Entertainment · Film · 19 hrs ago
‘The Mosquito Bowl’ brings four college football players to World War II
Peter Berg’s film follows four college football stars who enlist in the Marines after the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.
The Netflix drama is based on Buzz Bissinger’s book and stars Nicholas Galitzine, Bill Skarsgård, Ray Nicholson and Tom Francis.
The story follows the young men from college football into combat in the Pacific during World War II.
While stationed at Guadalcanal, two Marine divisions played a football game on Christmas Eve in 1944, known as the Mosquito Bowl.
The reviews disagree on whether the film makes its war story feel fresh, though both describe its combat scenes as intense.
One reviewer calls the film emotionally hollow, while another praises it as a powerful anti-war drama.
The film is scheduled to be released on Netflix on October 30.
Peter Berg’s Netflix film The Mosquito Bowl follows four college football players who enlist in the Marines after the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor.
The film is adapted from Buzz Bissinger’s book of the same name.
Its story moves from college football and Marine training to combat in the Pacific during World War II.
The reviews disagree on its impact: Deadline calls it a powerful anti-war film, while The Hollywood Reporter says its storytelling falls short.
The film had its world premiere at AFI Fest in Hollywood on Thursday, according to Deadline.
- Who
- Four college football players: John McLaughry, Bob Bauman, Tony Butkovich and David Schreiner.
- What
- The Mosquito Bowl is a Netflix World War II drama about the players’ enlistment and wartime experiences.
- When
- The story begins after the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor and includes a football game on Christmas Eve in 1944.
- Where
- The story moves from college football and Marine training at Parris Island, South Carolina, to the Pacific theater.
- Why
- The players enlist after the bombing of Pearl Harbor; Deadline says they put country over fame.
The Hollywood Reporter
Deadline
Storytelling
The Hollywood Reporter
The film’s storytelling falls well short of making its familiar war themes feel fresh.
Deadline
Berg finds a fresh way to tell the story and creates a powerful, poignant portrait.
Impact
The Hollywood Reporter
The film is emotionally hollow and says little.
Deadline
The film is an effective anti-war story that conveys the horrors and cost of combat.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the four players enlist in the Marines.
The players train at Parris Island in South Carolina before going to the Pacific theater.
The film leads up to a football game between two Marine divisions stationed at Guadalcanal, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The film had its world premiere at AFI Fest in Hollywood, according to Deadline.
- Director
- Peter Berg
- Source book
- The Mosquito Bowl, by Buzz Bissinger
- Players
- John McLaughry, Bob Bauman, Tony Butkovich and David Schreiner
- Release date
- Friday, October 30
- Runtime
- 2 hours 6 minutes
2 sources
‘The Mosquito Bowl’ Review: Nicholas Galitzine and Bill Skarsgard in Peter Berg’s Technically Impressive, Emotionally Hollow Netflix War Drama
‘The Mosquito Bowl’ Review: Peter Berg’s Powerful True WWII Story Takes Four Star Players From The Glory Of The Football Field To The Hell Of The Battlefield – AFI Fest
What people are saying
Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die.
The Marine Corps is the greatest offensive line in the history of football.