YOU GOTTA BELIEVE is a sports drama based on the inspiring true story of a Dallas, Texas Little League team that defies all odds. The film tells the team’s journey through the eyes of Robert, the first baseman whose father Bobby is terminally ill with cancer. The boys rally around their teammate and dedicate their season to Bobby. Coach Jon begins to take the boys’ training seriously, and the story of the team’s underdogs begins. Eventually, the team has a chance to prove itself at the Little League World Series.

YOU GOTTA BELIEVE is a fantastic addition to the sports drama genre. It is a poignant story about perseverance, team spirit and never giving up. The film is based on the true story of Robert, his father’s battle with cancer and their great run in Little League in 2002. YOU GOTTA BELIEVE tells an inspiring, well-structured story with phenomenal acting. The film is not explicitly religious, but there is a brief moment of prayer. However, YOU GOTTA BELIEVE also contains some relatively mild profanity and a slight humorous innuendo. Therefore, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for younger viewers, especially preschoolers.

(BB, CC, L, V, S, A, M):

Dominant worldview and other ideological content/elements:

A strong moral worldview with a strong father-son relationship emphasizes the importance of never giving up, sticking together as a family and as a team, and persevering through difficult times. Also, in one scene, a man prays to God.

Swear words:

Six or seven obscenities (including one nonsense word, one crude reference to the male anatomy, and four or five words that start with “D”), plus the use of the word “mother-sucker,” and a man with cancer vomiting throughout the film;

Force:

A player gets injured and his ankle is swollen, a man in the film has cancer, and players get into a fight, but there is no blood or brutality shown;

Sex:

No sex scenes, but there is a brief, light joke/reference to sex or lovemaking that is easy to miss (someone jokes that a wife should keep her husband to a “schedule”);

Nudity:

No nudity;

Alcohol consumption:

Man is drinking a beer and someone jokingly asks for a drink;

Smoking and/or drug use and abuse:

Do not smoke or take drugs; and,

Various immoralities:

A younger brother has a rabbit’s foot that he hopes will help his brother run faster, but it doesn’t work and he throws it away. Also, the boys on the Little League team like to call each other and their opponents names (none of these names are particularly graphic or obscene, but this is a common theme throughout the film).

YOU GOTTA BELIEVE is a sports drama about the true story of a Little League baseball team in Dallas, Texas that came together and dedicated their inspirational 2002 underdog season to their coach Bobby, who is terminally ill with cancer and the father of first baseman Robert. YOU GOTTA BELIEVE is an incredibly well-told story with a lot of heart and inspirational moments about an underdog team that defies all odds. The film promotes family, perseverance, caring for others, and prayer, but there is also some foul language and name-calling.

Bobby and Jon coach a little league team in Dallas Fort Worth, Texas. Their regular season is coming to an end after a tough loss in the last game of the season. Bobby tries to encourage Jon to take the team more seriously next year.

Jon and his team are offered the opportunity to represent their district as an all-star team, but after their difficult season, Jon is hesitant to accept.

Meanwhile, Bobby passes out one day while throwing a ball at his son Robert’s house. He learns that he has terminal cancer. While Bobby begins treatment, Jon agrees to coach the Little League team that will represent his district.

The competition is fierce, but Jon and other people start to coach the team seriously. As underdogs, they dedicate their season to Bobby and their inspiring run to the 2002 Little League World Championship begins.

YOU GOTTA BELIEVE is a great sports drama about an underdog team that defies all odds. It also tells a poignant story about a father’s love for his son and his perseverance in the face of terminal cancer. YOU GOTTA BELIEVE emphasizes the importance of family, never giving up and sticking together as a family and as a team.

There is a scene where Bobby asks God not to separate him from his family, but the film does not have an explicitly Christian worldview. “You gotta believe” becomes her mantra in the film, but that belief is directed inward toward herself or outward toward her teammates, not toward God or faith. YOU GOTTA BELIEVE also has a brief scene where Robert’s younger brother has a rabbit’s foot charm that he hopes will make his brother run faster. However, it doesn’t work and he throws it away.

YOU GOTTA BELIEVE has some truly inspiring and emotional moments. However, due to the brief swear words and the adult themes of cancer and death, Movieguide® advises caution for children and young teenagers.