The Slaughter Rule

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The Slaughter Rule ★★ ½ 2001

In rural Montana, high schooler Roy Chutney (Gosling) gets cut from the football team days after his estranged dad is killed in a train accident. With his divorced mom (Lynch) unable to cope, Roy finds some unexpected diversion when he joins the six-man football squad coached by eccentric loner Gideon Ferguson (Morse). Gideon has a dark past and a somewhat unsavory local reputation but Roy needs someone he can turn to, whatever the consequences. Performances by Gosling and Morse are the reason to watch since the storytelling is uneven. 115m/C VHS, DVD . Ryan Gosling, David Morse, Clea DuVall, Kelly Lynch, David Cale, Eddie Spears, Amy Adams; D: Alex Smith, Andrew Smith; W: Alex Smith, Andrew Smith; C: Eric Alan Edwards; M: Jay Farrar.