The U

2009 "In the '80s college football was hit by a hurricane"
7.8| 1h42m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 12 December 2009 Released
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Official Website: http://30for30.espn.com/film/the-u.html
Synopsis

Throughout the 1980s, Miami, Florida, was at the center of a racial and cultural shift taking place throughout the country. Overwhelmed by riots and tensions, Miami was a city in flux, and the University of Miami football team served as a microcosm for this evolution. The image of the predominantly white university was forever changed when coach Howard Schnellenberger scoured some of the toughest ghettos in Florida to recruit mostly black players for his team. With a newly branded swagger, inspired and fueled by the quickly growing local Miami hip hop culture, these Hurricanes took on larger-than-life personalities and won four national titles between 1983 and 1991. Filmmaker Billy Corben, a Miami native and University of Miami alum, will tell the story of how these “Bad Boys” of football changed the attitude of the game they played, and how this serene campus was transformed into “The U.”

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Reviews

SoftInloveRox Horrible, fascist and poorly acted
SteinMo What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.
Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.
hollidayterri I lived in Miami at this time and just recently watched the "U"..... This was so fantastic and the authenticity and truthfulness of these athletes is unmatched..... They are not despicable at all.... they are, "real." They made a social statement that every American should see....and, they were , fantastic football players who worked hard to have a winning team. I am enraged that they would be referred to as, "despicable." They made the University, millions of dollars and improved the football program to a level that was never seen.... Doesn't that deserve recognition? I am disgusted at anyone who insults them..... I am completely inspired by their bravery and courage, which most people do not have. They were themselves and they were very talented. They did not play by the social rules of the time..... so what? That makes them despicable...? No, that makes them, "unconventional." I am very offended at the insults to the most "authentic," football team ever seen.....And, I love Jimmy Johnson, for standing by them...... you will never find a coach stand by his controversial players in this day and age.... hats off to Jimmy!!! And, furthermore, all of the coaches (Schnelleberger, Johnson, Erikson) were extremely different in style but brought out the best in them.I love the Hurricanes!!
MartinHafer In the 1980s and 90s, the University of Miami went from a second-rate college football school to THE powerhouse school. Unfortunately, they did this by encouraging thuggish behavior--a celebration of obnoxious and unsportsmanlike conduct. While this isn't the main reason I could now care less about sports, it is one of many. Sure, they were good teams--but the players frequently had brushes with the law, acted like jerks on and off the field and promoted the worst in people. BUT, they won games because apparently that is what's important in life--not character, class or intellect--just winning. Well, the ex-players and coaches all interviewed think this was the case, but there were many non-Miami players and coaches who couldn't stand them...and said so in this film. All in all, I found this to be one the least enjoyable films in the "30 for 30" series. Mostly, this was because I really hated what these people represented...and also because the film seemed to promote this or at least to tolerate it. This non-judgmental approach might appeal to some. It just made me annoyed. And, your view of their antics will greatly affect what you think of this installment of the series. It sure left a bitter taste in my mouth.
TheEmulator23 This was an absolutely superb documentary about the rise of a the crummy University of Miami. What was most interesting to me was that I had no idea that they were considered a joke pre-1980 something. As long as I knew of the U I always knew of them as being one of the best colleges to go to for any player that possibly had a chance of going into Pro Football, whether it was to play for the USFL or the NFL. In fact if they just went through how many players have turned Pro in the last 30 years I bet it's almost 100 or more. That is extremely impressive & I very much doubt there are any other schools that can claim that. It was nice to see interviews from all sorts of the players, Jimmy Johnson, & the coach that came before him. This was an excellent documentary & any true college or Pro Football fan will be glad they saw this. I hope this gets a DVD release so that it can gain an even bigger audience. My only complaint was I felt this could have been longer & even more in depth especially in the later years.
Michael_Elliott 30 for 30: The U (2009)*** 1/2 (out of 4)Extremely entertaining documentary taking a look at the Miami Hurricanes and their powerful run throughout the 1980s and early 90s. The school started off as nothing in a town full of racial violence but soon Howard Schnellenberger decided to go into the ghettos of the city and bring those men to the school. This here would continue with Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson coaching but soon the media and other schools started having second thoughts about what was really going on at the school. This is a rather extraordinary documentary that manages to do quite a few things. It does a lot but the one thing it forgets to do is to look at the program on a level playing field. Instead, Corben, a Miami native, has the players and coaches telling all of their stories about how great the program was and we never get to hear from other schools, players or coaches. To me this paints a rather unfair portrait where many of the controversial moments are either looked at and praised or glossed over all together. Towards the end of the film there's someone bragging about Miami players going out and robbing stereos!!! With that said, if you want a history lesson on what was going on during this period then you're going to have a hard time topping this. The film does a very good job at showing the "hurricane" coming through and destroying everything in its way. I thought the film did a wonderful job at explaining why Miami took off the way it did and how it eventually all came to an end. I'm sure a group of people could watch this film and debate on whether this school was good or bad for football but in my opinion it's great when a documentary can make you debate what it shows you. Again, for a history lesson this is great but I would have given it more credit had the other side been shown as well.