Reactions to HBO's 'Paterno' movie, including from the Paterno family

Well, did you watch?

HBO's "Paterno," a film chronicling the events when longtime Penn State football coach Joe Paterno became embroiled in a child sexual abuse case involving former assistant Jerry Sandusky, premiered Saturday night.

It will continue to run on the HBO channels for the foreseeable future.

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The 105-minute film, directed by Barry Levinson and starring legendary actor Al Pacino as the title character, also stars Riley Keough as former Patriot-News reporter Sara Ganim and Kathy Baker as Sue Paterno.

HBO's website describes it this way:

"Paterno centers on Penn State's Joe Paterno in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal. After becoming the winningest coach in college football history, Paterno's legacy is challenged and he is forced to face questions of institutional failure in regard to the victims."

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As anybody around this region knows, the Paterno/Sandusky/Penn State saga continues to rage as a hot, polarizing topic.

The Paterno family issued a statement earlier Saturday before the film ran. It reads as follows:

"The HBO movie regarding Joe Paterno is a fictionalized portrayal of the tragic events surrounding Jerry Sandusky's crimes. Numerous scenes, events and dialogue bear no resemblance to what actually transpired. Everyone truly concerned about the scourge of child sexual abuse would be well served to read the report by former FBI agent Jim Clemente. As events of the last few years have confirmed, predators are resent throughout our society. It is our hope and prayer that society as a whole comes to a better understanding of who these criminals are and how they work so successfully to avoid detection."

Other reactions: