Murderball (2005)
94%RT Audience Score: 89%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
17 wins & 13 nominations total
An entertaining and gripping documentary that shows being confined to a wheelchair doesn’t mean the fun has to end.
Murderball is like a prison movie, but instead of shivs and shanks, it’s all about wheelchairs and rugby balls. This documentary is a celebration of the human spirit, showcasing the power of the human body to adapt and heal. It’s a kick-ass showcase of what spinal injury enabled, not excluded. And let’s be real, there’s little room for tears in the testosterone-riddled territory of quadriplegic rugby. So, grab some popcorn and get ready to witness the mental and physical fortitude of these wheelchair-bound athletes who insist on living life to the fullest.
Production Company(ies)
Paramount Pictures, MTV Films, Participant
Distributor
ThinkFilm
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Alexandria, Virginia, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language and sexual content
Year of Release
2005
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 25m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jul 8, 2005 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 29, 2005
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
Murderball, documentary, quad rugby, wheelchair, full-contact, paraplegic, sport, 2004 Paralympic Games, Athens, Greece, directed by Henry Alex Rubin, directed by Dana Adam Shapiro, written by Dana Adam Shapiro, produced by Jeffrey V Mandel, produced by Dana Adam Shapiro, executive producer Randy Manis, starring U.S quad rugby team, box office gross $1.5M, R rating, reviewed by Richard Corliss, reviewed by J.R Jones, reviewed by Dave Calhoun, reviewed by Steve O’Hagan, reviewed by Matthew Leyland, reviewed by Tasha Robinson, reviewed by Felicia Feaster, reviewed by Nick Rogers, reviewed by Jay Antani, reviewed by Cole Smithey, 98% Tomatometer, 141 critic reviews, 89% audience score, 10,000+ ratings
Worldwide gross: $1,751,895
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $2,669,859
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,339
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 291,151
US/Canada gross: $1,531,154
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $2,333,453
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,995
US/Canada opening weekend: $57,286
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $87,303
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,988
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $1,750,211
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $2,667,292
Production budget ranking: 1,993
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,436,337
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$1,433,771
ROI to date (est.): -35%
ROI ranking: 1,601
Dana Adam Shapiro – Director, Writer
Jeffrey V. Mandel – Producer
Dana Adam Shapiro – Producer
Randy Manis – Executive Producer
Director(s)
Henry Alex Rubin, Dana Adam Shapiro
Writer(s)
Dana Adam Shapiro
Producer(s)
Jeffrey V. Mandel, Dana Adam Shapiro
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
17 wins & 13 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (141) | Top Critics (47) | Fresh (138) | Rotten (3)
Murderball is no Rocky-esque hymn to the human spirit. It’s more like a prison movie…
August 4, 2008
Richard Corliss
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
An honest, down-to-earth account of how life goes on for people with disabilities.
March 26, 2007
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
What emerges is more interesting, thankfully, than a linear offering of sporting triumph in the face of adversity.
June 24, 2006
Dave Calhoun
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
A leftfield sports documentary that’s as insightful and thought-provoking as it is fast and furious.
April 1, 2006 | Rating: 4/5
Steve O’Hagan
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
One of 2005’s very best documentaries.
October 25, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
Matthew Leyland
BBC.com
TOP CRITIC
Few sports movies with a premise this powerful ever bother to dig this deep.
September 26, 2005
Tasha Robinson
AV Club
TOP CRITIC
Murderball is a movie that’s easier to admire than adore, and its makers wouldn’t have it any other way.
December 28, 2020 | Rating: 3/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
A celebration of the human spirit and a testimony of the power of the human body to adapt and heal.
September 17, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
Murderball tends to buck the feel-good vibe and good guy-bad guy arc of that genre… Instead, the film depicts a more profound and lifelong battle waged between these men and the circumstance they find themselves in.
February 3, 2020
Felicia Feaster
Creative Loafing
There’s little room for tears in the testosterone-riddled territory of quadriplegic rugby. “Murderball” spat on that power of the human spirit stuff and rolled along to a kick-ass showcase of not what spinal injury excluded, but what it enabled.
September 19, 2010 | Rating: 4/4
Nick Rogers
The Film Yap
a triumph of filmmaking: of structure, character development, and pacing
August 21, 2010 | Rating: 4/4
Jay Antani
Cinema Writer
The quadriplegic rugby sport referred to as “Murderball” is lovingly examined in a well-crafted documentary that goes a long way toward showing the mental and physical fortitude of these wheelchair bound athletes who insist on living life to the fullest.
April 16, 2009 | Rating: B+
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com…
Plot
Quad rugby as played by the US team, between 2002 games in Sweden and the 2004 Paralympics in Athens. Young men, most with spinal injuries, play this rough and tumble sport in special chairs, seated gladiators. We get to know several and their families. They talk frankly about their injuries, feelings in public, sex lives, competitiveness, and love of the game. There’s also an angry former team member gone north to coach the Canadian team, tough on everyone, including his viola-playing son. We meet a recently injured man, in rehab, at times close to despair, finding possible joy in quad rugby. After Athens, the team meets young men injured in war: the future stars of Team USA.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing specific is mentioned about the cast in this Fresh Kernels entry.
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