Undefeated (2011 film)

{{about|the 2011 documentary about the Manassas Tigers|the 2011 documentary about Sarah Palin|The Undefeated (2011 film)}}

{{Infobox film

| name = Undefeated

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| image = Undefeated FilmPoster.jpeg

| alt =

| director = Daniel Lindsay
T. J. Martin

| producer = Rich Middlemas
Glen Zipper
Daniel Lindsay
Seth Gordon
Ed Cunningham

| starring =

| writer =

| music = Michael Brook
Daniel McMahon
Miles Nielsen

| editing = Daniel Lindsay
T.J. Martin

| studio = Zipper Bros Films
Spitfire Pictures
Five Smooth Stones Productions
Level 22 Productions

| distributor = The Weinstein Company

| released = {{Film date|2011|3|13|SXSW}}

| runtime = 113 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget =

| gross = $562,218 {{cite web |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=undefeated2012.htm |title=Undefeated|publisher=Box Office Mojo |access-date=July 2, 2014}}

}}

Undefeated is a 2011 American documentary film directed by Daniel Lindsay and T. J. Martin. The film documents the struggles of a high school football team, the Manassas Tigers of Memphis, as they attempt a winning season after years of losses. The team is turned around by coach Bill Courtney, who helps form a group of young men into an academic and athletic team.{{cite web | url = http://www.ifc.com/news/2011/03/undefeated-reviewed.php | title = 'Undefeated' Reviewed | access-date = April 25, 2011 | last = Saito | first = Stephen | date = March 23, 2011 | publisher = IFC Films | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110326160431/http://www.ifc.com/news/2011/03/undefeated-reviewed.php | archive-date = March 26, 2011 | work = IFC News }}

Production

Lindsay and Martin served as co-directors, cinematographers, sound recorders and editors, recording more than 500 hours of footage.{{cite news| url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2012-feb-17-la-et-undefeated-20120217-story.html | work=Los Angeles Times | first1=Kenneth | last1=Turan | title=Movie review: 'Undefeated' | date=February 17, 2012}}

Sean "Diddy" Combs joined the film as an executive producer in early February, 2012, with plans to work with the Weinstein Co. on the remake.{{cite news |author-link=Mary Pilon |last=Pilon |first=Mary |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/26/sports/q-and-a-with-sean-combs-a-coach-inspires-an-artist.html |title=A Coach Inspires an Artist |work=The New York Times |date=February 25, 2012 |access-date=February 29, 2012}}

Reception

The film received critical acclaim at the South by Southwest conference in March 2011. The Weinstein Company was reported to have closed a seven-figure deal for distribution and remake rights to Undefeated.{{cite web | url = https://deadline.com/2011/03/sxsw-gridiron-documentary-undefeated-scores-big-weinstein-company-deal-113841/ | title = SXSW: Gridiron Documentary 'Undefeated' Scores Big Weinstein Company Deal|date= March 14, 2011 | access-date = April 25, 2011 | last = Fleming | first = Mike | website=Deadline Hollywood |publisher=Penske Business Media}}

The film holds a 96% approval rating on review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 102 reviews with an average rating of 7.91/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "It covers familiar sports documentary territory, but Undefeated proves there are still powerful stories to be told on the high school gridiron."{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/undefeated_2012 |title=Undefeated (2012) |work=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=June 22, 2018}} On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 71 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/undefeated |title=Undefeated Reviews |work=Metacritic |publisher=CBS Interactive |access-date=June 22, 2018}}

Accolades

On February 26, 2012, the movie won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.{{cite web|last=Farmer |first=Sam |url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-0228-undefeated-oscars-20120228,0,2190298.story |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120228024937/http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-0228-undefeated-oscars-20120228,0,2190298.story |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 28, 2012 |title=Former NFL player Ed Cunningham hits Oscar gold with 'Undefeated' |work=Los Angeles Times |date=February 27, 2012 |access-date=February 27, 2012}}[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTcNX_n3lIQ Undefeated Wins Documentary Feature: 2012 Oscars][https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2012 2012|Oscars.org]