''Taking Chance'' is a 2009 American

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

directed by Ross Katz, from a screenplay by Michael Strobl and Katz, based on the journal of the same name by Strobl, who also serves as military consultant.

Kevin Bacon Kevin Norwood Bacon (born July 8, 1958) is an American actor. Known for various roles, including leading man characters, Bacon has received numerous accolades such as a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Bacon made his featu ...

's portrayal won him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie, among others. ''Taking Chance'' premiered at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

on January 16, 2009, and aired on

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in the United States on February 21, 2009. The film received generally favorable reviews from critics. At the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards, it earned 10 nominations, such as Outstanding Television Movie and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for Bacon, and won one for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or a Movie.

Plot

The movie is based on the recollections of U.S. Marine Lt. Col Michael Strobl, a real person, who accompanied the remains of

Lance Corporal Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many English-speaking armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal. Etymology The presumed origin of the rank of lance corp ...

Chance Phelps, a Marine fatally wounded by gunfire near

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

during the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

, from

Dover Air Force Base Dover Air Force Base or Dover AFB is a United States Air Force (USAF) base under the operational control of Air Mobility Command (AMC), located southeast of the city of Dover, Delaware. The 436th Airlift Wing is the host wing, and runs the bu ...

to Dubois, Wyoming in April 2004. He attended both Phelps's funeral and his memorial service, and wrote an essay about the entire experience, the emotions he felt and the people he met. It was published in the blog ''Blackfive'' on 23 April 2004 and was circulated widely on the Internet.

Cast

as Lieutenant Colonel Michael Strobl * Nicholas Reese Art as Nate Strobl * Blanche Baker as Chris Phelps * Tom Bloom as Navy Chaplain * Guy Boyd as Gary Hargrove * James Castanien as Robert Orndoff * Gordon Clapp as Tom Garrett * Mike Colter as Master Gunnery Sergeant Demetry * Gunnery Sergeant Henry Coy as Marine Driver * Joel de la Fuente as Ticketing Agent * Liza Colón-Zayás as Ticketing Agent * Ann Dowd as Gretchen * Tate Ellington as A.V. Scott * Noah Fleiss as Army Sergeant * Julian Gamble as Jeff Mack * Enver Gjokaj as Corporal Arenz ('Sergeant' in film's dialogue) * Brendan Griffin as Major Thompson * Sergeant Adam Hayes as Dover Team Leader * Danny Hoch as TSA Agent * Ruby Jerins as Olivia Strobl * Tom Kemp as Business Man * John Bedford Lloyd as General Kruger * John Magaro as Rich Brewer * Matthew Morrison as Robert Rouse * Maximilian Osinski as Sergeant Neuman * Wolé Parks as Major Schott * Del Pentecost as Minneapolis Cargo Handler * Dominic Colon as Minneapolis Cargo Handler * George Rabidou as Marine First Sergeant delivering U.S. Flag to parent during funeral. * Christina Rouner as Tall Flight Attendant * Victor Slezak as Sergeant Mulcahy * Felix Solis as Philly Cargo Worker * Sarah Thompson as Annie * Paige Turco as Stacey Strobl * Sharon Washington as Mortuary Technician * Julie White as Colonel Karen Bell * Emily Wickersham as Petty Officer Kelley Phelps * William Wise as Larry Hertzog * Tom Wopat as John Phelps * Richard Reed as Rifle Detail Staff Non Commissioned Officer

Critical reception

''Taking Chance'' received generally favorable reviews. It holds a 76 out of 100 rating on

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. Review aggregator

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gave it a 57% rating based on reviews from 7 critics. One review from '' The Baltimore Sun'', said that it "... is one of the most eloquent and socially conscious films the premium cable channel has ever presented," and ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'', said "A small, almost perfectly realized gem of a movie, ''Taking Chance'' is also precisely the kind of movie that TV should be making." On the other end is ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

'', saying "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." The film was the most-watched HBO original in five years, with over two million viewers on the opening night, and more than 5.5 million on re-airings. Critics often attribute this success to its apolitical nature, not directly depicting nor offering an opinion of the

. Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates wrote in his 2014 memoir '' Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War'' that the film had an "important impact" on his decision to allow the media access to the transfer of fallen service members at

in February 2009.Gates, Robert. ''Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War''. (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2014). In Chapter 9: New Team, New Agenda, Old Secretary. During a White House press conference in 2017, former White House Chief of Staff and Retired Marine Corps General John F. Kelly, who was next to Chance when he was killed and is the father of First Lieutenant Robert Kelly who was killed in action in Afghanistan, recommended that the Washington press corps watch the film in order to understand the solemnity and dignity of the process of returning fallen military service members to their families.

Accolades

References

External links

*
Official website for ''Taking Chance''
on

Arts of War on the Web review, February 20, 2009
* {{YouTube, o4Rl6qqPOnc, KMIR6 NBC story on PFC Chance Phelps
''Taking PFC Phelps home'', by LtCol Michael Strobl, USMC (Ret)

''You're his witness now''
Marine Corps Times 2009 films 2009 drama films 2009 television films 2000s historical drama films American films based on actual events American historical drama films Drama films based on actual events American drama television films Films about American military personnel Films about funerals Films about the United States Marine Corps Films directed by Ross Katz Films scored by Marcelo Zarvos Films shot in California Films shot in Montana Films shot in New Jersey Films shot in Newark, New Jersey HBO Films films Iraq War films Television films based on actual events Television Academy Honors winners 2000s English-language films 2000s American films English-language historical drama films