Forever Strong is a sports film directed by
Ryan Little and written by David Pliler and released in September 26, 2008. The film stars
Sean Faris,
Gary Cole,
Neal McDonough,
Sean Astin,
Penn Badgley and
Arielle Kebbel. The film is about a troubled
rugby union player who must play against the team his father coaches at the national championships.
Forever Strong is based on a compilation of individual true stories.
Plot
Talented but troubled high school rugby player Rick Penning (
Sean Faris) loses his position as the star of an
Arizona rugby union team when he is sentenced to a boys' Juvenile Detention Center in
Salt Lake City.
Rick ends up playing for Salt Lake's notable Highland rugby team, coached by
Larry Gelwix (
Gary Cole), in the national championships - against his old team, who is coached by his father, Richard Penning (
Neal McDonough). Emily (
Arielle Kebbel) is Rick's love interest, and Marcus (
Sean Astin) is his guidance counselor.