Crooked Arrows

               On the surface Crooked Arrows is a movie about the sport of lacrosse.  A lot of the summaries I have read about the film seem to imply this.  How wrong they are.  Lacrosse is an important element of the story, but it is not the main point.  There is so much more going on.  This movie is about heritage and remembering where you come from.          

                Lacrosse is not just an activity to the people of the Native American reservation Joe Logan grew up on.  It is their history.  Their ancestors invented the game and they continue to honor and play it every day.  The problem is the high school lacrosse team is not very good compared to the other teams in the area.  While the players clearly have skill, they are not organized and do not know how to put everything together in order to win.  Joe was a star lacrosse player as a teenager, but he is not interested in helping the team.  What he wants is to convince the reservation that letting a developer build on their land is a good idea.

                The governing body agrees to the development, but there are conditions.  One is Joe must coach the high school lacrosse team.  The other is to find his spirit once again.  Neither one of these things makes Joe happy, but he wants the development deal to go through, so he agrees.

                Joe is not the only one hesitant about his position as coach.  The team is not too sure about him either as Joe shows up at practice in a flashy car and wearing a suit.  They test him, and when they discover Joe does know what he is talking about, they give him a chance.  Slowly but surely the team begins to improve, but there is still something missing.  Joe realizes in order for the team to be the best they can be, they need to get back in touch with their heritage.  Everyone needs to remember and value where lacrosse came from and how it is a part of who they are.  This everyone includes Joe as it helps him find his spirit once again.

                There are so many great characters in this movie.  One of the standouts is Joe’s sister, Nadie.  She is the only female on the lacrosse team, but she is forced to sit out as her ankle was broken during a game.  Full of knowledge and understanding of the game, Nadie acts as assistant coach.  She is very strong and is not afraid to speak her mind.  In many ways, she is the one who truly brings the team together as she is able to work with the players and her brother when they are at odds.  There is a teeny bit of a romantic story going on with Nadie as well.  I say teeny because it does not take up a lot of the movie but it is very sweet, and kind of funny.  One of the players, Jimmy, is absolutely crazy about Nadie.  He tries to flirt with her, but she is not buying it.  As the movie goes along, it seems her feelings for Jimmy start to grow, but if anything is going to happen it will be on her terms, not his.  That seems just fine with Jimmy.

                Even though Joe struggles with his Native American identity, he does not do it meanly.  Nor is he a bad person.  He has a good heart.  Joe just went through some things in life while playing lacrosse for a prep school that has led him to be a bit lost.  As the coach, Joe makes sure everyone on the team gets to play, no matter the skill level or heritage.  One of the members is a Caucasian boy, Toby, who has had very little lacrosse experience.  The other team members and Joe do not care that Toby is not Native American and even though Toby does not play often due to his lack of experience, they consider him part of the team.  When he does get on the field, they include Toby in the plays.  Sometimes this does not go so well, but instead of blaming and being overly critical, Joe is supportive and encouraging to everyone.  He rewards individual achievements, but no one is left out of the group effort.  In my opinion this is how sports should be.

                Joe’s and Nadie’s father, Ben, is also a great character.  He is a strong and caring presence who loves his children and those of his community.  Leading in a gentle but firm way, it is important to Ben that everyone remembers their heritage and keeps it as a part of who they are.

                As good as the other characters are, one of the best is Joe’s and Nadie’s grandmother.  She is very straight forward and definitely says what is on her mind.  There are not many parts of the movie that include her, but the ones that do are memorable as they are quite funny.      

                Watching the lacrosse games in the movie was exciting, but I found the story and the history most interesting. In less than two hours I was able to learn so much including how important lacrosse is to the people whose ancestors invented the game. I do not think I will ever again be able to see anything about lacrosse without remembering this movie.