User reviews

My friends tell me I rely too much on IMDb ratings to determine whether a movie is worth watching. Normally I don't bother with anything under a 6.5-ish rating but in a weak moment I decided to watch this anyway (which at the time of writing this review was rated 5.7). I'm usually in agreement with the other voters; but the masses are way off on this one. Touchback is a great movie addressing themes that Hollywood doesn't advocate very often: Seeing purpose in your life, satisfaction with what you have, leaving regrets in the past, second chances, personal reflection, and a reminder that no matter how bleak things appear in a given moment, there are family, friends, and community who care about you.

Yes, there are some cheesy spots, and a few instances of questionable acting, not to mention the high school students/athletes look over 30! But if you can get past the minor flaws, and look to the powerful themes in this movie you will not be disappointed.

Touchback isn't epic (nor does it try to be), but it's certainly not a 5.7! I'd give it a solid 7.5/10. Touchback left me wondering how many other underrated movies I've missed!

I saw the rating of 5.something and I usually only watch what is 7 or higher with at least 3000 votes. Since I played American football in Switzerland I thought i had to give it a try.

Great movie! I don't understand why this is so badly rated. Of course there are some cheesy scenes, but what really took me in was the meaning of the whole movie. I can't believe I have to watch hundreds of non sense movies until I find something like this.

Take some time to watch this movie and think again about your life! There is a great study guide on their website.

Also nice to watch with your girlfriend/wife.

Hope you will like it too! Many thanks for making this movie!

Mild twists and a touch of Sci-Fi to keep you involved. More important is the off field story. Much more than anything. Apart from The on field twist near the end that I wasn't ready for the off field story is enough to keep you hoping for a magical change. But the reality is enough to make you say 'yes!' at the end.

Very earthy performances from the leads. Believable in every situation. Scott is well cast as an unassuming star,. Kurt Russell adds pulling power to the credits and has not been cast without reference to his ability to play characters we can all relate to.

Scott Murphy's character mirrors the perennially struggling farmers in not only USA but here in my home as well. He portrays admirably the shielded turmoil of men of the land fighting bad turns daily and then gritting , bearing and getting on with the job until all seems lost. Never allow this to impact his optimistic outlook for his children.

Truly credible performance.

A cheesy and predictable but heartwarming theme that you've seen before in similar films. The hero high school athlete goes "back" to high school to realize that his marriage and "present-day" life isn't as bad as he thought it was.

I didn't know what to expect from this movie, but it had Kurt Russell in a coaching role so that grabbed me and it didn't disappoint. The casting was perfect and the screen play was great as well as the acting. Contentment is kind of hard to come by in life so a movie like this can be a welcome reminder. I appreciate movies without profanity especially when it's made to be uplifting. Life is hard, but it's also wonderful. Movies like this remind us of that. Thank you

I wasn't at all turned on by the trailer, but went with my wife to a screening here near Cleveland because it was free and I will see anything football. My wife was less enthusiastic about seeing it, but came because she wants me to see Lucky One with her next week and that was part of the deal. By the end of the movie, she was bawling. She loved it. Honestly, this movie was more for her than me, but it made us both think about life and we had a pretty amazing conversation on the way home.

All in all, I am giving it a nine because she thought it was a ten and I thought it was around an eight. It's a great date movie, if you go, take your wife or girlfriend.

Touchback Blows Your Mind! Touchback is one of the best football movies I have seen. The movie starts out at a football game. Brian Presley stars as Scott Murphy who is a star football player for Coldwater High School. Scott's team made it to the State Championship. At the beginning of the game it seems that they have no hope at winning, but they didn't give up. They gave it all they had and started to comeback. The last play of the game Scott injured his leg and took away his future of playing football.

After trying to kill himself, Scott was given a second chance to go back in time and change his life. While back in time Scott has to make many tough decisions. He has to decide between his career and the love of his life. Scott also has to deal with his mother who works all the time and never goes to any of her son's games. This movie is great because it shows that you don't always get a second chance so you need to make sure you don't mess up the life you are given.

There are many positive things to gather from "Touchback." First off, this movie showed many good aspects to life. This movie showed that you can't change the past, but you can change your future. Secondly, this movie had good special effects such as when Scott goes back in time. The title goes good with the layout of the movie because Scott touched back in to his life. The lighting of the movie was very good. You could see everything clearly. They did a good job with the rating of the movie, which is PG-13. I think it is well set because; younger children do not need to see a couple love scenes.

