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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed shows.
Taking Chance
EMAILPRINTMOVIE: HBO, Saturday 2/21 at 8:00p (77 minutes)

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 16 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 44 votes
Read user comments
Rate this show >
Show Info
Genre(s): Drama, True Story
Created By:
Lt. Col. Michael Strobl
Ross Katz
First Air Date: February 21, 2009
Summary
Starring Kevin Bacon, Tom Aldredge, Guy Boyd, Gordon Clapp, Mike Colter, Ann Dowd, Noah Fleiss, and Enver Gjokaj
In this movie based on the real events, Kevin Bacon is Lt. Col. Michael Strobl, a marine faced with the duty of escorting the body of a killed-in-action soldier back home to the United States.
Also On The Web: Official Show Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Baltimore SunDavid Zurawik
Taking Chance, an elegiac chronicle of the final journey home for a 19-year-old Marine killed in Iraq, is one of the most eloquent and socially conscious films the premium cable channel has ever presented.
Read Full Review >USA TodayRobert Bianco
A small, almost perfectly realized gem of a movie, Taking Chance is also precisely the kind of movie that TV should be making.
Read Full Review >Wall Street JournalDorothy Rabinowitz
The film remains, to the end, exemplary in its focus on the journey home of the unbearably young Marine, Chance Phelps, and its effect on Col. Stroble, his escort--a portrayal that will, we can expect, earn a string of honors for Kevin Bacon, and they'll be well-deserved.
Read Full Review >New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley
It's the most singular film you're apt to see this year, and very likely the most moving.
Read Full Review >Orlando SentinelHal Boedeker
Concise and deeply moving, Taking Chance tells a true story that has been repeated often but rarely depicted.
Read Full Review >Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A tearjerker in the best possible sense, HBO's Taking Chance tells a simple story with reverence and sensitivity.
Read Full Review >Newark Star-LedgerAlan Sepinwall
It is simple and honest, and any and all tears come from the story itself, not from the the spare telling of it.
Read Full Review >Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert
Bacon plays Strobl with a lovely stoicism that lends more emotional weight than anything the script could have him say about the tragedy of a fallen hero.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles TimesMary McNamara
Taking Chance is saved from patriotic sentimentality by its attention to detail and Bacon's performance.
Read Full Review >Washington PostTom Shales
Taking Chance is both troubling and inspiring, a film in the spirit of "Saving Private Ryan" but on an artfully intimate scale--masterful in technique but with no self-referential showing off.
Read Full Review >New York PostLinda Stasi
Bacon is good, as you'd expect, although the movie is almost done in mime with little dialogue....But, the reality is that this would have been a much-more fulfilling journey if we'd had more interaction between Strobe and the regular folks he meets along the way.
Read Full Review >Entertainment WeeklyRob Moynihan
The film's portrayal of military ceremony is stirring, but Bacon's stiff performance distracts from the powerful moments of civilian respect for the fallen hero.
Read Full Review >The New York TimesGinia Bellafante
The real Colonel Strobl’s journal is the source material for the film, and the fidelity to actual events, absent a dramatizing hand, results in a flatness that made me feel unpatriotic for feeling bored.
Read Full Review >Hollywood ReporterRay Richmond
The story's power is sufficient to overcome the occasional histrionic flourish. What it can't completely surmount is the rigid interpretation delivered by its star.
Read Full Review >PopMattersCynthia Fuchs
Drawn from Strobl’s journal, the film is occasionally episodic, but that in itself makes a point: the only way to comprehend, or at least manage death under such circumstances is to go through the steps.
Read Full Review >Slant MagazineBrian Holcomb
Instead of well-drawn characters or real human drama, we are presented with a military procedural on burial traditions. The film desperately wants the viewer to shed tears for its fallen hero without giving a single dramatic reason to do so.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this show is 9.8 (out of 10) based on 44 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
bert m. gave it a10:
Don't try and be too high brow just watch it for the story it is fantastic and besides crying you will also feel proud that men like Strobel and Chance exist and protect us.
Ken h gave it a10:
Amazing movie of what it is about to be an American and Marine. Kevin Bacon is superb as the LtCol.
Kris M gave it a10:
It was beautiful.. simply put if u dont cry there is something wrong with u.
Edward F gave it a9:
An outstanding tribute to our brave men and women in the military and the ultimate sacrfice one can make for this country. It's a shame that our military KIA's from the Vietnam War although accompanied by a military escort were never given the honor they were due
david m gave it a10:
Deeply moving.
jerry b gave it a9:
Moving,& laser focused on the ultimate sacrifice made on behalf of us all. Remember, freedom is not free.
Mary K gave it a10:
My oldest son served in a non-combat Naval position (Seabee), stationed at a Marine base in Fallujah in 2008. This story surfaced the images of what I personally considered experiencing if my loved one had been taken during a number of convoys as the driver of their IED proof vehicle. Kevin Bacon correctly portrayed a common perception of a high ranking official even in the most difficult of situations. The quiet respect of those encountered on the journey paid the highest honor to the sacrifice of Chance Phelps and the difficult task of his escort, Col Strobl. Those who found it "flat" or "boring" cannot identify with the magnitude of the circumstance - and that's okay. But, please do not impose your opinion on those of us who know the importance of the telling of this one instance (out of over 4000) to a multitude of diverse, and common, recipients. Bravo to HBO, Chance's family and the actors who gave this story the dignity and high regard it deserved. Well done.
