LegendaryMovie Reviews

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Avg. Critic Score: 39 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
13 OK for kids 13+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 50
    Chicago Tribune | Michael Phillips

    Legendary is so intent on paying heartfelt tribute to dogged young athletes that it neglects basic story needs. Read full review

  • 50
    Chicago Reader |

    The wrestling scenes are the best part of this drama. Read full review

  • 50
    The Onion A.V. Club | Nathan Rabin

    It does strive for substance and meaning in a way that gives it an unmistakable Barton Fink feeling, if nothing close to a Barton Fink sensibility. Read full review

  • 50
    Washington Post |

    Despite the hackneyed script by John Posey, Legendary is not without merit, and the story works fairly successfully as a family drama between Cal, Mike and their single mother, played by the dependable Patricia Clarkson. Read full review

  • 50
    USA Today | Scott Bowles

    For a movie with a star wrestler at the center of it, Legendary doesn't pack much of a punch. Read full review

  • 50
    Village Voice | Melissa Anderson

    Though the redemption/coming-of-age narrative is highly predictable-with Glover appearing intermittently only to dispense bromides-Clarkson, at least, remains reliable. Read full review

  • 42
    Entertainment Weekly | Adam Markovitz

    A well-meaning dud. Read full review

  • 40
    The New York Times | Stephen Holden

    The schmaltzy sports movie Legendary is a kind of contemporary answer to the old Charles Atlas ad in which a 97-pound weakling develops muscles and triumphantly punches out the bully at the beach. Read full review

  • 40
    Los Angeles Times | Robert Abele

    A bold-faced name for a lowercase effort, a school wrestling drama so mired in family-film clichs it can never shake loose the suspicion that - not unlike certain high-gloss mat bouts - the emotional fix is in from the get-go. Read full review

  • 38
    Miami Herald | Connie Ogle

    A by-the-numbers sports drama with a death grip on clichs and acting every bit as flat as the mat, seems unlikely to draw much of a crowd. Read full review

View more reviews for Legendary on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 13+ Predictable but moving sports drama goes beyond wrestling.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this family/sports drama heads down some dark avenues (alcoholism, tragic deaths, rage) but does so armed with good intentions. It explores the depths of estrangement and the power of forgiveness, and it also examines the bonds of family, the importance of self-confidence, and the endless possibilities of redemption. There’s a fleeting moment of non-sexual nudity (as well as kissing and an implied chest-flashing by a teen girl), some bullying and fighting, and drinking.
  • Families can talk about what the movie has in common with other sports dramas. How is it different (if at all)? Why do you think it explores the heavy subjects that it deals with?
  • Does the movie's mother-sons relationship seem realistic? Does the movie portray Sharon as a positive role model? What about her boys?
  • How does mastering a sport enhance a teenager’s life? How does this movie portray the impact of sports on a person's life?
The good stuff
  • message true3 Positive messages: The film has messages about conquering your personal demons, forgiving others and yourself for the past, and pushing yourself beyond your anticipated limits.
  • rolemodels true3 Positive role models: Each character serves as a role model in a way, from the mother who learns to take responsibility for her failings and asks for forgiveness to the prodigal son who fights against his worst inclinations so he doesn’t let someone he cares about down. Still, the means to the uplifting end aren’t always considerate or unselfish; for example, a son lies outright to his mother, and a teen girl seeks attention by showing off her body.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence: High-schoolers bully a classmate and toss a rock at him; he fights back with an insult that goads his nemesis into hitting him. A man gets into a bone-crunching fistfight at a bar, which lands him in jail; later, he’s attacked by the same guy and his goons, and he has to defend himself by hitting them back and throwing one through a glass door.
  • sex false2 Sex: A 15-year-old girl shows off her breasts to a group of guys (her back faces the camera, but she makes a motion as if lifting the front of her shirt). A young couple kisses tenderly. A teen boy’s behind is displayed briefly at a wrestling weigh-in.
  • language false1 Language: Sparing use of words like “damn.”
  • consumerism false1 Consumerism: The film is co-produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), which is notable since the film is about high school wrestling.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false2 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Some drinking at bars; one adult seems to like his alcohol a little too much and ends up giving up drinking after a fight.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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