Search - Out Of The Blue: A Film About Life & Football at Boise State on DVD

Out of the Blue into the Black

Jake Putnam | Boise, Idaho | 11/05/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Boise State Broncos have a reputation. Promise less with a band of rag-tag 'too small for Division I' recruits then deliver more than expected. In turn BSU is one of the most exciting teams in Division I football. To their fans they're the little, non BCS that could. Going undefeated they beat brawn with brains when they crashed the elite BCS party with a 43-42 upset victory over powerhouse Oklahoma in last year's Fiesta Bowl. This compelling, slick documentary takes the viewer beyond the feat and concentrates on the players that not only could, but did.

Director Michael Hoffman is a Payette native and former Boise State Student Body President and A-list director that struck it rich in Hollywood. Hoffman is as Boise Blue as the Broncos, yet he lets his blue collar flag fly with this film. He aptly concentrates on the fabric of this accomplishment, the players and their dreams and it's refreshing to see a story unfold where hard work is rewarded in the end.

From the opening minutes of this marvelous film one can see that this Band of Bronco Brothers are bound together by work ethic and never say die attitude. There're glimpses of the team's legendary weight room workouts and the runs up the Bronco stadium stairs.

Then there's Jared Zabransky the farm boy that always knew he'd be playing big time football somewhere. Zabransky shines in this film not only because of his triumph but his sincere frankness. Overcoming a disastrous game against Georgia the year before, family struggles, then faced with adversity of throwing an interception with just a minute to go in the Fiesta Bowl, he tells us how he was able to pull off one of the greatest finishes in college football history. Then there's the touching interview with his mother. Now we know him and the rest of the story.

This is a solid documentary made in spirit of how and why and then there are the glorious lessons for the common man. Eleven men working together can beat the BCS elite if they truly believe. This is the team that finished 13-0 the best finish in college football in 2006, that's a lot of belief.

Hoffman weaves the story through the apt and insightful interviews with players, fans, coaches and the plentiful highlight footage. The end result is a film that presents a 360- view of the Broncos you thought you knew. There's amazing fan stories, including a guy who held off a trip to emergency room, so he could watch the end of the Fiesta Bowl.

A nice touch is the DVD's Special Features with extended interviews with Coach Chris Petersen and a surprising Dan Hawkins who when asked why he left Boise State for Colorado said, "You didn't need me any more." Which was an insightful way of saying that the Broncos had done all they could do under the Hawk. Hawkins is humble and loveable and fans will be remembered why they liked him so much.

The only downfall of the DVD is that it ends after an hour and a half. It's so juicy, interesting and insightful that many will long for an extra hour of insight and insider story lines. The players coaches, fans are so earnest comfortable and clean that you'll forgo bathing for a week or so. Hoffman succeeds in putting an intimate face on the familiar Bronco nation. It's fair to say that this is one of the best sports documentaries made on college football. And this comes from a diehard ISU Bengal Booster.




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A must for every classroom

C. Schoop | Pacific NW | 09/07/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Michael Hoffman was able to catch the exact essence of what it takes to be successful, not only on the blue turf, but in life itself. Through interviews with the players, their families and members of the BSU staff, we get a priviledged view of the makings of a true to life dream team. This documentary should be shown in every classroom in this country. It's about overcoming adversity, the American work ethic, what character and integrity is all about, and the building of confidence. You can't watch this show without feeling like you learned a life lesson just by watching it. Highly recommend it even if you're not a huge football fan."