The Last Fall

The Last Fall

Professional football is the American dream. Boys grow up lusting for the fame, the glory, the ladies, the cash. But the reality is uglier: Most who do make it to the big dance last only a handful of seasons after earning journeyman pay and banging up their bodies. Director Matthew A. Cherry knocked around the NFL for a few years before turning to filmmaking, first as a production assistant on TV's Girlfriends. His debut feature is a personal one about admitting the dream is over and trying to resuscitate a life. The film would benefit from some editing and sound tweaks, but an almost all African-American cast impresses, particularly lead actor Lance Gross (Tyler Perry's House of Payne) who tries to win back his high school sweetheart and his family. This coming-of-age tale delivers a very human dose of sports reality that could resonate with a wide audience if a distributor snaps it up at SXSW. Here's betting that happens soon.