Official Movie Website Theatrical Release 03/14/08 Home Video Not Available MPAA Rating Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving intense sequences of fighting/violence, some sexuality, partying and language - all involving teens Running Time 1 hour 53 minutes Genre Drama Director Jeff Wadlow Writer Chris Hauty, Sean Faris Cast Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, Carol Burnett, Will Arnett, Isla Fisher, Amy Poehler, Seth Rogen Studio Summit |
NEVER BACK DOWN (2008)
SYNOPSIS
Set against the action-packed world of mixed
martial arts, Never Back Down is the story of Jake
Tyler (Sean Faris), a tough kid with a big heart,
who has to learn that in life, everyone has their
fight.
Orlando, Florida may as well be the moon for Iowa-
native Jake with its ten-million dollar mansions set
ten feet apart. The privileged teenagers of this
American Dream on steroids want for nothing;
they zoom around upscale neighborhoods in
expensive cars, wearing bikinis and flip-flops,
affecting the jaded ennui of kids with too much,
too soon. Life is one big party for them.
Jake was a star athlete on the football team back
home, but in this new city he is an outsider.
Considered “the new kid” with his taciturn attitude
and lumberjack attire, Jake’s not winning friends
anytime soon, and that’s OK with him. Quiet and
withdrawn, he’s silently suffering from the recent
loss of his father. It’s not long, however, before
Jake’s troubled past re-emerges when a clip of a
spectacular football-field fist fight from Iowa is
forwarded around his new school.
Set against the action-packed world of mixed
martial arts, Never Back Down is the story of Jake
Tyler (Sean Faris), a tough kid with a big heart,
who has to learn that in life, everyone has their
fight.
Orlando, Florida may as well be the moon for Iowa-
native Jake with its ten-million dollar mansions set
ten feet apart. The privileged teenagers of this
American Dream on steroids want for nothing;
they zoom around upscale neighborhoods in
expensive cars, wearing bikinis and flip-flops,
affecting the jaded ennui of kids with too much,
too soon. Life is one big party for them.
Jake was a star athlete on the football team back
home, but in this new city he is an outsider.
Considered “the new kid” with his taciturn attitude
and lumberjack attire, Jake’s not winning friends
anytime soon, and that’s OK with him. Quiet and
withdrawn, he’s silently suffering from the recent
loss of his father. It’s not long, however, before
Jake’s troubled past re-emerges when a clip of a
spectacular football-field fist fight from Iowa is
forwarded around his new school.
© 2003 St. Louis Movie Review Weekly. All rights reserved, except where indicated.
All movie titles, pictures, etc...are the property of their respective studios.
All movie titles, pictures, etc...are the property of their respective studios.
| ST. LOUIS MOVIE REVIEW WEEKLY |
Things take a turn when he meets Baja (Amber Heard) in class. She’s beautiful—and smarter than she
lets on. At her invitation, Jake goes to a party where he is unwittingly pulled into a fight with a bully
named Ryan McCarthy (Cam Gigandet). He is defeated and humiliated in the fight and subsequently wary
of everyone, especially Baja, who may have set him up. But it’s Jake’s enthusiastic, good-hearted
classmate Max (Evan Peters), who sees a champion in Jake. He tells Jake about the sport known as
mixed martial arts (MMA) and invites him to meet with his coach, Jean Roqua (Djimon Hounsou).
It is immediately apparent to Jake that MMA is not street fighting, but rather an art form he’s determined
to master. Roqua will take Jake under his wing, but it is up to Jake to find the patience, discipline and
motivation to succeed. For Jake, there is much more at stake than mere victory. His decision will not
just settle a score; it will define who he is.--© Summit
lets on. At her invitation, Jake goes to a party where he is unwittingly pulled into a fight with a bully
named Ryan McCarthy (Cam Gigandet). He is defeated and humiliated in the fight and subsequently wary
of everyone, especially Baja, who may have set him up. But it’s Jake’s enthusiastic, good-hearted
classmate Max (Evan Peters), who sees a champion in Jake. He tells Jake about the sport known as
mixed martial arts (MMA) and invites him to meet with his coach, Jean Roqua (Djimon Hounsou).
It is immediately apparent to Jake that MMA is not street fighting, but rather an art form he’s determined
to master. Roqua will take Jake under his wing, but it is up to Jake to find the patience, discipline and
motivation to succeed. For Jake, there is much more at stake than mere victory. His decision will not
just settle a score; it will define who he is.--© Summit