watch. Other flashbacks show Mike repeating the cycle of violence with his own son, who, not surprisingly, is estranged from Mike as an adult.
The success of the movie fell largely on Chiklis’ broad shoulders (figuratively and literally: he’s built like a tank). Fortunately, the veteran TV (The Shield) and film (Fantastic Four, 2005) actor was more than up to the challenge, delivering a believable performance as a man who just wants a chance to redeem his violent past and set an example by finishing what he started decades earlier.
Some of the movie’s most meaningful moments involve Mike’s wife, Eileen (Mary Stuart Masterson). In one well-acted scene, Eileen names the conditions that must be met before she backs Mike’s rekindled desire to return to college football. Eileen’s deep concern and reluctant support of Mike’s dream help ground the film. Indeed, she gives voice to what we’re thinking—that this is a crazy idea that can’t possibly end well.
The other well-known cast member is Rob Corddry (Hot Tub Time Machine), who delivers a wonderfully restrained performance as laconic Coach Sam Weston. The “follow my lead” scene, where Coach Weston yells at the team and storms out of the locker room, is not to be missed.
Though the movie has certain similarities with Rudy (1993)—and even knowingly references the gridiron classic when Coach Weston says, “He’s like a 59-year-old Rudy”—The Senior is a unique entry into the annals of unlikely sport’s hero films.
So, is The Senior a schmaltzy biopic or inspirational true tale? You decide.
For me, this feel-good football flick (shrewdly released at the outset of football season), resembles its main character, a scrappy underdog that gets the job done.
Rating: 2½ out of 4