Movie Review - The Mighty Macs

by: Karen Pecota

24/7 MOMS film journalist

The Philadelphia born filmmaker Tim Chambers takes an inspirational true story that is recorded in the annals of women’s sports for his latest feature The Mighty Macs. He writes, produces and directs the film that he describes as “the equality of dreams”. Forty years ago the cultural norms for women were still very traditional and it did not afford women the luxury of equal opportunities their male counterparts had in the world of sports. Chambers notes, “That while the most successful inspirational sports movies use the sport as a metaphor, The Mighty Macs isn’t just about basketball, but it is how a young coach, Cathy Rush, could unite a team and change a generation of young women”. Chambers, familiar with the historical account, is the perfect insider to tell their story as a Philly “home boy”, raised Catholic and his personal recollection of seeing Cathy Rush in action as a boy of ten years old. His desire to give credence to this forty year old story speaks volumes to the women who chose to pursue their dreams in spite of cultural adversity in the early 70s. Chambers not only wanted to tell of those days gone by but acknowledge the accomplishments these women made on society because they dared to break through cultural barriers.

In the fall of 1971, the Immaculata all-women’s Catholic college in Philadelphia hired a new basketball coach, twenty-two year old Cathy Rush (Carla Gugino). Rush never would have dreamed that her sassy, strong, charismatic, attractive, and stylish leadership would leave an imprint on the legacy of the college or in women’s sports. The stress and strain of being the newest faculty member at the all-female college was just the beginning of Cathy’s concerns. Her first day on the job she learns that a fire destroyed the gymnasium on campus. The Mother Superior (Ellen Burstyn) tells her that there is no plan to resurrect the sport facility due to insufficient funds and gives warning that her job is on the line if she doesn’t produce. Taken back by the rude awakening of a community that showed her very little love, Cathy embraced the word creativity and leaned into her supporters. The offer from Sister Sunday (Marley Shelton) to be her assistant coach and the backing of the college nuns was her first answer to prayer. The next hurdle was to see if she had enough women to make up a team. The disastrous first practice forced Coach Rush to instigate a tough but attractive training plan rally a team together. She wanted force the players to decide if they wanted to work as a team that could dictate their destiny. Soul searching was immanent! Coach Rush taught the difference to why teams get to championships and why teams win the championships with the words: trust, believe, and unite. The inspirational journey these women embarked was history in the making and a story never to be forgotten.

Immaculata All-women Catholic College was the 1^st National Women’s Basketball Champions in 1972. They also won in 1973 and 1974.  In 2005 the college went Co-Ed. Cathy Rush was a mentor and an inspiration to many who committed to follow their dreams. In 2008 she was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Some of her original players went on to be doctors, lawyers and teachers.  Several went on to coach basketball in colleges such as St. Joseph University and in the WNBA – namely, Theresa Grentz (University of Illinois), Rene Portland (Penn State) and Marianne Stanley (Old Dominion and the WNBA).