Heartfelt ‘Shot at Glory’ Misses a Strong Kick

“A Shot at Glory” is a standard sports story given an endearing Scottish accent, a vital star turn by Robert Duvall and an unexpectedly strong finish. But as good-natured as the film is, it is likely to be involving only for dedicated sports fans.

Duvall’s Gordon McLeod is the stalwart manager of the football--i.e., soccer--team in the picturesque seaside village of Kilnockie. The team, the Knockies, hasn’t won a title in more than a century, but the locals cherish its players, who enjoy the game, win or lose.

But now the Knockies have a new owner, an American, Peter Cameron (Michael Keaton, in a virtual guest appearance), who declares that if the team can’t win the Scottish Cup he’ll move it to Ireland. To bolster the Knockies’ chances of an incredibly longshot win, Cameron has gone ahead and hired a former star, Jackie McQuillan (Ally McCoist, a real-life soccer star).

Jackie has been one of the greats, but he’s also a hard-drinking womanizer who not only has threatened his career but also eroded his marriage to none other than McLeod’s lovely daughter Kate (Kirsty Mitchell). McLeod manfully accepts this turn of events, but even if Jackie takes the opportunity to redeem himself on the field and bolster his marriage, Gordon, who has a decidedly stubborn streak, may still find himself unable to resume speaking to his daughter for having married Jackie in the first place.

Though Denis O’Neill’s script is not especially involving for non-sports fans, it is surprisingly mature for the genre and has been directed by Michael Corrente with the same warmth and intimacy he brought to the admirable “Federal Hill” and “Outside Providence.” Duvall has plenty of opportunities to draw upon his mastery of the tight smile of a proud man under duress, and McCoist is as much a natural on the screen as he has been on a soccer field. Brian Cox is the tough manager of the Glasgow Rangers, the country’s top team, which the Knockies must face in a David-versus-Goliath match.

The film’s strongest presence, and refreshingly so, is Mitchell’s Kate, who is strong and wise enough to deal with her father and her husband. “A Shot at Glory” is not as distinctive or even as humorous as its needs to be to stand out, but it has clearly been made with affection and care.

*

MPAA rating: R, for language and brief sexuality. Times guidelines. aside from some salty language, suitable family fare.

‘A Shot at Glory’

Robert Duvall...Gordon McLeod

Ally McCoist...Jackie McQuillan

Kirsty Mitchell...Kate McQuillan

Michael Keaton...Peter Cameron

Brian Cox...Martin Smith

A Revere Pictures presentation of a Butchers Run production. Director Michael Corrente. Producers Robert Duvall, Rob Carliner and Corrente. Executive producers Roger Marino, Steven Bowman, Billy Heintzerking and Denis O’Neill. Screenplay O’Neill. Cinematographer Alex Thomson. Editor David Ray. Music Mark Knopfler. Costume designer Trisha Biggar. Production designer Andy Harris. Art director Frances Connell. Running time: 1 hour, 33 minutes.

In general release.