For three summers, I had the good fortune to watch and listen to Tony Dungy day after day.
The practices occurred at the most scenic of settings for an NFL training camp — the serene, wooded grounds of the Rose-Hulman campus. As idyllic as it sounds, though, Dungy and his team usually worked in the suffocating humidity that comes with August in Indiana. In such an atmosphere, a player’s concentration can drain almost as fast as he sweats.
Yet, those Indianapolis Colts — almost to a man — listened each time their coach spoke. And they did so even though Dungy never seemed to come unraveled or rant at them like his hair was on fire.
Why did those guys pay such attention to Dungy?
Two simple reasons — they respected him, and he made sense. Not surprisingly, they won games, lots of them, including a Super Bowl.
So when Tony Dungy recommends something, it’s worth checking out. That applies to a new film that focuses intensely on a cause Dungy has long championed, responsible fatherhood. “Courageous” follows five men with common problems in their behaviors and backgrounds, dealing with common consequences that accompany their issues. Four of them, co-workers as county sheriff’s deputies in Georgia, give full efforts on their jobs while their families get what’s left of them.
A gut-wrenching tragedy strikes one family and jolts all four officers into rethinking their priorities. A fifth guy serendipitously wanders into the mix as a hired hand who battles unemployment but leans, significantly, on his spiritual faith.
Together, the men make a pact to become fully involved in the lives of their kids.
“As men, we could all take a lesson from them and ask ourselves, ‘What can I do to be a more involved dad?’ ” Dungy wrote in a USA Today essay after watching “Courageous.”
Dungy has worked since 1997 in the All Pro Dad program operated by the nonprofit Family First organization, and many of the same cultural realities that group confronts are not-so-subtlely explored in “Courageous.” Kids who have little or no contact with their father are more likely to live in poverty, struggle in school, and experience health and behavioral problems, Dungy wrote. Likewise, the characters in “Courageous” — especially lead actors Adam Mitchell (played by co-writer and director Alex Kendrick) and Nathan Hayes (played by retired Marine Ken Bevel) — enumerate societal ills connected to children growing up without an involved father.
To be sure, the film carries an overt, faith-based message. That’s no surprise, because “Courageous” is the fourth independent movie produced by brothers Alex and Stephen Kendrick, who are pastors at Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga. Bevel is also a pastor there. In fact, many of the cast members are church volunteers. Alex Kendrick and Bevel also played roles in the church’s three previous movies — “Flywheel” (2003), “Facing the Giants” (2006) and “Fireproof” (2008). With each of those releases, the Kendricks surprised Hollywood with the response of moviegoers. “Fireproof,” for example, cost $500,000 to make, but grossed $33.5 million as the best-selling independent film of 2008.
“Courageous” is on pace to top those numbers. It drew more fans on its debut weekend (beginning Sept. 30) than any other film in the nation.
Dungy’s endorsement isn’t an obligatory gesture. The film is solid, stirring and funny in places. More so, it’s a gut-check for anybody who sits down in the theater, especially fathers. It’s not perfect; some characters use a “Dragnet”-style, just-the-facts-ma’am delivery. But the situations portrayed are poignant and heart-rending. A scene in which Adam Mitchell — once too busy and too detached for his family — finally makes good on a simple request for his time by his young daughter is one of the most gripping moments in a family movie in years.
Dungy connected with the Mitchell character. “I think that was me for a long while,” he said in an interview with LifeWay Christian Resources. “I was into my job. I wanted my kids to do great, but I knew I had some issues and I recognized I needed to be able to spend more quality time with my kids.”
Fellow cast members may offer connections for others. Deputy Hayes never knew his father. Another officer sees his son only a couple times a month. Another has a daughter he’s never seen. Javier, the hired hand, fights to maintain faith and home life with his wife and two young kids despite the hardships of a job layoff. They fail. They succeed. They commit to doing better.
The value of their efforts is rarely so distinctly depicted on cinema screens. In that respect, and many others, “Courageous” lives up to its name.
Mark Bennett can be reached at (812) 231-4377 or mark.bennett@tribstar.com.
Local & Bistate
MARK BENNETT: Movie’s portrayal of fatherhood’s issues lives up to its name
- Local & Bistate
-
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 21, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Monday and Tuesday, based on jail records.
-
UPDATE: Damage surveys show 2 weak tornadoes hit near Indy
INDIANAPOLIS — The National Weather Service says storm surveys show two weak tornadoes struck central Indiana.
-
Storm causes scattered Indiana power outages
INDIANAPOLIS — A line of thunderstorms that moved across Indiana caused scattered building damage and power outages for several thousand homes and businesses.
-
Kindergartner diagnosed with MD treated to a day with the fire department
“He’ll just never forget this day,” Stacey Manley said, a little bit tearfully, as she watched her smiling 6-year-old son Carter sitting happily in the captain’s seat of Fire Engine 2.
