Alex & Me Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Alex & Me Blu-ray Movie Review

Bend It Like Alex

Reviewed by Michael Reuben June 21, 2018

Women's soccer champion Alex Morgan may have top billing, but the real star of Warner's direct-to-video inspirational sports film, Alex & Me, is Siena Agudong, a veteran of Nickoledeon's original programming. The teenager is in nearly every scene of the film, and she holds the screen with a quiet emotional transparency that is the hallmark of effective screen acting. Alex & Me isn't particularly original, with writer/director Eric Champnella (in his first feature) relying on plot elements cribbed from every sports underdog tale that has proceeded him. But the film is a solidly crafted entertainment for a young audience, and it has the added spice of Morgan playing herself (in several versions).

Reagan Willis (Agudong) worships Alex Morgan and desperately wants to play in her local soccer league, but she fails at tryouts due to a combination of bad luck and the bias of Coach Oz (James Moses Black) in favor of Claire (Jessica Treska), whom Oz trained himself and whose wealthy father spares no expense to promote her. Reagan gets no sympathy from her family, because her mom and dad (Chuti Tiu and Jim Klock) are preoccupied with draft choices and scholarship opportunities for her older brother, Logan (Matt Cornett), who is a star high school quarterback being courted by every college with a football team.

But after a bump on the head, Alex awakens to find that her life-size poster of Alex Morgan has come to life, and the famous no. 13 coaches, encourages and, when necessary, nags Reagan into training harder than ever before. With Alex's help, Reagan gradually transforms a team of Bad News Bears-style rejects into a tightly coordinated squad. Eventually, even her family comes around, although they remain a little concerned that Reagan is constantly talking to empty air. (Her best friend, Grace (Julia Antonelli), takes Reagan's behavior in stride, as does the cute new boy at school (Colin Critchley)). Younger viewers may not foresee where Alex's new team will end up by the film's conclusion, but anyone who knows Hoosiers (among many others) will spot what's coming long before it arrives. The neat twist is the reappearance of Alex Morgan in a guise other than a poster-come-to-life. Morgan isn't a natural screen actor, but she's good enough at playing herself.

Alex & Me Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Alex & Me was shot digitally by Alice Brooks (part of the team of cinematographers on The Walking Dead), and its visual style is established in the opening scenes of Alex Morgan playing in real-life matches. These shots have the HD video look of a sports broadcast, and Warner's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray follows suit, with bright but not overly saturated primaries, a crisply digital sharpness and plenty of fine detail. Warner has mastered the film at a somewhat low rate of 18 Mbps, but the encode is capable.

Alex & Me Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Alex & Me has a modest but effective 5.1 soundtrack in lossless DTS-HD MA. Surround use is limited to ambiance, even during game play with cheering crowds, and the focus is on dialogue, which is tightly centered. Philip White (Tyler Perry's A Madea Family Funeral) supplied the serviceable score, pumping up the sport scenes and underlining the emotional beats.

Alex & Me Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The highlight of the extras is active participation by Alex Morgan, who is listed as co-producer of the film.

• Aspire to Inspire (1080p; 1.78:1; 5:37).



• Getting to Know Alex Morgan (1080p; 1.78:1; 4:15).



• Soccer; Script to Set: A Playbook on Alex Morgan (1080p; 1.78:1; 9:07).



• Outtake (1080p; 1.78:1; ); 0:45): That's singular (one "outtake") and not a typo. It's a quick joke played by one cast member on several others.

Alex & Me Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I have a tween niece who's a devoted soccer player, and her father (my brother) is the team's coach. I'm recommending Alex & Me to them, and I'd equally recommend it to any family with daughter(s) with athletic aspirations (or any aspirations that require dedication and hard work).