On the Set of Family Movie Night's "Game Time: Tackling the Past"

August 17, 2011, By Craig J. Heimbuch 1 comment

So here's what I learned after spending a day on the set of "Game Time: Tackling the Past," the eighth Family Movie Night film from Walmart and P&G.

1. Ryan McPartlin, the guy in the still for the video above and star of the film, is easily the best-looking man I have ever met. Seriously, it's distracting. He looks like he's been carved out of a block of clay, the kind they use when designing cars, by angels. I hated myself for every cheeseburger I have ever eaten.

2. Beau Bridges is exactly what you'd expect him to be: nice, humble, appropriately wistful. He answered my questions with ease and grace and was kind enough to keep talking even after the PR people said our time was through. The guy is a legend. He made his first film in the late 40s. The late 19-40s. Unreal. And yet, it felt like I was talking to a favorite uncle.

3. Wilmington, NC is the perfect film town. It has a nice historic downtown, beautifully shady streets and that easy-going charm that could make it a town just about anywhere. It's no wonder shows like "One Tree Hill," "Dawson's Creek" and HBO's "Eastbound and Down" film here—it is a perfect place.

4. Making a movie takes a village. There may only be six people on the movie poster and DVD cover, but pulling together a movie takes hundreds. Associate Producer Justin Bell spent hours just trying to explain who all was involved—from the people who deliver the lines to the people who make sure the electric bills are paid. Movie-making really is magic, but it's magic with a cast of hundreds, not a few individuals.

5. Family entertainment still matters. I had an opportunity to speak with a lot of people over the course of my day on the set of "Game Time: Tackling the Past" and to a person, they all said how special it was to work on a film the whole family can enjoy.

"Game Time" is the story of a star high school athlete who leaves behind his family, friends and hometown in pursuit of his big dream. After spending some time playing in the pros, a knee injury calls into question his future as a player. His father, a high school football coach, played by Bridges, suffers a heart-attack, prompting Jake (McPartlin) to return home, where he has to choose between reconciling his past or leaving it all behind again.

The movie premiers on NBC at 8/7 Central on September 3.

Look for more coverage here in the coming days.