DVD REVIEW: NFL – BRETT FAVRE 4 EVER

The Pitch

Apparently, aside from being a hall of fame-bound quarterback, Brett Favre is an immortal.

The Humans

Brett Favre, the rest of the NFL.

The Nutshell

NFL Films takes a look at the career of Green Bay Packers QB Brett Favre, from his beginnings in Kiln, MS to his short stint with the Atlanta Falcons to his legendary and still-current run with the Green and Gold. Highlights include his Super Bowl appearances, his battle with addiction to painkillers, his career-best game the day after his father passed away, and his three consecutive MVP seasons.

The Lowdown

Doubtful that any football fan doesn’t respect the career of this gunslinger from Green Bay. Favre not only has the pure passing ability of Dan Marino, and the scrambling ability of Steve Young, but also a toughness unseen in the history of the game at his position as he started in over 200 straight career games. NFL Films showcases another great player in its usual style, taking you inside the huddle, on the sidelines, the locker room, and even into the private world of #4. However, rather than their usual narrator, this time it’s Billy Bob Thornton doing the voicing.

This is a perfectly fine offering, but it’s several levels below what I’m used to seeing from NFL Films (Super Bowl XL Champs here, San Francisco 49ers History here, the truly excellent Super Bowls XXXI – XL here). This bio showcased here is more like what you’d see on Biography, which is fine, but it definitely lacks that distinct NFL Films flavor. Personally, I’ve always dug Favre and it’s a shame to see him languishing in the mediocre team that the Packers have become. I would have thought that former coach Mike Holmgren would have lured him to Seattle within the last couple of years as Green Bay has changed coashes several times since Holmgren left eight years ago. Notwithstanding, Favre’s knack for the game seems to have definitely waned as I’m seeing him toss more INTs than at any point in his entire career. It’d be nice to see him go out like Elway, but that’s unlikely.

The Package

The main show looks fine as I’ve said a billion times that NFL Films chronicles sports better than anybody. The bone-crunching hits are also fine in Dolby Digital Surround. Collectively, however, the special features barely last longer than a timeout. There’s three three-minute featurettes: Interviewing Your Hero where Favre is interviewed by some random kid while tossing the pigskin, Watching Wires, where you hear some of the sideline / huddle comments by Favre and others, and Favre on the Links, where you see ole Brett knocking down some putts.