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For the Glory

The true-life story of professional soccer player, Kurt Kuykendall is told in this riveting drama starring Jason Burkey of October Baby. Received five stars from the Dove Foundation-their highest rating!

  • Item 501498D
  • Region: All
  • Media Type: DVD
  • Running Time: 106 min.

Alternate formats: Digital Video - $4.99

Retail: $14.99
Price: $5.00
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Description

“What we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down.” –Mary Pickford

After the death of his older brother, Kurt tries to make everyone happy. But faced with the rejection of his perfectionist father, his mother’s crippling alcoholism and his own failure to make it as a college basketball player, Kurt is driven to an emotional and spiritual crossroad. Then at the bidding of an insistent friend, Kurt reluctantly tries out for his fraternity’s soccer team, even though he had never played competitive soccer in his life! To everyone’s surprise, he becomes an overnight sensation. Buoyed by his girlfriend, Sherry (Chelsie Casagrande) and other friends, Kurt trains hard all summer for the Division 1 team. In time his skill as a goalkeeper leads him all the way to the North American Soccer League.

For the Glory shows how God’s intervention turns failure into triumph in ways we can’t begin to imagine.

Received five stars from the Dove Foundation-their highest rating! Widescreen.

Editorial Reviews

What an inspiring DVD! This remarkable film will inspire many viewers as they watch Kurt overcome obstacle after obstacle, including a broken ankle, to eventually make the U.S. Olympics team. Fortified with his faith in God, Kurt learns that a life that is lived for the glory of God is a life that will make a difference. This film's wonderful themes include faith and a strong work ethic. Five Doves from us, our best rating!

Based on a true story of Kurt Kuykendall, For the Glory is a sport drama with a lot of heart. Jason Berkey (October Baby, Lukewarm) stars as Kurt Kuykendall a young man with a dream of becoming a pro Basketball player. But when he is cut from his college Basketball team, Kurt is left wondering where his life is headed. Then, on the advice of a friend, he tries playing soccer. And like a fish to water, Kurt excels in the goalie position and is eventually given the opportunity of trying out for the American Olympic team and going pro.

For the Glory is a great movie. Is has all the right stuff for a good sport drama – an underdog who strives to give his all to achieve his dreams, several tension points that threaten Kurt’s plans, and lots of sport action, including training sequences as well as footage from the actual soccer games. However, For the Glory is different from many of the sport drama movies out there, in that the sport aspects of the story actually serve as a backdrop for the story of faith that is woven throughout the film.

Over the years I have seen many sport dramas, and I just love it when there’s a solid Christian faith-based element running throughout the story, as I find it adds another dimension to the storytelling. Prayer, church, Jesus, the Bible, and salvation are all included in For the Glory. There are a couple of truly inspiring scenes, including one beautiful moment when Kurt talks to God and gives Him all that he has.

Jason Berkey is a relative newcomer to the movie scene, but he plays Kurt Kuykendall with passion and is very likable and believable as the young athlete; he is a very talented young man and if this role is anything to go by he has a bright future ahead of him as an actor. Chelsie Casagrande plays the love interest and she is also very good, as are all the actors. There were a few moments were some of the actors seem a little wooden, but for the most part everyone does a good job in the acting department.

The screenplay is well written and has a heavy emphasis on the faith aspects of the story. I liked how the faith element of Kurt’s story was ever present, but not in a heavy handed way so as to scare away any non-believing viewers. For the Glory is well filmed – the picture is clear and colorful, and the cinematography is exceptional. The soundtrack was really good, with the original music score sounding at times like something from a big 1980's sport drama – think Rocky, Hoosiers, and even Chariots of Fire – and I really enjoyed the song’s used in the movie.

If I’m brutally honest, For the Glory isn’t quite up to the standards of other faith-based sport dramas such as Forever Strong or The Blind Side, but it comes close. It’s a little slow in places, but overall the film moves along quite nicely. Some older viewers might find the movie a little too youth oriented, and I suppose it is, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. With that said, For the Glory would be an excellent choice for youth movie nights.

For the Glory is a Christian faith-based sport drama that shoots and scores! A well produced movie with some good acting and an excellent screenplay, that shows that with perseverance and determination, and some help from above, anything is possible. Highly recommended for youth audiences.

Based on the true story of Olympic soccer player Kurt Kuykendall, For the Glory is a movie about a young man adrift at a crossroads in his life. Kurt's older brother has just died; his mother suffers from severe alcoholism; his father is a demanding perfectionist; and he is unable to do well as a college basketball player. Yet when one of Kurt's friends urges him to try out for the fraternity soccer team, Kurt discovers his hidden talent—even though he's never played soccer before in his life! Kurt's girlfriends and other friends help him improve his goalkeeping skills, in a journey that will bring him to represent the US at the Olympics. A story of how the divine grace of God can transform one's life and reveal one's destined path, For the Glory is as spiritually uplifting as it is entertaining, and highly recommended.

Customer Reviews

- What a Great Film!

"We loved "FOR THE GLORY." we watched it today and were glued to it, right to the end. What a great film it is , fantastic story, well produced...We are so pleased that you made this for America (and others wherever soccer is played.) The film is very relevant and should be used widely.

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