LH’s Elaine Patterson didn’t get to take home an Oscar for her work promoting Undefeated, the Academy Award winning Best Documentary, but she did get to hold the golden statue and she did get a hug and big thank you from Sean “Diddy” Combs. Elaine is Manager of Publicity at The Weinstein Company in Los Angeles, and Combs served as Executive Producer on the film.
Elaine graduated from LHHS in 2005 and the University of Texas in 2009, working as an intern here at Advocate Magazine offices before heading off to Hollywood. Her busiest time each year is the filmmaker award season between Screen Actors Guild and the Oscars, and this year was especially exciting. TWC cleaned up, winning multiple awards including Best Picture for The Artist, Best Actress for Iron Lady (Meryl Streep) and nominations for My Week with Marilyn.
Undefeated is the true story of an inner-city football team in Memphis, the white coach who loves and leads his kids, and the winning year they have after he works to build the squad. Bill Courtney, the local lumberyard owner who volunteers to serve as coach, sees through their hardened, menacing exteriors to reach the vulnerable children underneath. Meanwhile, he misses dinners with his own family and the sporting events of his own children. He vows to help his team get over the “inner-city knock”- that reputation that says if you get up on them by a couple of touchdowns, they’ll give up. “You think football builds character. It does not,” he tells them. “Football reveals character.”
The magic of the film is that you’ll be worried about Montrail “Money” Brown’s injury, dubious about bad boy Chavis Daniels’ ability to obey the rules and stay on the team, and hopeful about talented O. C. Brown’s college prospects by the movie’s end.
Undefeated has been playing at the Angelika since February 19th, so this week could be your last chance. You’ll be glad you went (and so will Elaine).
