| SAINT RALPH |
 2004 - CanadaDirector: Michael McGowan - Reviewed by Vickie
Moving on. Saint Ralph is one of those kid-overcoming-obstacles kind of movie that I love. It's not syrupy, it's not preposterous, it's not corny. Instead, it's sweet, funny, smart and touching. The story, set in 1950s Hamilton, Ontario, follows 14-year-old Ralph Walker (Adam Butcher) in his bid to enter and win the Boston marathon. See, Ralph's father is dead and his critically ill mother (the aforementioned Gyllenhaal doppelganger MacDonald) has slipped into a coma. The doctors say it will take a miracle for her to ever regain consciousness, so Catholic-school student Ralph decides that him winning the Boston marathon will be the miracle to do the trick. Helping him in his admittedly ambitious dream is Father Hibbert (the always wonderful Campbell Scott), who enjoys bucking the system by doing things like teaching Nietzsche in religion class and who was once an Olympic marathon runner himself. He takes on the job of coaching the scrawny Ralph (who, by the way, gets his motivation from a Santa suit-clad God) and tries to hide their training from the school's headmaster, the stern and humorless Father Fitzpatrick (Gordon Pinsent). "Fitz," as the students call him, thinks Ralph should abandon the miracle idea in favor of buckling down at school, and he forbids Ralph from even thinking about Boston. Also on hand is Ralph's mother's nurse (Jennifer Tilly), a sexy, savvy woman who not only offers emotional support, but teaches Ralph the right way to bench press. Aside from the terrific performances from all involved, Saint Ralph possesses a distinct charm and a winning heart. Its characters are engaging, its story poignantly entertaining and its ending nicely subtle. It avoids clichés and doesn't hammer any kind of Important Message into the skulls of its audience. It reminded me a lot of Steven Soderbergh's King of the Hill (one of my fave films) in its tone and its central notion of a teenage boy who faces adversity in the name of family. It's a "little movie," but one that deserves a big round of applause. |
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I have to preface this review by saying that, several times during the
course of the film, I was entirely distracted by the fact that, with
her head wrapped in a bandage and then covered with a scarf, Canadian
actress Shauna MacDonald bears a striking resemblance to one Maggie
Gyllenhaal. It was very odd.