-
Casey, Illinois aims for another world record
The town of Casey, Ill., may soon weave its way into the record books as the small town with the most world records. After setting records for the world’s largest wind chimes and the world’s largest golf tee, Casey is now looking to become home to the world’s largest knitting needles and crochet hook.
-
Rose-Hulman projects will promote growth, learning for people with physical challenges
Life changed dramatically for college engineering student Drew Christy on Feb. 22, 2008 when he was involved in an auto accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury.
-
‘500’ gas stations being sold to Speedway LLC
After several decades in business, the area’s familiar “500” gasoline stations and convenience stores will soon be missing from the roadsides of Vigo and Sullivan counties.
-
Terre Haute woman faces 14 charges
A Terre Haute woman faces 14 criminal counts after her arrest Friday on drug-related charges.
-
Two adults injured in ATV accident
Two adults were injured Sunday evening while riding an all-terrain vehicle near Lexington Farms Subdivision off Moyer Drive in southern Vigo County.
-
Vigo schools’ medical claims down 4 percent
The Vigo County School Corp.’s medical claims were about $13 million over the last 12 months, down 4 percent from the prior year, said Diane Titchenell, an Anthem account manager that works with the school district.
-
2013 Government Directory now available
The 2013 Government Directory is now available.
-
UPDATE: 5 killed, 6 injured in I-70 van crash in Illinois
ST. LOUIS — A van carrying church members returning from a California gathering careened off of a southern Illinois freeway and overturned several times today, killing five people and sending six others to hospitals, authorities said.
-
2 children reported dead from Indianapolis fire
INDIANAPOLIS — Authorities say some autistic children lived in the Indianapolis condominium unit where a fire has killed two children.
-
Tighter Indiana drunken driving law seems unlikely
INDIANAPOLIS — Some key Indiana legislators say it’s unlikely that the state will any time soon go along with a federal safety board’s recommendation that the threshold for drunken driving be cut nearly in half.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 20, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, based on jail records.
-
Life-Size Ping Pong: Valley pickleball tourney draws large crowd to Brittlebank Park
It’s been described as “ping pong on steroids.”
Some people call it “life-size ping pong where you stand on the table.” -
Boat trip aims to raise awareness about Lewy Body Dementia
In 2013, the Year of the River, it makes sense to link a grand adventure on the Wabash River with a good cause.
-
Legislature had little taste for alcohol bills
When it comes to alcohol, the 2013 legislative session may be marked more by what it didn’t do to boost booze sales than what it did.
-
STATE OF THE STATEHOUSE: Is it regulation that doesn’t make sense or evening the playing field?
I’m not much of a drinker, so I haven’t spent much time thinking about how Indiana’s alcohol laws personally impact me, but that changed last fall when my daughter got married.
-
RESTAURANT INSPECTIONS: April 29-May 3
The Vigo County Health Department inspected the following food establishments April 29-May 3:
-
For Piper: Annual ‘Rush the Punter’ event dedicated to Dixie Bee student who died Wednesday after a short illness
Steve Weatherford’s “Rush the Punter” fundraiser at Fairbanks Park on Saturday was dedicated to a little girl who lost her life unexpectedly to pneumonia.
-
Vigo schools prepare to tighten belts
State funding for the Vigo County School Corp. will remain “pretty flat” for the next two years, said Donna Wilson, chief financial officer.
-
Veterans take to the trees
Cristal Bednar took photos of her husband, Justin, as he laboriously climbed his way up a “Dangle-Duo” to get to a zipline at Indiana State University’s Sycamore Outdoor Center.
-
Property owner seeks halt to Hulman Lake dam project
A Terre Haute property owner is seeking an injunction that would at least temporarily halt the city’s work on the Hulman Lake dam project.
-
Tornado veterans balance preparedness, practicality
Few things in nature are less predictable than a tornado. They can form quickly. They strike weirdly, leveling one building while leaving its neighbor untouched. They can fling a car a half-mile and turn a piece of lumber into a wall-piercing missile.
-
ISU unveils interactive Bayh Family Legacy Wall at school
A who’s who of Indiana Democrats paid tribute to Evan Bayh and several generations of the Bayh family Friday during a dedication of a new interactive display at Indiana State University.
-
Can you smell me now?
A contraband cell phone has been discovered by the Vigo County Jail’s youngest and most unique officer.
-
GIVING BACK: Steve Weatherford buys shoes for kids day before charity run
Terre Haute’s Steve Weatherford, punter for the 2012 Super Bowl champion New York Giants, showed once again his generosity Friday by donating new athletic shoes to more than two dozen Vigo County kids.
-
N.Y. Giants honor Weatherford as ‘Man of the Year’
Dan Tanoos, superintendent of Vigo County schools, remembers the first time he saw Steve Weatherford as a freshman at Terre Haute North Vigo High School.
-
Sunday recital at The Woods
A recital featuring songs from well-known composers is at 7 p.m. Sunday in the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
- More Local & Bistate Headlines
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 21, 2013




