When my generation hears the term "Kurt Russell Football Movie", we immediately think of the disappointing 1986 film The Best of Times. Russell played the absurdly named "Reno Hightower" in the movie in which he was paired with Robin Williams. Of course, Williams is known for being funny, but at the time, Russell wasn't, as he'd only made one true comedy (Used Cars) at that point. The movie didn't do very well and never really gained cult status. (Of course, Russell would later show his comedy chops in Overboard, Captain Ron, and even Big Trouble in Little China.) A new movie aims to give new meaning to the term "Kurt Russell Football Movie" by playing things quite straight and weaving together drama and fantasy. Can Touchback change Russell's pigskin profile?

Touchback opens in 1991 during the last second of the state of Ohio high school football championship game, which features the team from the tiny town of Coldwater. Quarterback Scott Murphy (Brian Presley), Ohio's "Mr. Football" for that year, decides to take matters into his own hands, against the wishes of Coach Hand (Kurt Russell), and runs for the winning touchdown. Unfortunately, his leg is badly broken during the play. The story then jumps ahead 20 years. Relying on a leg brace, Scott has difficulty getting around. He's married to Macy (Melanie Lynskey), whom he met while he was in the hospital following his injury, and they have two daughters. They own a farm and grow soybeans, but they are about to lose the property, as they can't make payments. Scott hates his life and this is only reinforced by the fact that the town is having a celebration for the 20th anniversary of the state championship. When an attempt to harvest his crop fails, Scott decides that he can't take this life any longer. He then wakes up in 1991, finding himself in high school again, only a few days before the big game. Scott's fascinated by the fact that he's once again big man on campus, that his Mom (Christine Lahti) is still alive, and that he's dating, Jenny (Sarah Wright), a cheerleader. However, knowing what he knows about the future, Scott seeks out Macy, who is an unpopular member of the marching band, and debates about playing in the championship. While making different decisions change the outcomes of his life?

Touchback is an odd little hybrid of It's a Wonderful Life, Back to the Future, Peggy Sue Got Married and Field of Dreams, as it combines time-travel, a "what if?" story, and a fantastic sports story all-in-one, coupled with the "farmer who's about to lose the farm" story which we've seen time-and-time-again. The movie actually throws a lot at the viewer, and for a while, it appears that it's going to simply be a straight-ahead drama, as we watch Scott deal with one disappointment after another. And the viewer wonders where the football action promised by the cover art is. Once Scott "goes back in time", the movie begins to focus more on football and we also see Scott wrestle with the idea that he can change his destiny. This part of the movie offers the aforementioned football scenes (overseen by sports movie vet Mark Robert Ellis), some light comedy, romance, and scenes of emotion when Scott gets to see his deceased mother again.

However, first-time feature film director Don Handfield (who also wrote the screenplay) isn't always sure how to handle this material. For one thing, at two hours, Touchback is far too long and Handfiled could have easily cut out the many, many shots of farms, landscapes, and the town. The story gets muddled in the middle when Scott is in high-school again. The only part of his teenage years which we saw in the opening was the few moments at the championship game. Therefore, there are several key scenes once he's "gone back" where the viewer must ask, "Whoa! Did this happen the first time or is this part of Scott trying to change things?" We never get answers to these very important questions. Finally, although Handfield has stitched several genres together, none of Touchback feels especially original and much of it will border on pedestrian to seasoned movie watchers. The one thing which does make Touchback unique is that everything about it makes it look like one of those movies which would hit the viewer hard with a spiritual message, but this never happens.

But, that's not to say that the movie isn't without its charms. The finale offers a nice twist and it's undeniably moving. Presley (who runs the production company which made the film) is good in the lead and Lynskey adds yet another mid-western American character to her resume. And, of course, it's always good to see Kurt Russell in action, as he shows that he can still do drama and be funny at the same time. The football game scenes are very well-done and the scenes in which Scott tries to woo the stranger who he knows to be his wife are pleasing. Touchback doesn't come close to capturing the emotion of something like Field of Dreams, but it's nice to see that filmmakers haven't given up on movies which combine sports with something whimsical.

Touchback should not have called an audible on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment. The film has been letterboxed at 1.78:1 and the Disc contains an AVC 1080p HD transfer which runs at an average of 19 Mbps. The image is very sharp and clear, showing no overt grain and no defects from the source materials. The colors look very good, most notably greens, and the image is never overly dark or bright. The picture shows a nice amount of depth, as the actors are clearly separate from the background, and the level of detail is good, although some shots are a bit soft. The Disc carries a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio track which runs at 48 kHz and an average of 3.5 Mbps. The track provides clear dialogue and sound effects. The football game scenes offer nice examples of surround sound action, as the crowd noise and the sounds from the game fill the rear speakers. The hits in the these scenes also offer palpable subwoofer effects. The stereo effects are also nicely done, as they show good separation.

The Touchback Blu-ray Disc contains only two extras. The first is an AUDIO COMMENTARY with Writer/Director Don Handfield and Producer/Actor Brian Presley. The second extra is "Making of Touchback" (6 minute) is a fairly basic featurette which contains comments from the cast and the filmmakers who touch on the story and the themes in the film. We hear some specifics about characters and the filming of the football scenes, but overall, the information here is fairly general.