Go See Saint Ralph

I totally agree. Not sure where you'd see it, as it's only in limited release. But keep an eye out.

First off, they definitely had somebody who knew what they were talking about consult on the running aspects of the movie. When running was discussed, it was not in a ridiculous or uninformed way. The movie's real testament, though, is that although the notion that an inexperienced teenager could win the Boston Marathon is ridiculous, the way the movie is written genuinely had me believing it might happen (and could happen). And I know better. The final race, done in the rain, with backround of the radio broadcast and Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah," was really well done.

Also have to give a big nod to the other plotlines of the story, which were genuinely pretty funny. Really a terrific film.

www.allianceatlantisfilms.com

will have a trailer.

DT wrote:

First off, they definitely had somebody who knew what they were talking about consult on the running aspects of the movie.

I guess it helps when writer/director Michael McGowan is a former 29:low/2:19 guy.

bump

Yes, Mike won the Around The Bay Race and the Detroit Marathon in 1995, I believe. Actually, the film was shot partly in my town and I was a runner in the Boston sequences, including delivering a heavy shoulder to the star as I pass him to take the lead. My 5 seconds of fame! The film won first prize in the Paris (France)Film Festival last week.

mike(the director) was 2:18 at detroit, he won and beat a few kenyans in the process.

it is gord downey from the tragically hip, not buckely, singing during the boston scene.

the movie opens nationwide on june 8th at your more hip theaters. see it.

see below:

SAINT RALPH

SAMUEL GOLDWYN/Color/1.85/Dolby Digital/98 Mins./Rated PG-13

Cast: Adam Butcher, Campbell Scott, Gordon Pinsent, Jennifer Tilly, Shauna MacDonald, Tamara Hope, Frank Crudele, Michael Kanev.

Credits: Written and directed by Michael McGowan. Produced by Seaton McLean, Andrea Mann, Mike Souther, Teza Lawrence. Director of photography: Rene Ohashi. Production designer: Matthew Davies. Edited by Susan Maggi. Music by Andrew Lockington. Costume designer: Anne Dixon. Executive producers: Peter Sussman, Marguerite Pigott. Executive in charge of production: Paul Vella. An Alliance Atlantis and Amaze Film production.

This witty coming-of-age film offers exceptional performances by newcomer Adam Butcher and veteran Campbell Scott.

Ralph Walker (Adam Butcher) is a ninth-grader at St. Magnus, a parochial school in Hamilton, Ontario, who finds himself in desperate need of a miracle. The year is 1952. His father and grandparents are dead, and only his mother (Shauna MacDonald) is left, in a deep coma and barely clinging to life at a local hospital. Naïve and impulsive, Ralph is told that his winning the Boston Marathon would constitute a valid miracle, and he believes that if he performs one his mother will survive.

Luckily for Ralph, Father George Hibbert (Campbell Scott), a runner once scheduled to compete in the Olympics, is the track coach and sees potential in this awkward, unpromising 14-year-old boy. Also supporting Ralph is Nurse Alice (Jennifer Tilly), who is also a former athlete, and willing to share her time and barbells with the runner-in-training. At the same time, the tyrannical Father Fitzpatrick (Gordon Pinsent) regards Ralph's pursuit of a miracle as dangerously blasphemous and does everything he can to discourage him.

Additional complications arise as a result of Ralph's living completely on his own. Authorities are wising up to the fact that his grandparents are dead and, with his mother incapacitated, he is virtually an orphan. Ralph's true love-although he is fascinated by anyone female-is Claire Collins (Tamara Hope) a remarkably self-possessed young Catholic determined, she believes, to become a nun.

The casting choices by Saint Ralph producers Seaton McLean, Andrea Mann, Mike Souther and Teza Lawrence, as well as casting directors Deirdre Bowen and Jennifer Lewis, are well-nigh perfect. Butcher offers a fresh, energetic portrait of a young man teetering between goofiness and glory. Scott provides a low-key portrayal of an unusually rebellious priest dealing with his own demons. Pinsent's villainous schoolmaster is both powerful and intimidating. Tilly's Nurse Alice is one of the most restrained and absorbing performance this actress has ever given. Even MacDonald, who never leaves her hospital bed, offers a charming portrait of a seriously ill woman worthy of love and respect from the moment we meet her.

What writer-director Michael McGowan has pulled off is a bit of a miracle. His principal character is someone who is both ludicrous and inspiring. Early scenes in the film when Ralph is displaying naked lust are comic gems, while his grim determination to outrun adults, once convinced of the need for a miracle to keep his mother alive, is exhilarating.

Also on the plus side is the sensible, measured resolution. The script contains some blunt twists and turns-not just for dramatic sake, but because ultimately Saint Ralph is more interested in the reality of life than fantasy.

-Bruce Feld

Anyone know of what cities it is currently playing in?

in canada now...nationwide in usa on june 8th. festivals all over. philly right now.

All I want to know is....Mike, what happened to that beautiful head of hair you used to have?

bumpy

Ya gotta see it. Best running flick eva.

it is in philly tonight...5:15, the ritz east.

enjoy

i just saw it. it's the bomb!

bump

Mr. McGowan, pride of the SMCS.

My Dog Vincent was pretty good too.

George, is that you? Nice elbow, but why no gorilla suit?

anyone know if its in nyc yet?

it is in nyc on june 8. look for good reviews in the times, people, etc.

get your buddies out too.

Mack, Yes you got me. Gorillas weren't allowed in the Boston Marathon in the 50's. For the movie, it was: no tattoos, piercings, facial hair, and we had to be willing to get a Leave It To Beaver-type hair cut. It was worth it. Most of us runners were needed for crowd shots too, and sometimes there weren't enough clothes to suit up everyone, fully. Hence, some guys were standing in the back rows wearing shirts and suit jackets and running shorts.

I was watching that horrible flick, "Running" with Michael Douglas, and in the race where he qualified for the Olympics, but got out-kicked at the end, the guy that beat him was wearing the very same singlet that I wore in St. Ralph. It had a diagonal stripe and either "Idaho" or "Iowa" on the front. My memory is failing me.