Hard Miles

Hard Miles is an uplifting movie about real experiences . The scenes give you a clear picture of the triumphs and tribulations these students experience. By the end of the movie, you are cheering them on to see if they can experience positive results. I would recommend Hard Miles especially for someone who might be considering a ride. The scenery is breathtaking and makes me want to dust off my own bicycle to join in a challenge. Cycling doesn't get enough credit for how you need to focus your energy and use your mind AND your body to have success. If you have any doubts in your ability to ride, see Hard Miles.

Greetings again from the darkness. When Greg Townsend states, 'hard work overcomes hard luck', it's as much a reminder to himself as it is a motivation for the boys he's dealing with. The film from writer-director RJ Daniel Hanna (MISS VIRGINIA, 2019) and co-writer Christian Sander is inspired by a true story, and comfortably fits into the 'inspirational sports story' category, perhaps most similar to MCFARLAND USA (2015) starring Kevin Costner.

Matthew Modine plays Greg Townsend, a social worker at Ridge View Academy. It's a correctional facility for troubled youths, and Greg is a teacher and mentor. When the state threatens to revoke Ridge View's charter, Greg decides to take the four boys from his welding class on a 762-mile bike ride to the Grand Canyon. Previously termed Tour de Greg by his co-workers (or Tour de Canyon by Greg), his belief is that the trip will teach life lessons and cooperation to the boys. Without his realizing, it's also a trip to help Greg himself deal with an ailing (and estranged) father in hospice, an imprisoned brother, and some health issues of his own. Just like in real life, everyone has stuff going on.

Greg encourages (begs) the local bike shop owner, Speedy (Sean Astin), to sponsor his rag-tag team of misfits. Child psychologist and Ridge View co-worker Haddie (Cynthia McWilliams) agrees to drive the SAG wagon (supplies and gear). And after welding the frames of their own bikes ... and fighting with each other ... the boys reluctantly agree to go on the trip. The boys are Smink (Jackson Kelly), Rice (Zack T Robbins), Atencia (Damien Diaz), and Woolbright (Jahking Guillory), the latter being the most troubled of the group.

The trip goes about as you'd expect - with literal and emotional ups and downs. In fact, the movie itself is easily predictable and formulaic for the genre. However, it's an inspirational and uplifting story and we find ourselves rooting for the boys to pull together as a team, and for Greg to deal with his own demons while teaching the boys the ultimate life lesson: keep going. The best movie focused on bike riding is probably the classic BREAKING AWAY (1979), and this one from filmmaker Hanna could be called, coming of age on wheels.

Opens in theaters on April 19, 2024.

It's low-budget, and it looked it from the trailer. Sometimes when you hit upon a movie like that, no matter how worthy the story, it gets delivered with such a sub-par script and acting that it's unpalatable. Not so with this one.

I was really impressed by the acting all around. Everyone seemed authentic, and the deeper chemistry that developed between the characters felt natural and not contrived.

It's a very decent script, too. There were no big dramatic moments that made it feel saccharine or overly done. Even a moment between Modine's character and his (abusive) father is done in such a realistic, simple way. No sappy, platitude-laden scripting to ruin the authenticity.

The whole film was inspiring enough to make me cry! Maybe it's because I'm a mom of a boy, but I sure felt protective of those young men and wanted to see them succeed (I raised my son in a safe, loving home -- and it breaks my heart to think of kids who don't have that). The fact that it's based on a true story added to the emotional factor for me.

Overall, this is a really touching (though understated) story that is well worth watching!

After an 8-month hiatus from the movies, I went to see Hard Miles and loved it!

Based on a true story, it didn't need the cookie-cutter model you see in almost everything else released by Hollywood nowadays. Hard Miles was able to shine with an original storyline, great acting, and great cinematography that brought to life the transition of correctional school students from cast-offs to a cohesive team of cyclists during their journey from Colorado to the Grand Canyon.

Instead of telling someone else's story, it felt as though you were watching the actors' own play out.

Although Matthew Modine is always a pleasure to watch on big or small screen, it was just as wonderful to see newer talents showcasing their acting skills, like Zachary Robbins' portrayal of class clown Rice.

I can see why Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie such a high rating!

What Hollywood learned during the decade of the 1930's was that, the worse things got in the real world, the more people wanted positive and affirming movies to keep them going. That said, one wonders why "feel gooders" like Hard Miles 2023 are still so few and far-between? Sure, it's all been done before, but here it is done with amazing cinematography, an affable cast, and a noteworthy performance by Mathew Modine -- basically the "glue" that keeps it all together. Modine is one of those actors who has worked diligently behind the scenes for decades, but seldom gets a chance to strut. It's a good story. He makes it even better. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))