The Hill (2023)

The Hill earns its uplift the old-fashioned way: by letting you feel every inch of the climb, not just the victory lap. Jeff Celentano frames Rickey Hill’s journey with a dusty, small-town authenticity, and Colin Ford makes him more than an underdog—he’s a stubborn, joyful talent refusing to be defined by pain, while Dennis Quaid brings real weight to a father whose love and fear keep colliding. The tone is warm, earnest, and proudly crowd-pleasing, the kind of PG drama you can watch with family and actually talk about afterward. If you’re allergic to faith-tinged, inspirational sports stories, it may feel a bit straightforward, but if you want a sincere, well-acted reminder of what perseverance looks like, this one’s easy to root for.

The Hill is aiming squarely for old-school, faith-tinged sports inspiration: a determined underdog, a tough father-son relationship, and a big “prove them wrong” payoff. The problem is it often leans on familiar beats so hard that you can see every emotional turn coming, and the movie isn’t shy about pushing the tear-jerker buttons. The pacing can feel sluggish and a bit padded, with side material that dilutes the central story rather than deepening it. If you like earnest, clean PG dramas and don’t mind a heavy-handed approach, you’ll probably find it uplifting; if you’re allergic to clichés and emotional manipulation, this may test your patience.