Touches You

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

A different way of telling a story

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Matt Hamill (Russell Harvard) is born deaf. He is raised by his single-mom and his grandfather Stanley Leroy McCoy (Raymond J. Barry). His grandfather refuses to accept his deafness and pushes Matt in life including into wrestling. Matt is bullied which often leads to violence. He asks Michelle to prom but it does not go well. His Purdue college life goes badly and he ends up working at the garage for his grandfather. He goes to Rochester Institute of Technology and has roommate Jay 'Mr. Clean' Jakubowski as best friend. He starts dating deaf activist Kristi Jones (Shoshannah Stern) as he works to be a National Collegiate Champion.This is a biopic of a niche personality done in a relative standard straight forward way. It's an interesting life but not necessarily world shattering. The most interesting part is his deafness. The first intriguing scene is Matt trying to follow Michelle and her girlfriend's conversation in the car. It's a small window into his world. It also shows a possible way to make this movie truly original. It could make this an immersive world where the audience gets to feel with Matt as much as follow his life. In that way, the prom incident works well. Raymond J. Barry is great and Russell Harvard is a functional deaf actor.

The Hammer kinda surprised me. I knew it'd be good, but not this good. I mean most inspirational movies are good and professionally portrayed. Also, let me say that I am a fan of the UFC. I know of Matt Hammil from the Ultimate Fighter and in his career in the UFC. I highly respect his talent and skill, so reinforce the fact all the obstacles he's had to overcome has made this movie that much more uplifting. I believe this movies is good enough to be nominated for a major award, but I don't hold any weight in the industry so....anyway. I'm in the process of watching it now, and had to get an IMDb account just to do this review. TWO THUMBS UP!! Oh yeah, I have a deaf uncle and I'm sure he'd appreciate this film.

Had the opportunity to catch the premier of "Hamill" at the AFI Film Festival and was very impressed. Speaking from experience in the developmental disabilities field, I resonated with the obstacles depicted in the film. The filmmakers & cast were fantastic at keeping away from the trap of being a charity case and kept on pushing as anyone with passion and struggles would. With solid performances from Russell Harvard, Shoshannah Stern & Michael Anthony Spady, the story flowed organically with our hero Matt going for his gold but ultimately being let down, sending him onto a different path. He realizes he must take several steps back in order to move forward along with a new love interest. With the help of his loved ones, He rises victorious as the first deaf wrestler to take the national collegiate title. "Hamill" did a fine job of bringing me deeper into the world of the hearing impaired and wrestling without holding my hand. I hope this film sees a wide release so it can educate, inspire, and continue to break ground.

Hamill is such a great movie! Breaking the barriers between the Deaf Community to the hearing. I loved the subtitles throughout the entire movie. Giving a new perspective into both sides worlds.The writing, editing, music and cast were all excellent! I wish I could see the movie again and bring all my friends and family this time. A must see inspirational heart warming movie. Russ Hamilton performance was outstanding! I'm not a big wrestling fan, but this movie goes way beyond the wrestling storyline. It shows a mans determination to succeed and live his dream.Shot in my home town of Rochester NY; this movie helps to also educate people about the NTID programs available to the hearing impaired students at the Rochester Institute of Technology. RIT - National Technical Institute for the Deaf - NTID is the world's largest technical college for deaf students. This movie is great for audiences of all ages!