You shouldn't advertise yourself as the "first American rugby film" and then tell audiences nothing at all about rugby. "Give Blood, Play Rugby"? We've seen that T-shirt. We need a little more from "Forever Strong."

What filmmaker Ryan Little (the Mormon World War II drama "Saints and Soldiers") and the writer have given us is a family-friendly rugby version of "Never Back Down." They even cast the same lead, Sean Faris, as that mixed-martial-arts movie of last spring, as another hot-tempered Tom Cruise lookalike.

Inspired by a true story that isn't all that inspiring, "Forever Strong" is about a rugby coach (Gary Cole) who teaches his Southwestern misfits to win rugby titles and serve their community. The Highlanders have, inexplicably, a few Maori transplants in their ranks, and have mastered the art of the haka.

Faris plays Rick, star rugby player for and son of an obsessed, ill-tempered coach (Neal McDonough). Rick drinks, drives, recklessly wrecks and scars his girlfriend for life. He's sent to a far-off juvenile detention facility run by kindly Sean Astin.

The whole package here is warmed-over mush from a hundred other sports movies, a tale padded out with game footage, absurd coincidences, life lessons that teach nothing and wasted casting — Astin has nothing to play, McDonough is here just for his scary-pale eyes, Arielle Kebbel becomes the new love interest, because heaven forbid Rick spend time in remorse over disfiguring his last girlfriend.