Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Edgar Allan Pooh . . . HONDO for SHANE and RIO BRAVO for HIGH NOON, John Wayne horns in on GOING MY WAY and THE BELLS OF ST. MARY territory with his TROUBLE ALONG THE WAY. Wayne's "Steve" not only runs the risk of being the fall guy for the closing of a Catholic college here, but he's also in danger of losing custody of his only child (11-year-old daughter "Carol") because their home is a pig sty, he enables Carol's chronic truancy, and he regularly exposes his daughter to his second-hand smoke. (SPOILERS ALERT:) The fact that Steve does not have custody of Carol as this flick closes implies that there will be less TROUBLE ALONG THE WAY in his future. Throughout his film career, Wayne seemed more comfortable playing the "funny uncle" than an actual doting dad. His avuncular "Ethan" in THE SEARCHERS would try to shoot niece Natalie Wood several times (and succeeded in scalping her husband). As the title character in DONOVAN'S REEF, he "adopts" a war buddy's three kids--but just for a few days. This sort of "Funsies" ownership of children is taken to a sorry extreme by Wayne's rancher character in THE COWBOYS, who presses about a dozen young boys into virtual slave labor, says they're "ALL MY SONS," and gets one of them killed! Since TROUBLE's Carol already is 11-years-old, her silver lining is that she'll be out of the Child Welfare System in less than seven years.

david_in_ky I was pleasantly surprised at this little heard of gem. I have a Duke fan all of my life....this was such a great change of pace....it showed that the Duke could act in any vehicle. Donna Reed was perfect, and Sherry North as the savvy kid was top notch. Showing a side of the Duke we rarely were treated to. Several of the supporting characters were going on to better things, and I enjoyed picking them out of the crowd.We have lost something in these days of gore and violence with no character or story.Any John Wayne fan should see this and it will give you a great insight on his ability ....see it and enjoy.

edwagreen This is definitely a wonderful change of pace for John Wayne. He is a wonderfully, sympathetic character here and he gets great supporting work from Charles Coburn, Sherry Jackson, Marie Windsor and others.When St. Anthony's College is threatened with closure due to failing finances, the rector of the college, played with dignity, reverence and a bit of humor by the fabulous Charles Coburn, the latter enlists the help of a down and out football coach (Wayne) who is in the midst of a custody battle with his wife over the child she walked out on years ago.Sherry Jackson certainly makes room for this daddy in this film. She would later play Danny Thomas's daughter in that much beloved television series of that name.The ending may not be to everyone's liking but this is definitely a heartwarming tale of a head priest admitting that he has been selfish, the problems associated with college football, but a myriad of warm, personal relationships.Donna Reed is also great as the social worker who finally sees Wayne for the good man he really is.I wish that John Wayne had made more pictures like this.

Robert D. Ruplenas I checked this out during a recent John Wayne retrospective on American Movie Classics because it sounded so different from the Duke's usual "w/w" fare (war & westerns). Here he plays Steve Williams, a disgraced professional football coach enlisted to build a revenue-producing team that will save a down-at-the-heels Catholic college from being forced to close. In the process he has to fight for custody of his daughter from a spiteful and vengeful ex-wife. Wayne plays this role beautifully; his performance makes us aware of the fine actor he made of himself as he worked his way up over the years from those low-budget westerns, learning all along the way. Donna Reed puts in a turn as a social worker, and Charles Coburn is in his usual fine fettle as Father Burke, rector of the failing college. Wayne/William's daughter is played very well by a young lady named Sherry Jackson, and there are many familiar faces among the character actors in the cast. Chuck Connors makes one of his earliest screen appearances here.The pacing is good, and the story keeps us involved. These are all interesting people, and we want to find out what happens to them. The script is intelligent, gritty, and extremely witty in many places. Also notable is a very on-the-money portrayal of the corrupting influence of big-time athletics at the college level, as Wayne/Williams pulls many shady tricks to field a team that can stand up to the ridiculously ambitious schedule that Father Burke manages to finagle. The commentary is even more relevant today, fifty years later, as college athletics have spun almost completely out of control.One of the nicest things about the movie is the way in which, surprisingly, it does not opt for the easy-way-out happy ending that we all think we see coming as soon as Donna Reed as the social worker comes on the scene. The film is brave enough to leave things a bit unresolved.Altogether an off-beat, intriguing, well-made, well-written, well-acted and thoroughly enjoyable little "sleeper" that is well worth your while.