Forever Strong

Forever Strong (2008) is an American sports drama you can watch online on iFILM, directed by Ryan Little. Rick Penning is the star of his high school rugby team — fast, fearless, and completely certain he can outrun the consequences of anything. He cannot. After a run-in with the law, he ends up in a Salt Lake City juvenile detention center.

A probation officer gets him a spot on Highland Rugby, a program run by Coach Gelwick (Gary Cole). Highland operates on a different set of values than anything Rick has known: rigorous training, a code of conduct, and a version of toughness that has nothing to do with ego. Sean Faris plays Rick without making him easy to like from the start, which is the right choice. Penn Badgley and Shawn Ashmore (credited as Nathan West and Max Kasch in the cast) fill out a team that feels earned, not assembled. When Rick gets released early and has to return to his father's squad — which happens to be drawn against Highland in the national final — the question of which jersey to wear becomes something bigger.

It is an earnest film, and it knows it. For a sports drama about character over scorelines, it lands where it aims. Watch Forever Strong (2008) online on iFILM.