Film Review: ‘The Mosquito Bowl’ Has Solid Craftsmanship But Nothing New to Say About Football, War, or the Bonds Formed By Either

I’m of the opinion that we don’t have enough good football movies. Frankly, it’s a sport that we just aren’t seeing on the big screen like we should. I also enjoy a good war film as much as the next fella. So, you would think that two great tastes would taste great together? Alas, The Mosquito Bowl suffers from an imbalance and a lack of anything really to say, resulting in a flick that just never quite gets going.

The Mosquito Bowl has a premise that should have made for an easy combination of football and World War II. Instead, while technically impressive, especially during the battle sequences, it feels like a lazy rehashing of what all war films at least attempt to say. The movie also just doesn’t have an even split, shortchanging the more interesting aspect of the story, which is the sports of it all. Instead, it’s just a second tier WWII flick with a brief football game thrown in during the back half.

The film is an adaptation of The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, four star college football players sign up for the Marines. They are Brown’s John McLaughry (Nicholas Galitzine), Purdue’s Tony Butkovich (Ray Nicholson), and Wisconsin’s Bob Bauman (Bill Skarsgård) and Dave Schreiner (Tom Francis). Fast-forward to 1944 and they’re stationed in Guadalcanal and about to head into the belly of the beast.

On Christmas Eve of 1944, in order to boost morale for the troops, they participate, alongside other athletes/soldiers, in an historic two hand touch football game. For those watching, it was a welcome respite. For those playing, it was the same, though it also would be, for at least some, the final game they’d ever play in.

The quartet of Nicholas Galitzine, Ray Nicholson, Bill Skarsgård, and Tom Francis are all fine, albeit without well drawn characters to play. They’re written simplistically and often blur together during the war sequences, with the screenplay never allowing you to invest in them. Truly, if not for these being name actors, you’d have trouble telling them apart. Supporting players include Pat McAfee sticking out like a sore thumb as a drill instructor, alongside Brent Comer, Jack Ingram, Ella Newton, and more.

Director/co-writer Peter Berg, working with Mark L. Smith to adapt the aforementioned Buzz Bissinger book The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II, is on safe ground here, and it shows. There just doesn’t seem to be any real take on display. Instead, it’s just exactly what you’d expect from Berg. The visuals are solid, if a bit washed out, while the pacing drags consistently. Oddly, for the big football game being so interesting and unique, Berg and Smith all but reduce it to a third act montage. It’s a disappointing choice that sidelines the wildcard that could have helped the flick stand out.

The Mosquito Bowl isn’t a terrible movie, it’s just a bland one without much to offer. Berg and company have nothing new to say about sports or war, instead simply depicting both. The bonds of football and soldiers is fertile ground for a film. Sadly, we just didn’t get that here with this one. Alas.

SCORE: ★★