We saw a lot of previews for this movie and I teared up every single time. So I knew going into it I needed to brace myself emotionally. Even with that foreknowledge, I cried like a baby during this movie. I cried tears of sadness (obvi) but also tears of joy, love, and inspiration.
The Miracle Season follows the story of the West High School (Iowa City, IA!) volleyball team as they try to win a second state championship in a row. This has rarely been done but the team seems well poised to do so under the leadership of their joyful, talented, and full of life captain, Caroline Found. Caroline plans to play the season in honor of her mother, who is in the hospital, dying. Instead, while driving a moped on the way to visit her mother, Caroline dies in a tragic accident. What follows is a beautiful story of how the young women on the volleyball team, their coach, and Caroline's father moved through grief, pain, and loss to find joy and peace again.
I'm not sure how many liberties were taken with the true story, but the one the movie tells is well done. The characters are all believable, sympathetic, and show growth amidst grief in realistic ways. Often when a true story like this is told, the writing can come off cheesy and forced, but this one did not. The acting from Helen Hunt (the coach), William Hurt (Caroline's father), Erin Moriarty (Caroline's best friend) was all excellent. I particularly enjoyed Danika Yarosh's portrayal of Caroline herself - playing someone who is remembered as joyous and full of life is a fine line to walk - the character could have easily come off as over-the-top and annoying, but Yarosh walked that line well and made me fall in love with Caroline.
Perhaps my biggest complaint with the movie is HOW MUCH THE PREVIEWS SHOWED. Seriously, way too much. I mean, much of the story is predictable anyway, but the previews give away so many details and plot points that just didn't need to be. If you know you want to see this movie, skip the previews and you'll enjoy it even more. I do recommend seeing it, but be prepared to have your heart broken multiple times!