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A FILM WORTH A CLOSER LOOKTHE FEATURE PRESENTATION
IF THIS ONE STAYED WITH YOU
Keep the feeling.
SIMILAR PICKS / A PERSONAL CONNECTION
01
Why this pick
Like The Express, it is an emotionally direct, period sports biography about an exceptional Black athlete confronting institutional racism, with the drama rooted in dignity, team dynamics and a hard-won public breakthrough.
02
Why this pick
It shares The Express's mid-century setting, inspirational true-story shape and focus on Black excellence meeting entrenched racism, trading the football field for fiercely competitive debate.
03
Why this pick
For the earnest, old-school sports-movie lift of The Express: a determined outsider pursues a college-football dream through sustained effort, supportive relationships and an uplifting emotional payoff.
04
Why this pick
Another football-based true story set amid racial integration, with a strong emphasis on a young Black athlete, divided teammates and a community searching for common ground.
05
Why this pick
This polished biographical sports drama pairs athletic achievement with the pressures of racism and national expectation, following a gifted competitor whose victories carry meaning beyond the track.
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01 / THE STORY
Ernie Davis (Rob Brown (actor)) is a young African American growing up in Pennsylvania with his uncle Will Davis Jr. (Nelsan Ellis), in the late 1940s during a time of racism and discrimination. Davis lives with his extended family, including his grandfather, Willie 'Pops' Davis (Charles S. Dutton), who guides and educates him. Davis' mother, Marie Davis (Aunjanue Ellis), eventually returns to their residence to inform the family that she has remarried and can now afford to raise Ernie at her own home in Elmira, New York, New York (state). Upon relocating to Elmira, Davis enrolls in a Small Fry Football League and excels on the field as a running back.
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02 / FACES IN THE FRAME
Floyd Little
Bob Lundy
Willie 'Pops' Davis
Ernie Davis
Ben Schwartzwalder
Marie Davis
Jack Buckley
