My All-American

Operating under the premise that just about any undersized college football standout could be the next Rudy is My All-American, an easily digestible slice of Texas football nostalgia that stumbles short of the goal line.

In fairness, Freddie Steinmark wasn’t just any diminutive player, but rather a hard-hitting leader on a University of Texas team that won a national championship in 1969, and whose tragic story has become a part of Longhorn gridiron lore.

While this mildly inspirational biopic shines a deserving spotlight on Steinmark, it’s breezy and wholesome without much subtlety or surprise along the way, especially for those who know the true-life story.

Steinmark (Finn Wittrock) was a Colorado high-school standout — with a hard-driving father (Michael Reilly Burke) and loyal girlfriend (Sarah Bolger) — whose small stature kept him off the radar for most major college programs. Then legendary Texas coach Darrell Royal (Aaron Eckhart) offered him a scholarship, in part to lure one of his larger teammates to the Longhorns.

Against the odds, Steinmark eventually worked his way up the depth chart and became a defensive leader for Texas as it rose to prominence during the late 1960s. Then his career took a shocking turn that devastated Steinmark along with his coaches and teammates right after one of the biggest wins in school history.

Such underdog stories are familiar territory for screenwriter Angelo Pizzo (Hoosiers), who adapted a novel by Jim Dent (The Junction Boys) and also made his directorial debut. Even if some of the details are trumped-up and embellished, the abundant on-field sequences feel mostly authentic, and football fans might enjoy the historical perspective.

Yet this slick crowd-pleaser aggressively yanks at the heartstrings with overbearing music swells and inspirational speeches, treating its protagonist as a pint-sized superhero. Ditto for Royal, who gets the glossy treatment in what amounts to a feature-length infomercial for the UT football program.

Such cynicism in the face of shameless manipulation might overshadow Steinmark himself, who was relentlessly optimistic, stayed out of trouble and kept good grades, exemplified heart and toughness, and whose tale of overcoming obstacles made him a good role model from a bygone era. It’s a tale that deserves to be tackled better than this.

Rated PG, 118 minutes.