12 Mighty Orphans, composed by Mark Orton and music supervised by Christine Greene Roe, is out now in select theaters.
Set to Mark’s beautiful, Americana-driven score and complimented by some clever period song placements by Christine Greene Roe, the film tells the true story of the Mighty Mites, a Fort Worth orphanage football team who went from playing without shoes—or even a football— to playing for the Texas state championship, inspiring others during the Great Depression. Luke Wilson, Vinessa Shaw, Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall and Wayne Knight star in the latest film from Sony Pictures Classics, which premiered as a Spotlight Narrative entry at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. Variety stated that “The “Mighty Mites,” as they came to be known, embody practically everything that underdog sports movies are made of, and director Ty Roberts’ treatment (derived from Jim Dent’s fact-based book) hits nearly all the feel-good notes we’ve come to expect from the genre, with one extra: It signals a comeback of sorts for Luke Wilson.”
Pete Hammond (Deadline) praised the film’s “inspiring healing power” – especially after the “kind of year we have survived.” He further stated that “the story is tailor made to tug your heart and get you to stand up and cheer, but director Ty Roberts doesn’t go the obvious route. He finds purpose in their story that resonates on a more subtle level. It’s not the obsessive Texas Friday Night Lights-driven football tale we have seen from this region, but a much simpler one told on a human level.”The 12 Mighty Orphans Soundtrack Album is out now via Milan Records.