Saint Ralph (2004)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Michael McGowan

Writer:

Michael McGowan (writer)

Release Date:

8 April 2005 (Canada)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Sport

Tagline:

Finding yourself on the starting line of life.

Plot:

Saint Ralph is the unlikely story of Ralph Walker, a ninth grader who outran everyone's expectations except his own in his bold quest of trying to win the 1954 Boston Marathon.

Plot Keywords:

Marathon | Running | Miracle | Coma | Confession

Awards:

6 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Adam Butcher	...	Ralph Walker
Campbell Scott	...	Father George Hibbert
Gordon Pinsent	...	Father Fitzpatrick
Jennifer Tilly	...	Nurse Alice
Shauna MacDonald	...	Emma Walker
Tamara Hope	...	Claire Collins
Frank Crudele	...	Mr. Karl
Michael Kanev	...	Chester Jones
Chris Ploszczansky	...	Hulk
Paulette Sinclair	...	Secretary Roddy
Lubica Kucerova	...	Woman in Shower
Ben Gans	...	Senior Citizen No. 1
Jock McLeod	...	Senior Citizen No. 2
Jeff Baxter	...	Cattana
Daniel Karasik	...	Bolan

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content and partial nudity.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:6 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | USA:PG-13 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva)

Filming Locations:

Cambridge, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Alliance Atlantis Communications

Trivia:

The name of the imaginary author of Ralph's manual on long-distance running, Simon Longboat, was borrowed from the great Canadian runner Tom Longboat, who won the Round the Bay Race in 1906 and the Boston Marathon in 1907.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The announcer in Hopkinton at the start of the marathon says "Welcome to the 53rd running of the Boston Marathon". The 1954 Marathon would be the 58th running.

Quotes:

Ralph Walker: Claire has clearly decided to put up the Great Wall of China Defense on me. But I'm positive this whole nun thing is basically a way of denying her true feelings... understandably.

Soundtrack:

Up The Road

Athletic determination of a spirited boy against a backdrop of pathos.

Clearly the best movie out this month (July/August 2005 - I've seen most of them). The easiest way to tell you about it is to compare it to similar movies, and the first that came to mind were Lucas (Corey Haim) and Rudy (Sean Astin). What Saint Ralph shares in common with these films is the extreme athletic determination, against all odds, of a spirited boy from a pathetic background. And it's the best of it's kind since Rudy (1993), at least, and in my opinion since Lucas (1986).

Ralph (Adam Butcher) is a naughty but naive 14-year-old boy, ready to take almost everything literally, now faced with the paradox of faith. His widowed mother is apparently dying in the hospital, and falls into a coma early in the story. A doctor says it will take a miracle to wake her.

Ralph is an interesting character, his even blend of pure and impure motives providing both the humor that make the film entertaining, and the realism that make it believable. His self-abuse in every sense defines the term, from the usual meaning to literally sanding his knees to pray in a pan of alcohol, the latter recommended by his girlfriend, who aspires to be a nun.

When his Catholic school's cross country coach says it would be a miracle if anyone on his team won the Boston Marathon, Ralph's literal mind seizes a fallacious opportunity. If he wins the Boston Marathon, it would be a miracle, and that's what his mother needs to survive. Most of the movie is about his training to run that race, both physical and spiritual, with the help of a priest (Campbell Scott), a nurse (Jennifer Tilly), and his girlfriend (Tamara Hope).

The blend of comedy and pathos is effective, the film kept entertaining by the comedy in the foreground, while the fact that Ralph's mother is dying keeps us interested in the outcome and rooting for the boy. Even if you don't like running or sports in general, the life at stake, or at least the boy's faith at stake, makes this race important.

There may be a bit too much sexual comedy for most parents to let small children see. For instance, after Ralph's caught in a venal sin in the swimming pool, that involved spying on the girl's locker room, he tells his mother "It was really an accident. The manufacture of the pool was faulty." The incident becomes a running joke, demonstrating Ralph's character trait of not caring what other people think. He later says they didn't really need to drain the pool (I'm not going to explain that, you've got to see it, but it was funny). But it's not as crude as other current comedies like The Wedding Crashers and The Bad News Bears.

I recommend Saint Ralph specifically to anyone who liked Lucas or Rudy, and generally to anyone old enough to take the humor maturely.