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Paterno on HBO April 7


PhillyD

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Posted this on the football board but thought I would double post here-

Derp, Derp, Derp-

 

A statement signed by nearly 300 Penn State football lettermen, including Franco Harris and Ki-Jana Carter, called the film, which stars Al Pacino as Paterno, “uninformed” and says it “fails in every manner” to depict the late coach. The film’s director, the statement says, “takes shameless liberties about the Jerry Sandusky scandal and Joe’s knowledge of it that would certainly be proven libelous if Joe were alive today.”

Here is the statement in its entirety:

 

“As Penn State Lettermen, there was never a question that one day we would see a movie made about Joe Paterno, one that showcased his impact on the game of football, on Penn State University and, on the thousands of men he coached and mentored over his 61-year career.

 “Sadly — and wrongly — HBO’s ‘Paterno’ is not that movie. It has been described by producer Barry Levinson as a work of fiction, which is likely the only truth in the entire project. Incredibly, in making the movie, Levinson and his team never consulted a single person who was close to, worked with, or was coached by Joe Paterno. Not even family members or us, who undoubtedly knew him best of all.
 “As a result, this uninformed depiction of Joe fails in every manner about the man we knew and loved. Deviously using ‘fiction’ as his shield, Levinson takes shameless liberties about the Sandusky scandal and Joe’s knowledge of it that would certainly be proven libelous if Joe were alive today.
 “As a coach, educator and philanthropist, Joe Paterno was a positive force in our lives, molding us not only to win games, but to win in life. His character, integrity, and moral compass will live on in us long after the ill-gotten ratings of this reckless attempt at entertainment fades away.”

 

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/group-penn-state-football-lettermen-call-paterno-movie-uninformed-reckless-010357730.html

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On 4/8/2018 at 7:26 AM, nycHorn said:

Honestly, the best thing that could have happened for Paterno's legacy is to have passed as quickly as he did.  

We were talking about this as we watched it.  Had he lived long enough to testify at trial or plead out to something, this would be a completely different conversation.

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On 4/8/2018 at 9:14 AM, GhostOfTomJoad said:

Just finished watching it. Two things come to mind:

 

  1. A whole bunch of enablers need to rot in hell alongside Joe Pa and Sandusky
  2. Barry Levinson did a fantastic job with this, and I hope he's whispering in Peter Berg's ear right now saying "you're just the right guy to direct the film about Art Briles and Baylor

 

Baylor could be Part 2 and Michigan State Part 3.

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On 4/10/2018 at 11:56 AM, JimmyHoffa said:

A statement signed by nearly 300 Penn State football lettermen, including Franco Harris and Ki-Jana Carter, called the film, which stars Al Pacino as Paterno, “uninformed” and says it “fails in every manner” to depict the late coach. The film’s director, the statement says, “takes shameless liberties about the Jerry Sandusky scandal and Joe’s knowledge of it that would certainly be proven libelous if Joe were alive today.”

Here is the statement in its entirety:

 

“As Penn State Lettermen, there was never a question that one day we would see a movie made about Joe Paterno, one that showcased his impact on the game of football, on Penn State University and, on the thousands of men he coached and mentored over his 61-year career.

 “Sadly — and wrongly — HBO’s ‘Paterno’ is not that movie. It has been described by producer Barry Levinson as a work of fiction, which is likely the only truth in the entire project. Incredibly, in making the movie, Levinson and his team never consulted a single person who was close to, worked with, or was coached by Joe Paterno. Not even family members or us, who undoubtedly knew him best of all.
 “As a result, this uninformed depiction of Joe fails in every manner about the man we knew and loved. Deviously using ‘fiction’ as his shield, Levinson takes shameless liberties about the Sandusky scandal and Joe’s knowledge of it that would certainly be proven libelous if Joe were alive today.
 “As a coach, educator and philanthropist, Joe Paterno was a positive force in our lives, molding us not only to win games, but to win in life. His character, integrity, and moral compass will live on in us long after the ill-gotten ratings of this reckless attempt at entertainment fades away.”

 

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/group-penn-state-football-lettermen-call-paterno-movie-uninformed-reckless-010357730.html

I'm including this quote because I think the players who say it "fails in every manner" got it wrong and are still blinded by undying loyalty.  This movie got a lot right and that's what I liked about it.  What I wish the movie had done more of is filled in more of Joe's early career and how he got to be lionized to the point that he became bigger than the University.  I read the Paterno biography (a review is here https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/21/books/paterno-by-joe-posnanski-a-biography-of-the-coach.html) much of which was written before the scandal broke, but the author followed up and there are some chapters dedicated to it.  The movie matched much of the biography which is why I think the players who made that statement got it so wrong.  The biography also adds a lot of context between Joe and Sandusky. 

If you're just looking to validate a hot take opinion on Paterno, you probably shouldn't read the book.  For anyone else, I think it is great read.

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