NEVER GIVE UP
A deaf tennis champion, a faithful family, and a comeback worth cheering.
Should You Watch It?
Here is the decision. NEVER GIVE UP is the true, inspiring story of tennis player Brad Minns, who lost his hearing at age three and fought his way to become a medal-winning international athlete. It's a movie built on the love of a family that refused to let their son quit — and by the third act, it puts Brad's Christian faith right at the center. That combination is genuinely heartwarming.
The catch is patience. The film is a little slow out of the gate, with some uneven acting and a structure that keeps jumping back and forth in time. If you give it that first stretch, though, the payoff is real: the second half is far more involving, the character relationships deepen, and it builds to a great climax and an inspiring resolution.
So if your family loves an underdog sports story with prayer at its core, this one is worth your time — settle in through the slow open and let it win you back.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESDiagnosed with nearly complete hearing loss at age three, Brad Minns has parents who make a bold choice: rather than send him to deaf school, they teach him to read lips and give him a pair of expensive hearing aids.
From there we follow Brad — through trouble in school, through learning to play tennis, through making the varsity high school team as a freshman, and toward a tryout for the United States squad at the 1985 Deaf Olympics. His mother and father refuse to let him give up. Where his story lands, we'll leave for you to discover.
Is It Any Good?
Three stars, honestly earned — and mostly by the back half. The opening stumbles: the acting is uneven, and the constant switching back and forth in time drains momentum before the story finds its footing.
Stay with it. Once the film settles, the filmmakers give the actors more to do, and it shows. The relationships grow more detailed and more interesting, the rivalry between Brad and his toughest opponent sharpens into real tension, and the whole thing gathers toward a climax that delivers. Best of all, the third act brings Brad's faith to the forefront without losing the emotional thread. It's a movie whose second half is good enough to redeem its first — which is exactly what its title promises.
The Worldview
This is a strong Christian film with very strong moral and pro-family elements, and it wears both openly. Prayer isn't decoration here — it's the moment that helps Brad meet the toughest challenge of his athletic life. Faith and trust in God are held up as genuinely good, and the story never apologizes for putting them at the heart of the resolution.
Just as clearly, the film exalts family. Brad's parents encourage him to apply himself and never quit, and his bond with his mother, father, and brother is the emotional engine of the whole story. There's a tender scene where his older brother lets Brad read his lips to learn the lyrics to the Beach Boys' "In My Room" — a small picture of a family working together and meeting him where he is.
The movie also has honest things to say about bullying and prejudice. Brad faces it from the hearing world and, notably, even from some in the deaf community who prefer sign language to his lip-reading and hearing aids. The film's answer to all of it is perseverance rooted in faith and love.
That perseverance echoes Scripture's own call: "Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
Strong Christian worldview with very strong moral, pro-family elements where prayer helps protagonist meet his toughest challenge in sports, faith and trust in God are extolled, parents always encourage son to apply himself and never give up, protagonist has strong relationship with mother and father and brother, and family works together
Foul Language
Three light “butt” vulgarities, and one light MG profanity which is muffled
Violence
Young girl launches two spitballs through a straw at deaf student in their class, and some falling down during vigorous tennis matches include one against the fence
Sex
No sex
Nudity
Upper male nudity when Olympic athlete takes a shower, and someone steals his clothes as part of a prank and has to put a sign saying “No tennis balls” in front of his privates when he goes to retrieve his clothes
Alcohol Use
No alcohol use
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
No smoking or drugs;
Miscellaneous Immorality
Deaf character experiences bullying and prejudice from the hearing world and from deaf people at a college who use sign language rather than wear hearing aids and learning to read lips like him.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Brad's parents refuse to let him give up, even when school and sports get hard. Where do you see God's own patience and encouragement toward His children, and how can a family reflect that?
Isaiah 41:10 · Ephesians 6:4In the biggest moment of his career, Brad prays before finding a way to come back. What's the difference between praying to win and praying for strength to endure?
Philippians 4:6–7Brad faces prejudice from the hearing world and even from some in the deaf community. How should we treat people who are different from us, and how does God see them?
James 2:1–4The whole story turns on endurance — refusing to quit. What is God asking you to persevere in right now, and where does the strength to keep going come from?
Hebrews 12:1–3The Final Word
Give this one its first act, and it gives you back a genuinely moving story: a family that never quit, a young man who leaned on his faith, and a comeback that earns its cheers. It's warm, encouraging, and safe for older children and adults to share together. So here's our answer, the same one we opened with: worth the trip.
