Green and Gold (Christian Movie Review)
A refreshing antidote to the hollow spectacle of many Hollywood films, Green and Gold is a heartfelt story about the communal bonds that make us human.
About the Film
Movie theaters are often dominated by big franchises and bombastic spectacle, leaving little space for more modest, human-centric stories. Set in a geographical region seldom represented in Hollywood, Green and Gold—like the humble farmers at the heart of its tale—would be easy to overlook. But the debut film by brothers Andres and Davin Lindwall, themselves descendants of Midwestern dairy farmers, is a deeply personal tale told with irresistible earnestness. A refreshing antidote to the hollow spectacle of many Hollywood films, Green and Gold tells a heartfelt story about the communal bonds that make us human.
Inspired by true events, the story focuses on a down-on-his-luck dairy farmer who bets his farm on a long-shot Super Bowl win by his beloved Green Bay Packers. The movie’s title emphasizes the sports aspect (and the Packers organization was a partner for the project), but Green and Gold isn’t really a “football” movie. Rather, Green and Gold is a story about life. It weaves together fundamental pillars of the human experience—family, farming, and faith—to explore the simple beauty that is routinely overlooked in the business of life.
A quote from actor Craig T. Nelson’s character encapsulates the film’s storytelling philosophy: “He’s no artist. He moves too fast to experience anything.” Green and Gold practices what it preaches. It never races audiences to the next dramatic plot point. Rather, it deliberately dwells in the quiet moments. Some viewers may grow impatient, but that’s sort of the point—we’ve grown unaccustomed to simplicity and silence.
Of course, as commendable as the film’s philosophical message may be, nobody wants to watch a boring movie. In the absence of flashy action or exaggerated drama, the characters themselves are compelling enough to retain viewers’ interest. Craig T. Nelson is perfectly cast as Buck, a curmudgeonly dairy farmer. He is joined by actress Madison Lawlor, who plays Buck’s granddaughter Jenny. Nelson’s character may represent the soul of the film, but Jenny is its beating heart. She effectively communicates her character’s internal tensions without relying on expositional dumps of dialogue. The Lindwall brothers clearly pull from the well of their own experiences and fashion the story as community insiders, resulting in a film that feels like it depicts real people living real lives in a real place (you can find my interview with the Lindwall brothers here).
Faith and religion are also depicted in an interesting and authentic way (see themes section below). Christianity is central to the story, but the faith elements never feel forced. The spiritual elements emerge as a natural reality of the characters’ lives, rather than the characters acting as mere mouthpieces to sermonize religious beliefs for the audience.
Overall, Green and Gold’s slower pacing and meditative tone may not appeal to all audiences, but it’s the type of story I’m glad to see still has a place in Hollywood. Sometimes it’s valuable to remember the heroism of everyday day people, not just those wearing costumes and battling supernatural villains from across an imaginative multiverse. With a wholesome message and an unwavering commitment to its identity, Green and Gold offers a timely challenge to pause, open our eyes, and appreciate the unsung heroes and overlooked beauty in the world around us.
For Consideration
Language: There is some minor profanity throughout, including “h—” (x10), “d—” (x2), and “s—” (x1), as well of several usages of words like “crap.”
Violence: None.
Sexuality: An older man is shown on several occasions stretching in his underwear. A husband flirts with his wife, telling her to “get those sweet buns over here.”
Engage The Film
Experiencing God in Ordinary Life
Near the end of the film, Jenny asks her neighbor, “Do you think that God cares about all the things that we try to do? […] Just normal things?” The older neighbor observes, “There’s a holiness to how you guys care for things.” At its core, Green and Gold is a movie about finding God’s presence in ordinary things. Buck has a simple spirituality. He lacks the level of commitment and devotion to the church that his wife demonstrates, but he is connected with God in ways he may not always articulate.
In theological terms, faith-based movies often attempt to communicate the “special revelation” of Scripture and the gospel. In contrast, Green and Gold focuses on “general revelation,” with a story about encountering God’s “invisible qualities” as manifested through his beautiful creation (Romans 1:20).
Importantly, the film avoids a pantheistic implication that creation itself is divine. By the end of the film, having encountered God’s presence in the world, both Buck and Jenny appear to be led to God as a person. A repeated gag in the film is how the duo constantly slip out of church to go watch football. But at the conclusion of the story, both have become active participants in their church, with an emphasis on Jenny worshiping as a member of the choir.
