As sports films go, The Mighty Macs is pretty routine in all but its subject:  women’s college basketball.  In fact, I had no idea what the title meant (I thought it was some sort of kiddie movie, especially with its G rating) until I checked into it a little bit.  I don’t recall the actual events that inspired the film in 1972, though I have a vague recollection of the nickname.  Now that I’ve seen it, I’m impressed that a film was made about this particular coach and team — which are quite worthy of being a film subject — but I wish the film had been stronger, more befitting its subjects.

Its main subject is Cathy Rush (Carla Gugino), a newlywed graduate looking for a job coaching college basketball.  She accepts a job at Immaculata College, which is close to going bankrupt, and infuses the Catholic girls there with an indomitable will to win. Rush’s methods are unorthodox and she is a hard taskmaster, yet she connects with the girls in a way few coaches do.  If all of this sounds familiar, it’s because it is. The vast majority of sports movies follow this same pattern and The Mighty Macs is no exception.  There is a freshness about it because there are so few movies regarding women’s athletics, but Tim Chambers’ film cannot disguise its well-worn foundation.

Interspersed with the “Macs'” unlikely run to a collegiate title match are scenes with the Mother Superior (Ellyn Burstyn) desperately worrying about the fate of her beloved institution, and the faith crisis of a young nun (Marley Shelton) who finds her calling as the assistant coach.  Burstyn is properly dour in an almost humorless role, but Shelton is terrific in a much more human characterization.  She’s as good as Carla Gugino, who sparkles as Cathy Rush.  It was Gugino’s casting that lured me to this film; she is one of my favorites.  I’d watch her read the telephone book.

The script is excellent when it unearths the details of Immaculata’s neglect and allows the coach to connect with her players.  But it has far too many generalities and lapses of concentration.  It never explains how (or even if) the magical run of the women’s basketball team sparks a renaissance at the school, or how the grumpy old businessmen who run the place change their minds about selling it, or how Rush’s aloof husband (David Boreanaz) ultimately gets over himself to root for her and her squad.  This is a true-to-life feel-good story with real underdogs, but the film seems more like a fairy tale than an inspirational treat.  It never sermonizes, but it also never reaches the heights to which it aspires.  ✰ ✰ ½.  28 Oct. 2011.