There are positive and yet there are negative things about this movie. The movie gets into it really fast. So you don't really get to enjoy the movie as much. There wasn't really much of a soundtrack for the movie; I only remember hearing one song in the entire movie.

This movie shows no action scenes. So if you wanted to watch an action movie you might want to watch a different movie. There were some special effects in this movie. I think they could have put more effects though. The title of the movie was pretty good but they could have come up with a better one.

Scott Murphy is the protagonist of the movie. Brian Presely plays as Scott. I think that Brian fit the character very well and was a good person for it. In the movie Scott faces many obstacles. He has to fight for his wife Macy, while he is given a second chance at life.

Scotts coach is played by Kurt Russel. His coach would push and push to get his team motivated to win. His coach visits Scott periodically and hung out with him. Kurt was a father figure for Scott because Scott did not have a father. Scott has to choose between his wife Macy or his career in the movie.

Overall Touchback is a very good movie. Safe for the family and it shows many good meanings to life. I plan to buy this movie so I can watch it all the time. There are many good reasons why you should see this movie. For instance, it could give you inspiration so you can learn to enjoy life again. Or you can just watch it and enjoy a great movie.

Not a lot of people have seen this wonderful movie yet, which is why I feel like it is my obligation to tell those of you who have not, that you definitely should.

Growing up in Sweden I guess there are people that know a lot more about the culture surrounding high school football in America and although I am a big football fan, the same is probably true for the sport itself as well. That said I think my point of view from the outside just goes to show that you do not have to be an American growing up in a football family to love this movie because it is about so much more than football.

I thought touch back was a good movie. do go see this movie It's not that bad so if you're planning to go to the movies go see this one. I thought the ending was heart taking and very sad/happy. I was happy to see the ending I thought it was very good.I would think This movie is for an audience that is a fan of athletics and likes football.I strongly Recommend this movie.its not a bad movie because the main part takes place in a small place were everybody grows corn to make money.theirs nothing wrong with this movie its just a great movie and its PG-13 so you can bring your kids with you to go see this movie. please go see this movie.

Touchback is one of those "reflection" movies that mystically reverse the hands of time in order to give the antagonist, Scott Murphy (Brian Priestly), a new perspective on life. We the viewer love these movies, especially if we're middle aged and often reflecting on our own lives wondering "what might have been"; if only we had done things, or even one thing, differently. It also leaves us with the question, "If we could change the past, would we?"

We see this sort of genre work well in Hollywood, as it did with "Peggy Sue Got Married". The overall theme of Touchback is very reminiscent of Peggy Sue. That is to say, mid-life characters playing them selves as they were in high school. That being said, it barley worked in Peggy Sue. Kathleen Turner was 32, playing a 42-year-old housewife, going back to age eighteen. Nicholas Cage was 22, playing ages 42 and 18. The numbers were off no doubt, however it was an A list of skilled actors/actresses for the day easily taking up the slack for the sloppiness of numbers. Regrettably, the similar attempt in Touchback unquestionably does NOT work, to the point that all the touchy-feely stuff that makes us feel so good is completely lost in thoughts of "You've got to be kidding!" 40-year old (at the time) Marc Blucas is playing an 18-year-old for the better part of the movie. And poor (still very handsome) Kurt Russell's "aging" process simply made him look like he had leprosy. I'm not making fun of the disease of leprosy or those who endure it, but Kurt Russell does not have leprosy. Unfortunately, that's just the start, and if you can't get past that, the rest of the movie doesn't matter.

We see this sort of thing work great for those actors who are thirty and who look young or in those quick flashbacks of a character's life where they use lots of make-up and dewy filters to give the character the appearance of youth. But the make-up department for this movie didn't carry off what they intended, and how could they in the first place?

A high school football quarterback goes back in time and has the choice to change his life. The final game of his high school career crippled him. He could not go to Ohio State to play as the quarterback because of this. He goes back in time and gets the chance to change his life. This movie is very inspirational and makes you look back and realize what you have and could have lost. With the chance to go back and change his life becomes harder than he thought. He sees the girl he will marry later in life and realizes he has to make a choice. He can play the final game differently and stop himself from being crippled and lose his future wife. This movie was very good with a very good life lesson. I thought the movie had a very good meaning. It makes you look back and see what you have right now and could have lost. Its not too touchy feel and a great movie for guys into football. There were a few twists that will keep you interested. They used very good music to go with the scene and had a great setting. It fit the story about a farmer who barely made enough money to support his family. They lived in an old busted up house and he drove an old truck. There weren't a lot of things I didn't like about the movie. Kurt Russell was a great actor for his part. I think he would have played his part better as the grown up Scott Murphy. You didn't get to see him a lot Kurt Russell played as the coach of the football team. As always he was great at playing his role. He was very passionate but I think he would have done better as the grown up Scott Murphy. I didn't like that you barely got to see him though Overall the film was amazing. It has a very good life lesson. It is easy to relate to the characters too. Either you're a high school student with plans about your future, or you're an adult that may or may not have filled your dreams. It touches the hearts of every viewer.

