Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

i must have seen a different film!!

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Gleason is more than a movie, it's a life experience as well as statement on life and fatherhood. Art imitates life. You can't get better acting than real life. The main characters in the movie held nothing back. IT WAS REAL! And I mean that literally. I would be surprised if there was a dry eye in theater. My eyes started getting a little watery during the trailer. I was able to keep it together during the movie. I'm an old school guy, don't cry at movies much. Took a look at the IMDb top 250 movies, in my opinion, "Gleason" can stand its own with any of them.

I watched this film knowing almost nothing about expect that it was a documentary and it had received great reception. I'm not a football fan and had no idea who Steve Gleason was. With that said, it didn't take away any of my enjoyment from this powerful documentary.The film follows retired NFL player Steve Gleason who is diagnosed with ALS just months before the birth of his son. As he prepares a video dairy for his son, we watch as Steve deals with the disease as it progresses as well as his family as they embark with him on the long and difficult journey. Even without any knowledge of his football career, the film does a great job of quickly introducing to Steve and his family and giving us a background of their live. Although Steve is the star here, his wife Michele also equally shares the spotlight with him as we get to know her and watch her world change as he helps support her husband.Although I highly recommend this film, be warned it's very difficult to watch. The film does not shy away from just how horrific of a disease ALS is and shows us Steve at several points where he is at his worst with the disease to the point he nearly gives up. What makes the film worth it though is watching somebody like Steve who once had it all have the courage and strength to want to continue living his life in his condition for the sake of his family. By the end of the film, it's hard not walk away without thinking of Steve Gleason as one of the most inspiring people to ever live. It's the kind of film that when it's over makes you want to go outside and look around and makes you appreciate your own life and the ones around you. The only thing that really keeps the film from being perfect that it is a bit long at nearly 2 hours and a few scenes could've been trimmed down. If you enjoy documentaries and inspiring stories, this film is a must watch and one of the best documentaries I've seen in a long time!

"Gleason" (2016 release; 110 min.) is a documentary about Steve Gleason, the former New Orleans Saint defensive back and special team player. As the movie opens, Gleason talks into the camera, explaining he want to make video blogs, "to share while I can". After that, we go back in time when we see Gleason excel at Washington State and then the Saints, retiring in 2008. We then go straight to the heart of the matter: it's January, 2011 and Steve is diagnosed with ACL, better known at Lou Gehrig's disease. Shortly thereafter, we learn that Steve's wife Michel is pregnant with the couple's first child. Couple of comments: let me state upfront that I was not familiar with Steve Gleason, and unless you are a Saints fan, I'm guessing many of you are not either. But when I saw the trailer of this movie some weeks ago, I just knew I had to come watch this. Beware: the movie is not for the faint of heart! it throws an emotional gut punch at you, as we discover what it's like to live with ACl, and to see how a once healthy man's body steadily worsens--while his mind stays sharp, creating enormous frustration at times for Gleason. The movie does not look away either when very difficult moments arrive (check out the confrontations, yes plural, between Steve and his father). But in the end the movie is also very inspirational, as we see Steve persevere, helped with unwavering support by Michel and others. Several Pearl Jam members appear in the movie, and Steve's interview of PJ front man Eddie Vedder is priceless. In another one of his video blogs, Steve says "it's not going to be easy but it's going to be awesome". And that captures the movie right there."Gleason" made quite a splash when it premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival, and Amazon Studios promptly bought it. It recently had a one week run at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati, and the Wednesday early evening screening where I saw it at was sadly not attended very well. I sure hope that this movie will find a wider audience in distribution channels outside of traditional theaters. If you are in the mood for an emotional taxing but inspirational documentary about life with ACL, you cannot go wrong with this. Just make sure you have plenty of paper napkins handy... "Gleason" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Me and my wife went to a show here in New Orleans. Gleason has been a public figure in the city for some time. Living here during his time as player at the Saints we all knew his name. We where aware of his struggles with ALS and even his outreach. This movie takes you on a deep inside look of the life of his family with no filter and uncut realism. Love knows no bounds and as the movies connects you with the struggles of being human you might take a deep look at yourself. I came away from the theater reflecting on what i had done with my life. Feeling more then a bit of guilt for not doing more with what I have. The films very much a first person blog video, something that you could or would expect to find on Youtube. Its amazing the forethought put into capturing life before it becomes a scrip. As things unfold you become aware of the fragility of life and the greatness. I recommend seeing the film and share with friends. We all have something we can do and sacrifice to make the lives of everyone we know better.