It would be hard to dislike this sentimental story of young Ralph Walker (Adam Butcher), a fourteen year old attending a Roman Catholic boys' school in Ontario in 1954. Ralph's mother is suffering from an unspecified illness in a local hospital and is in what appears to be a permanent coma. In fact she is so bad off that only a miracle could bring her back. Ralph takes this literally and believes that by effecting a personal miracle he can bring his mother out of her coma. One of the Fathers at the school remarks that it would be a miracle if Ralph were to win the Boston Marathon, and that is the miracle Ralph seizes on.
This movie is one more installment in the canon of sports movies where one achieves a goal through persistence in overcoming many obstacles, and there are many obstacles to Ralph's achieving his dream, not the least of which is that he is somewhat of a wimp. For certain reasons Father Fitzpatrick, the school's headmaster, has forbidden Ralph to participate in even training for the Marathon, or running in any public race. But *fortunately* the cross country coach, who just happens to have been Canada's premier marathon runner in a previous life, identifies with Ralph's goal and, in defiance of the headmaster, agrees to coach him. But other obstacles abound: Ralph's father is dead and Ralph is living at home alone and being threatened with eviction, the headmaster is trying to put him in a foster home, he burns his house down by accident and barely escapes, he is picked on and made fun of at school and in the community for being caught masturbating in the local swimming pool, and so on.
But, when executed well, the formula works. This movie goes down smoothly due primarily to Butcher's winning performance and Campbell Scott's portrayal of the sympathetic Father Hibbert. Their relationship rings true and forms a core of the movie along with Ralph's budding relationship with Claire, a would-be nun who finds a way to rationalize her attraction to Ralph. Jennifer Tily's appearance as Ralph's mother's nurse adds some color. Gordon Pinsent's role as headmaster seems excessive in its sternness, but I am led to understand that his personality is not at all out of the realm of the believable.
There are some beautifully filmed scenes of Ralph running against various backgrounds accompanied by inspiring music. I imagine this movie was a shot in the arm for the sport of distance running.
A comment by Father Hibbert poses a question for us as to whether, or how often, we have made a sacrifice to take a risk to satisfy a passion, with consequences unknown?
Some things just don't work. Ralph is occasionally visited by direct communications with God, personified here as Ralph's father in a Santa Claus suit. I doubt that the intent was to identify a belief in Santa with a belief in God, but that is what I came away with. Ralph's belief in a miracle seemed incongruous with his having been initially presented as a precocious, independent-thinking, resourceful, and savvy kid. The scene where Ralph literally flies while running, probably being a metaphor for the "runner's high," struck me as adding an unnecessary fantastical element. Ralph did not look to have a world class runner's form except in long shots where they must have used a double.
About half way through this I began to think about how it was going to end. For Ralph to win the Boston Marathon and have his mother revive would be a stretch, even for such a sentimental movie. But having Ralph lose and his mother not revive would definitely be too much of a downer. So, the ending is the only logical one.
This movie is one more installment in the canon of sports movies where one achieves a goal through persistence in overcoming many obstacles, and there are many obstacles to Ralph's achieving his dream, not the least of which is that he is somewhat of a wimp. For certain reasons Father Fitzpatrick, the school's headmaster, has forbidden Ralph to participate in even training for the Marathon, or running in any public race. But *fortunately* the cross country coach, who just happens to have been Canada's premier marathon runner in a previous life, identifies with Ralph's goal and, in defiance of the headmaster, agrees to coach him. But other obstacles abound: Ralph's father is dead and Ralph is living at home alone and being threatened with eviction, the headmaster is trying to put him in a foster home, he burns his house down by accident and barely escapes, he is picked on and made fun of at school and in the community for being caught masturbating in the local swimming pool, and so on.
But, when executed well, the formula works. This movie goes down smoothly due primarily to Butcher's winning performance and Campbell Scott's portrayal of the sympathetic Father Hibbert. Their relationship rings true and forms a core of the movie along with Ralph's budding relationship with Claire, a would-be nun who finds a way to rationalize her attraction to Ralph. Jennifer Tily's appearance as Ralph's mother's nurse adds some color. Gordon Pinsent's role as headmaster seems excessive in its sternness, but I am led to understand that his personality is not at all out of the realm of the believable.
There are some beautifully filmed scenes of Ralph running against various backgrounds accompanied by inspiring music. I imagine this movie was a shot in the arm for the sport of distance running.
A comment by Father Hibbert poses a question for us as to whether, or how often, we have made a sacrifice to take a risk to satisfy a passion, with consequences unknown?
Some things just don't work. Ralph is occasionally visited by direct communications with God, personified here as Ralph's father in a Santa Claus suit. I doubt that the intent was to identify a belief in Santa with a belief in God, but that is what I came away with. Ralph's belief in a miracle seemed incongruous with his having been initially presented as a precocious, independent-thinking, resourceful, and savvy kid. The scene where Ralph literally flies while running, probably being a metaphor for the "runner's high," struck me as adding an unnecessary fantastical element. Ralph did not look to have a world class runner's form except in long shots where they must have used a double.
About half way through this I began to think about how it was going to end. For Ralph to win the Boston Marathon and have his mother revive would be a stretch, even for such a sentimental movie. But having Ralph lose and his mother not revive would definitely be too much of a downer. So, the ending is the only logical one.