Obviously anything featuring Kurt Russell will be watched by me, this film's light advertising makes this film look like yet another football game movie, although it does have a lot to do with football, it's best feature is the small town feel of the film, which was very well done and accurate to my liking, the story is nothing new, a man unhappy with his life, wonders how things would have been differently had he not had a career ending injury to his leg, kind of reminded me little bit of Mr. Destiny, but this film holds its own with the drama featured, it's not really science fiction although there is an aspect of time travel to the film, I liked the setup and the payoffs, the relationships between the main character and his coach (Kurt Russell) who is like a father figure to him, and of course the love relationship between who he ends up with in real life and who he may have ended up with had he not suffered the injury. don't judge a book by its cover, I was expecting a certain film starting off, and what i got was very entertaining and heartwarming. I wouldn't say the film is perfect but I admit I enjoyed "Touchback".

"If you could live your life over again...would you?" High school quarterback Scott Murphy (Presley) has everything going for him. He was voted best football player in the state of Ohio, has a full ride scholarship to Ohio State (gross), he is dating the head cheerleader and is playing in the state championship game. With time running out he rushes for the winning score and makes it. When the players are peeled off of him he is left laying in the end-zone with a broken leg. Fifteen years later his home is about to get foreclosed on and his farm is failing. Out of ideas to support his family he begins to gas himself out. When he passes out he wakes up 15 years earlier with a chance to change everything. I have stated before that I am a sucker for sports movies. Kurt Russel being in this really made me excited to see this. While this is a very good movie that I enjoyed and recommend it was also pretty cheesy. Without giving anything away I have to say that the reason I don't like most faith based movies is because there never seems to be any real obstacles in the main characters way. In one scene something happens to stop them and in the next they have moved past it easily. While this is not a faith based movie this one had the feel of one. In a simpler terms...this is a very good movie but don't expect something like "Remember The Titans" or even "Rudy", this is more like an "It's A Wonderful Life" meets "Friday Night Lights" type movie. Overall, not bad but pretty cheesy. I give it a B.

In the movie Touchback there are many life lessons that are portrayed. For example the flashback that Scott has of the biggest game of his entire senior season. Then it shows a rag stuffed in his exhaust pipe which to me looks like he was intentionally trying to kill himself. This is one of the main points of the story, but I'm rather skeptical about it because if it were to happen like that then he would either faint or die.

Then there's the climax of the story, where he has the option to sit out of the game or play in it. He chooses to play because his dream is to play college football, but he ends up getting his leg broken on a game winning run. While all that is happening he can't help but think of his old life, his wife, and children. Initially, he wanted to redo that part of his life but he realizes something's are just meant to be. If it wouldn't have happened he wouldn't have ended up the person he was at the end.

I did like some things about Touchback, however the plot was good. Character selection was great; the best actors I thought were Scott Murphy's coach and Scott. Reasons for me liking those characters are that I've seen Kurt Russell in a couple of film production, and Brian Presley I thought was perfect for the role as he displayed. I liked the emotion he put into the film, especially at the end of the film.

The setting I liked because I live in Ohio. The city that the story took place in was Coldwater, but I noticed during the movie that the star actor or main character Scott was referring to the town as backwater. Later on though he realizes it's not about the town you grew up in it's the people, and the things you do to make it seem that way. For example his wife Macy's dream was to have her parent's farm and live a happy normal life. Scott had other dreams like making it through college and playing professional Football, but it was abruptly ended by his leg injury.

First off the title Touchback has no relation I thought to the movie itself. Some of the characters such as Scott's high school sweetheart Jenny I had only seen her a few times in other productions. My opinion there wasn't very many A+ actors in this featured film. I thought that a movie of this caliber or as good of a storyline as this one had would have had some Hollywood stars in it.

