4 Minute Mile

It doesn't necessarily speak to the overall quality of a picture that we can recognize the entirety of its thrust within the first few minutes; there's no rule that says different filmmakers can't try their own hand at familiar stories. What that does mean, though, is that as viewers we will be more prone to seeing weaknesses in material we effectively already know, and especial strengths will be all the more important to help a title stand on its own feet. As the minutes tick by in this '4 minute mile' we discern characters, dialogue, story ideas, and scene writing that we've seen before (I'm so close to being able to specifically name a few movies, they're right on the tip of my tongue); we also see the familiar faces of Richard Jenkins and Kim Basinger. We get some dialogue that is intended to be inspirational, or helpful training tips, and mildly achieves that goal; some comes across merely as empty bloviating. Still other instances of dialogue are instead just laughably bad; it turns out my thirteen-year old niece was right on the money, at least in part, and nowhere is the dialogue worse and more unintentionally funny than when characters wax poetic about how beautiful running is.

There came a point when I glanced at the digital timer and noticed that the flick was about two-thirds over, and unfortunately, as I was still waiting for an especial strength to manifest, I realized at that point this just wasn't going to happen. We get notes of tragedy, light humor, heavy drama, violence, triumph, romance, yada yada yada. There's nothing emphatically wrong with any of it; there's nothing really good about any of it, either. Protagonist Drew is upheld as being a very promising runner, but at no time in the script do we see enough of that potential for his obstacles to mean anything to us; he comes across as a nobody who could have maybe been a somebody but instead continues to be a nobody. Basinger is an unconvincing set piece; Jenkins flounders and can't sell the part of a retired coach that life has beaten down who nevertheless tries to inspire Drew. Wes is just a rancid jerk, Drew tries extra hard to be a jerk, and despite being only a pretty face Lisa might have the most personality of any character here. Despite the slight variation in mood mostly the tone here is so thoroughly sullen that it's like we're watching a sports drama interpretation of the Grim Dark ethos that has largely defined DC Comics' cinematic output.

I blame director Charles-Olivier Michaud for the dreary tone and unimpressive acting; I blame writers Jeff Van Wie and Josh Campbell for that poor dialogue, and for a story that feels blocky, blunt, and straightforward. There is no arc in any capacity, nor any progression from A to B; characters' attitudes flip, and ideas, characters, and beats are introduced, with the suddenness of a rabbit doing a binky. Even through to the end it quite seems that ideas are just being splattered willy-nilly across a canvas instead of applied in delicate, thoughtful strokes, let alone meaningfully blended together. The climax is the one point where it seems that '4 minute mile' comes nearest to firing on cylinders, including the acting - it took nearly ninety full minutes, but hats off to Basinger, Kelly Blatz, and Lio Tipton - and some post-rock chords in Stephen Barton's score. By that point, though, it's hard to care, and the scene as it presents just feels a tad overdone. All told I don't think this flick is wholly rotten, but it simply isn't very good in any regard. For those distinct faults and shortcomings that come across, on the other hand, as far as I'm concerned this slips to below average. I'm glad for those who get more out of this than I do, and I see the value it could have had. I also firmly believe that whatever it is you want out of '4 minute mile,' you'll find it elsewhere in higher quantities and with better quality.

4 Minute Mile is a plodding unoriginal drama although it does make a reference to The Karate Kid at one point.

Drew (Kelly Blatz) is the headstrong teenager who is a good sprinter. His father died when he was a kid, his older brother is mixing with drug dealers and gets Drew to do some literal running for him and his glamorous mother (Kim Basinger) seems not to care that her sons could be descending down the crime ladder.

Drew comes to attention of an alcoholic, loner coach Coleman (Richard Jenkins) who suggests he moves up to running the mile and gets Drew involved in a tough training regime which also involves sanding a boat, pushing a tyre underwater and sometimes coming out with sage like advice which Drew listens to or ignores depending on his mood.

Their is a potential love interest for Drew but a heavy cloud hangs over his brother and his fractious relationship with the drug dealers which you will guess will play a pivotal role in the final act.

This really is a trite film lacking any resonance, it looks cheap and features a bland performance by Blatz, an excellent performance by Jenkins and a minor appearance by Basinger.

Who doesn't love a good inspirational sports movie? In One Square Mile we both get and then get beyond the standard clichés of the sports genre to a very good film about running. This is a film with well-judged pace, it doesn't rush and yet, we were absolutely hooked.

The two leads, Kelly Blatz as the kid from the wrong side of Seattle, and Richard Jenkins, as a the washed-up coach are well cast. Jenkins is always the stoic, and here a stoic with curmudgeon, and both keep the film well balanced. The drama elements centered on family are well-handled without feeling tacked on.

Director, Charles-Olivier Michaud, handles the camera with assurance. His team are excellent - this is a very well made film. It has that same quality in use of the camera as Ron Howard: it's there to tell the story and the flow shows. The superbly composed soundtrack by Stephen Barton reflects that this is not a loud film, it has at it center running, training, and the drives of that, and anyone who's ever run will like it a lot.

All in all, one of our favourite films of the year - it has substance, style, and a lot to say about running.

Recommended.

I attended the world premier of 4 Minute Mile, directed by Charles-Olivier Michaud, at the Seattle International Film Festival. I chose to see the film, not only because it was filmed in Seattle, but also because the storyline sounded compelling. The film proved to be more than compelling; it was shocking, gritty, and suspenseful.

A 4 minute mile is difficult for a runner to achieve. Anything is difficult when you lost your father as a child, live in poverty, and have a brother who uses you for illegal drug runs. It's understandable why high school runner Drew Jacobs (Kelly Blatz) has a chip on his shoulder, but he must overcome his anger if he wants to run the mile in under four minutes and receive a scholarship, and more importantly, escape the fate that has befallen his brother.

After being kicked off the track team for having a poor attitude, Drew seems to be spiraling downward, until his neighbor (Richard Jenkins), a former track coach who is struggling with his own demons, mentors him. The two form a special bond and fill a void in each other's heart.

Excellent performances are given by Jenkins, Kim Basinger and Cam Gigandet, but the real surprise is newcomer Kelly Blatz. Virtually unknown, unlike the other actors who were up for the part, Blatz wowed Michaud and the casting director, who decided to take a chance on him, after receiving a very raw, emotional post-screen-test email from Blatz, which brought them to tears.

Although the running sequences didn't make sense geographically to anyone familiar with the Seattle area, it was fun to see familiar sights such as Safeco Field, Garfield High School, and Fisherman's Terminal.

According to the director, the film is a metaphor for how you should live your life: Commit yourself.

4 Minute Mile is available July 1 on iTunes and On Demand, and is in theaters August 1.

This review was originally published on Yahoo! Voices: http://voices.yahoo.com/movie- review-4-minute-mile-2014-12693420.html?cat=40

This really is not good. At first I thought it was going to be about Pre. Nope. Then it mad me nostalgic for a foreign film (maybe Spanish) I saw 5 or so years ago, called 100 meters. 100 Meters is a MUCH better film. Set your viewing priorities accordingly.

This is a hugely unoriginal story about poor kid with terrible family life who needs to win a scholarship to get away from it, and the once-great record-holder, now bitter, broken old man who sees redemption if he can get this kid across the finish line. Hugely unoriginal. And maybe being in dreary Seattle depressed them all. The acting overall is stoic.