Sports Media Report
Amazon Studios today announced that the Amazon Original Movie Gleason will be available through Amazon Prime Video at no additional cost to Prime members on December 29. The acclaimed film is among 15 documentaries shortlisted for the 2016 Academy Award for Best Documentary, was nominated for Five Broadcast Film Critic’s Awards and was included among The National Board of Review’s Top Five Documentaries of the Year. Gleason is directed by Clay Tweel (Finders Keepers) and features New Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason, his wife Michel Varisco and Steve’s former teammate and best friend Scott Fujita (The Lightkeepers, FOX NFL Kickoff). The film is produced by Fujita, Kimi Culp (Oprah’s Master Class), Seth Gordon (Horrible Bosses, Identity Thief), Mary Rohlich (Four Christmases, The Goldbergs) and Kevin Lake (The Singing Detective, Paparazzi).
Gleason made its world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and was released theatrically on July 29, 2016 to an overwhelmingly positive critical response. The film is rated 8.3 on IMDB and also “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes where it maintains a 96% Fresh rating. Here’s what critics have to say about Gleason:
- “Gleason is so powerful in its cumulative effect that it should be accompanied by a consumer advisory-something along the lines of ‘This documentary may cause sudden alterations of mood and attitude.’”– Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal
- “If this film portrait stirs deep emotions, they spring from a breathtakingly unsentimental embrace of life at its most challenging.” – Sheri Linden, The Los Angeles Times
- “A tearjerker of a film but also a joyous one.” – Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com
- “One of the most powerful, poignant documentaries of the past decade.” – Nick Schager, The Daily Beast.com
- “You don’t need to know Steve Gleason’s name to be enraptured by his extraordinary story.” – Mara Reinstein, Us Weekly
Shortly after former New Orleans Saints star defensive back Steve Gleason is diagnosed with ALS at the age of 34, he learns that his wife Michel is pregnant with their first child. Determined to live his remaining years to their fullest, Steve goes on an expedition to Alaska, creates a foundation to help others with ALS patients, rebuilds a rocky relationship with his father and embraces new technologies to help compensate for his deteriorating physical abilities—all with Michel’s unwavering support. Brimming with humor and heart, this inspirational documentary follows a man who battles overwhelming adversity to find his true purpose in life.
“We are incredibly excited for our customers to experience Gleason’s inspiring story of strength, grace, love and family on Prime Video,” said Jason Ropell, Worldwide Head of Motion Pictures, Amazon Studios.
The music for Gleason includes numerous songs that have inspired Steve throughout his life, like “Given to Fly” and “Just Breathe” by Pearl Jam, as well as two tracks, “Space In Between,” and “Her Again,” written by Steve Gleason himself and performed by his good friend, guitarist Mike McCready along with singer, Kim Virant, which will be available exclusively on Amazon Music Unlimited and Prime Music beginning December 23. Additionally, Steve created a playlist featuring some of his favorite songs, also streaming exclusively on both Amazon Music Unlimited and Prime Music.
Not available on any other subscription services, Gleason will be available for Prime members to stream and enjoy using the Amazon Video app for TVs, connected devices including Amazon Fire TV, and mobile devices, or online at Amazon.com/originals, at no additional cost to their membership. Prime members will also be able to download the film to mobile devices for offline viewing. Gleason joins Prime Video’s line-up of award-winning and critically acclaimed Original Series and Movies—to see more originals available exclusively for Prime members, visit www.amazon.com/originals.
Customers who are not already Prime members can sign-up for a free trial at www.amazon.com/prime. For a list of all Amazon Video compatible devices, visit www.amazon.com/howtostream.