Also the music was horrible I thought it's a sports movie not a funeral home. There should have more inspiration in the music rather than some sappy old tunes. The cover seemed misleading as well I didn't think he would end up hurt; I thought that they would make it through some tournament or something. The negative things out weighted the positive things a lot in my personal opinion.

The main characters were good I thought, except for Jenny she didn't really portray anything like the rest of them did. For example, Macy was a huge part of the story. Scott revolved around her, so did the plot or the storyline. The climax to me was when he found out that his soybean field couldn't be picked due to his harvester being broken by a log found in the field. Scott gave the brave impression the popular kid who stood up for the nerds but, when he was in high school the first time he was rude to the nerds. Then, he realizes that he shouldn't have acted that way to people who didn't deserve it.

I feel like this film production is intended for the youth or young adults, I mean adults would watch it but at the price of boredom. If you are wondering how it's intended for young people, it's because of the setting I mean it's a typical high school Friday night football game with the occasional beautiful pretty blonde girl or the big bulky football player who going to college for his hard work and dedication to the game.

Finally, here is my last critic in my general opinion I didn't like it. I wasn't really looking forward to seeing it or even enjoyed it except for a couple parts. I would not recommend paying to see this at a movie theater personally but, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. 

This is not a good movie, but....it has many lovely qualities. That comment supports my theory that just because a movie is bad overall, does not mean you will waste your time watching it. I take note of setting, photography, acting, and any aspects of plot that jar significant thoughts in me.

I'll go the next step...this movie is terrible, but I had a good time. I don't regret my Red Box purchase at all. It cost 4 dollars less than it would have at Blockbuster too.

Before I go any further, let me call this a cross between Peggy Sue Got Married, It's a Wonderful Life, and Dancer, Texas.

The movie takes place at the end of a high school football season in Ohio. I am not a Meteorologist, but wouldn't it be kind of cold? There is no indication of cold weather.

The main character is one of the top football quarterbacks in the state, heading for a scholarship at Ohio State University, a football powerhouse. But he is only 5'10 and one half, according to IMDb's bio. of the actor who played him. That is clear throughout the film, as he looks up, literally, to his coach and teammates. Elite quarterbacks are never that height, with the exception of Doug Flutie. They are usually between 6'2 and 6'7. So I had to try to ignore that.

The character goes back in time, but there is exactly ZERO explanation for how that happened. A 10-year-old could come up with that plot device without explanation. Just have a character fall asleep or pass out, and wake up in the past. It's like not doing your math homework, but expecting a passing grade anyways. It was too hard to think of some kind of Science Fiction explanation, so they just said, "Forget about it." The characters were around 35 in real life, while playing high school students. Perhaps it would have been wiser to have young actors play the youthful versions of our protagonists.

Almost every cliché of a film about a broke farmer and/or small town football, is exploited in this film: loan problems, crop failure,corny locker room speeches, buddies, jocks, nerds, shallow cheerleaders, you name it.

OK. Enough criticism. What I loved about the picture, was the emphasis on the unity and subtle delights of a small rural town. I also loved the fact that a couple winds up together due to happenstance, because that is true to life. Often we plan for one thing, but life happens while we are making those other plans, as the saying goes. Unlikely couples are more common than we realize.

The acting is decent. Kurt Russell's character is clichéd, but he has a few good moments, when he explains the value of a small town. The girl from the T.V. show Two and a half Men was excellent. She looked the part and pulled off the role with commitment. Christine Lahti's role was not super demanding, but she gave it some soul, and the main guy, Brian Presley, whom I have never heard of, did an adequate job, considering the fact that jocks are not known for a range of emotions.

I would have liked to see him show more emotion, but perhaps the writers and Director did not ask for that.

Overall, a film worth watching, for its' basic message of appreciation for the life and love you have, mild football action, and a quaint setting.

Scanned the cluttered movie store shelves for an hour before I found "Touchback". Both the cover and title were less than captivating but the IMDb reviews were good, so home it came.

What a surprise! Time travel, decent football scenes, and enough romance to keep the wife well interested. The suspense and unpredictability of the ending iced the cake! If you are looking for a good movie for mixed company, to entertain a group of youth, or for a date night -- this is one to keep in mind.

Despite being a box office flop, this movie has all elements of a great movie for its budget.

A man (Brian Presley) looks back 15 years to the injury that ended his career as a promising high-school football player.

