The New York Times by Ben Kenigsberg
It’s contrary to the movie’s spirit to judge Bert, but the evasive treatment of his wartime experiences plays like a dodge: His past exists as a kind of amorphous trauma, reduced to shorthand in shamelessly placed flashbacks.
OMG! This movie brought me to tears. There is so much joy; so much sorrow. The negative political undercurrents are handled with dignity. As an avid football fan, the film speaks to me at different levels. We cannot change our past. We can hope only to reshape ourselves, for the better. Berndt did reshape himself. WWII defined an entire generation or two, on both sides.