The Senior is a true story about Mike Flynt, a hard-working guy who missed out on his senior year of college after getting kicked out of school for fighting - and who then went back 37 years, later at the age of 59, to try out for, and earn a spot on, his college football team, leading them to victory.

 

This is a classic underdog story - a feel-good football movie that you don’t have to understand football to enjoy. Michael Chiklis is energetic and immensely likeable in the lead role as Flynt, a muscle-bound tough guy with a heart of gold who is hellbent on redemption. 

 

We see Flynt in his construction job standing up for others and taking on a bully, using physical violence as a tool to right wrongs. We see flashbacks of his childhood, experiencing what modern eyes view as abuse at the hands of his toxically masculine dad who brutally taught Flynt to fight with the stern warning, “if you lose, you’ll get a whoopin.”

 

Is it any surprise Flynt gravitated toward football and got into a lot of fights? We learn that he was kicked out of college at the start of his senior year for getting into one too many brawls - and that he has regretted those fights, and the loss of that year, for his entire life.

 

We also learn that Flynt, although clearly a good man who is adored by his wife and daughters, has a troubled relationship with his son. Was he too tough on his son, the way his dad was too tough on him? It appears that way.

 

When Flynt’s college invites him back for a reunion, he goes at the encouragement of his wife and is urged by his old friends and teammates to try for a second chance. Somehow, at the age of 59, Flynt is still in good enough physical shape to keep up with college athletes and both try out for, and earn a spot on, his old college football team.

 

The Senior is heart-warming in all the right places, inspiring as hell and funny in parts. The film-makers showcase Flynt’s old school charm and ability to get along with anyone, from skeptical coaches to his much-younger teammates. The workouts and gameplay scenes are captured with quick, close camera work that puts you right in the action.

 

The ultimate message of The Senior is that you’re never too old to mend bridges, right wrongs and go for a second shot at what matters most. 

 

And what matters most is belonging - that feeling of being a part of something bigger than oneself and working closely with others toward a higher purpose. As Chiklis-as-Flynt says in a rousing locker room pep talk, “There’s nothing better than being on a team. I came here to be with you all before I even knew you.”

 

Another lesson from The Senior is that life is measured not by our successes, but by our regrets - so if you have regrets, you should do everything you can to change that and go for a second chance.

 

I started out skeptical, but ended up loving The Senior - and you will too if you like feel-good stories that make you feel like anything is possible. Be sure to stick around for the closing credits, which include behind-the-scenes footage of the real Mike Flynt and his family meeting Michael Chiklis and other cast-members.