This movie is a cross between "A Christmas Carol" and "Remember the Titans". The writer and director, Don Handfield, says he was inspired by Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life", and that certainly is evident. The basic plot is a man who returns to a turning point in his life after giving up on the life he had. (The novel version says it involves a "time-traveling truck". Maybe the book is different, but here the truck does not do that.)

This film's strength is that it is a love story first and a football story second. It certainly is a great story of a man learning to love his wife all over again. The film's weakness is that the artwork presents it as a football movie, and several scenes make it out to be about the underdog beating the big guys. But that is never the point, and to mislead audiences might leave them disappointed or betrayed. As I am not a football fan, I thought it was a delightful turn, but others may not see it that way.

Touchback is the story of a football player who gets a chance to relive his high school days, at the end of which 15 years ago, he injured his leg and thereby lost his chance to go to college and play as a professional. As he finds himself in a known situation, he relooks at the very things (present) knowing well what is the future. Initially he is excited that he can now literally rewrite the past, especially his dream of getting out of the small native town he has grown up in and become a professional football player. However, his interactions with his coach, his own single mother and most of all with an unknown girl (who in his present is his wife) in the college - not unknown, but he never really did notice her then - he begins to see the beauty of the present. His mother challenges him to be happy now, rather than eternally keep chasing happiness in the future. Finally when he actually has a chance to change the present, in line with his grand plans for the future, he does the same as he did then, 15 years ago... all for the sake of retaining what is most important in life... love and friendship of those dear and not personal plans for glory.

I wonder how many of us, if given a chance to go back into our past and change things, would change the whole of it? Or some of it? Or most of it? Blessed are those who will live it as it is and be happy about it! Because only then will each present moment count and every choice made valuable, because my present is more important than my past or the future... because my choice for the right and lasting things of life is more important than momentary glory and honour.

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The story starts off with a man who was injured in a football game; he has a flashback of himself back in high school. He was the star football player for the Coldwater Cavaliers. This football movie was inspiring and also slow. There's not a lot of detail but once you get to a certain point in the movie, it's actually a pretty good film. The actual footage of the football games was really interesting and real. I felt like I was actually at a high school football game. The visual effects were amazing. There were some moments that caught my eye. But really, it was a terrible movie because of the slowness and no detail.

The main character in the story is Scott Murphy; he lives in a small town in Ohio called Coldwater. He went to Coldwater High School and also played football for their football team, he was the star quarterback and he was doing well in school. He has a flashback after the injury and he wants to avoid the injury because he was worried about losing his scholarship to Ohio State. So he decides to not play in the game.

The quality of the film was pretty good. I like the footage of the actual games. There were some good moments in the movie. There was a mixture of different things in the movie that were good I guess.

The music was okay. Not my type of music for the movie but it was an OK movie but I like the suspense of the injury because it left my wondering what was going to happen. I also liked the setting is the story.

The movie was plain and had no detail. It was really boring and also typical because it seemed like a football version of Zac Efron's 17 Again. I was disappointed with the unexpected plot twist. It was as if I was watching two different movies.

I didn't like how the movie didn't go in-depth with the actual football practices or the games. I think if it was based on a true story, it would have been a better plot and story. Better setting and characters.

I just honestly think that most sports movies that are based on true stories are most likely to have more to offer.

The characters were pretty good, sometimes there were parts were it wasn't believable but overall the movie had good actors. I really think they should have showed Kurt Russell more in the story because he is a big actor and the movie would've got more recognition from people or viewers.

Some of the characters had hilarious moments but overall I think most of the characters were like typical, basic characters because the story was basic but maybe to a football coach, it could have been an inspirational story to him.

I honestly think the movie was a waste because of the lack of detail, slowness, no excitement or momentum. It really lacks a good plot because I was confused after the injury. I just thought the movie could have been better.

I consider myself a movie buff and definitely a football fan, so I didn't know what to expect from this movie. Understood the premise, guy is transformed back to his youth to relive a sports moment---insert clichés from every bad movie that uses that tired tactic. However, it works in this movie and makes you forget it immediately and concentrate on the story. The lead character is searching for something and the audience goes on the ride with him. There is humor throughout to keep you laughing and plenty of tearful moments. The football moments are not plentiful, but just enough. Probably the best family movie I have seen in sometime. The words, "cheesy" and "corny" will be plastered throughout the reviews of this film. That is because it will be compared to "17 Again" and other movies of the like. I compare this movie to no other, as I have never seen one that gets it right like this one.