When he was in high school, Scott Murphy (Brian Presley) was nicknamed “Mr. Football.” He was the best high school player in Ohio and everyone knew he was going to make it far in the NFL. His dreams of football stardom ended on the night of the big game when his leg was shattered during a running play. Twenty years later, Scott is still living in his small town. He owns a farm that he can’t make the payments on and crops that he can’t bring in. When Scott learns that he is to he honored at the next high school football team for taking the team to the state championship years ago, it causes him to break down. He attempts to commit suicide but, when he passes out from inhaling carbon monoxide, he doesn’t die. Instead, he wakes up as a high school student in 1991.
Scott has his second chance. The championship game is coming up and, if Scott can keep from getting injured, he’ll be able to accept his scholarship to Ohio State and go on to the NFL. He makes sure to introduce himself to his future wife Macy (Melanie Lynesky) so he won’t lose her. He befriends the kids that he picked on the first time he was in high school. When a college scout tells him that his scholarship will not be rescinded if he chooses to sit out the big game, Scott decides to stay on the bench but then his coach (Kurt Russell) explains how much the game means to the people in the town. Scott realizes he has to play for them but can he get through the game without getting injured a second time?
What would you do if you had a second chance? That’s something that everyone wonders. If I had a second chance to relive my senior year of high school, I would take more risks, worry less about the unimportant stuff, and try to be nicer to everyone and not just the members of my social circle. If I knew I was going to suffer a life-changing injury, I would probably go out of my way to make sure it didn’t happen. That’s where Touchback loses me because I just don’t think Scott would have played in that game, no matter how eloquent the coach was. If Scott had sat out the game, the town might have lost the championship but Scott could have gone on to the NFL, still married Macy, and his family wouldn’t be struggling to make ends meet on the family farm.
If I didn’t really believe Scott would have made the decision that he made, there were still parts of Touchback that I liked. Kurt Russell was a great coach. I liked the way the town rallied to Scott, even when he was at his lowest and about ready to give up. That’s one thing I love about close-knit communities. They take care of each other.
Through the Shattered Lens 