While there are elements of a sports movie in it, this movie is about a remarkable human being: Nelson Mandela. This film makes clear how Mandela belongs in the pantheon of Ghandi & King: his actions depicted in the film seem so obvious and right yet impossible for 99.99999% of humanity to do and live by.
Just as Mandela used Rugby to unify a nation, Clint Eastwood uses it to tell a story most Americans wouldn't otherwise go see.