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
Jonathan Walker	...	Mr. Collins
Keir Gilchrist	...	Kid Collins
Jonathan Wilson	...	Father Gregg
Robert N. Smith	...	Santa Claus (as Rob Smith)
Joan Massiah	...	Mrs. Scarlet
Gerard Parkes	...	Longboat
Boyd Banks	...	Worker No. 1
Henry Alessandroni	...	Worker No. 2
Fiona Highet	...	Nurse
Brandon Barré	...	Road Runner
John Blakey	...	Spectator No. 1
Naomi Emmerson	...	Spectator No. 2
Sean Cullen	...	Children's Aid Officer
Barry Stillwell	...	Mr. Jones
Jonathan Higgins	...	Boston Announcer
Michael David Brown	...	John Bannon
Miranda Black	...	Nurse Riggin
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Brian Bannan	...	Priest
Peter Feniak	...	Reporter #2
Tufford Kennedy	...	Reporter

Directed by
Michael McGowan

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Michael McGowan		writer

Produced by
Teza Lawrence	....	producer
Andrea Mann	....	producer
Seaton McLean	....	producer
Marguerite Pigott	....	executive producer
Michael Souther	....	producer
Peter Sussman	....	executive producer
Gordon Yang	....	line producer

Original Music by
Andrew Lockington

Cinematography by
Rene Ohashi

Film Editing by
Susan Maggi

Casting by
Deirdre Bowen
Jenny Lewis

Production Design by
Matthew Davies

Art Direction by
Ken Watkins

Set Decoration by
Erica Milo

Costume Design by
Anne Dixon

Makeup Department
Susan Exton-Stranks	....	head of hair department
Mary Sue Heron	....	key makeup artist
Kiisti Matsuo	....	additional makeup artist

Production Management
John Harcourt	....	post-production supervisor
Jennifer Macleod	....	post-production supervisor
Stephen Paniccia	....	executive in charge of production
Paul Vella	....	executive in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Velvet Andrews-Smith	....	trainee assistant director
Fergus Barnes	....	first assistant director
September Death	....	second assistant director
Mark MacDonald	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Luis Camara	....	on-set dresser
Nitram Dass	....	set dresser
Brent Kelly	....	lead man
Brent Kelly	....	lead set dresser
Jordan Kerner	....	set dresser
James R. Murray	....	property master
Sean Scoffield	....	second assistant art director
Richelle Wilks	....	art department apprentice
Matthew G. Wright	....	set buyer
Geri Bertolo	....	storyboard artist (uncredited)
Richard Duhaney	....	sketch artist: paper props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Steph Carrier	....	sound re-recording mixer
Michele Cook	....	adr editor
Michele Cook	....	dialogue editor
Erik Culp	....	foley mixer
David McCallum	....	supervising dialogue editor
Christopher Miller	....	assistant sound editor
Brent Pickett	....	first assistant sound editor
Valentin Pricop	....	sound mixer
David Rose	....	sound editor
Mark Shnuriwsky	....	sound editor
Lou Solakofski	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jane Tattersall	....	supervising sound editor
Robert Warchol	....	sound effects editor
David Yonson	....	adr recordist

Visual Effects by
Ioan Balcosi	....	compositor
Mark Fordham	....	lead matte painter
Genevieve Forte	....	digital artist
Gudrun Heinze	....	senior digital compositor
Mary Holding	....	digital compositor
Elizabeth Holmes	....	digital compositor
Mihaela Orzea	....	senior digital compositor: Calibre Digital Pictures
Tony Willis	....	visual effects supervisor

Stunts
Randy Butcher	....	stunt coordinator
Randy Butcher	....	stunt motorcycle rider

Camera and Electrical Department
Nicole Blanchard	....	second assistant camera
Gilles Corbeil	....	Steadicam operator
Gilles Corbeil	....	camera operator
Paul Dias	....	gaffer
Rob Dias	....	electrician
Christian Drennan	....	key grip
Shem Ellis	....	best boy electric
Carl Flood	....	electrician
Amanda Goble	....	second assistant camera
Nick Porter	....	electrician
Christopher Raucamp	....	first assistant camera
Brent Robinson	....	underwater first assistant camera
Amanda Wojtaszek	....	camera trainee (as Amanda Buckland)
Ken Woroner	....	still photographer

Casting Department
Kay Denver	....	extras casting
Christopher Richards	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Anna Dal Farra	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Erin Deck	....	first assistant editor
Mark Kueper	....	tape-to-tape colorist
Ricardo Olivero	....	color timer
Catherine Rankin	....	negative cutter

Music Department
Ron Korb	....	musician: flute
Michael Perlmutter	....	music supervisor: S.L. Feldman & Associates
Ron Searles	....	music score recording engineer

Transportation Department
Steven 'Sparky' Carr	....	transportation captain
Michael Curran	....	transportation coordinator
Tim Fagan	....	unit driver

Other crew
Anthony Carovillano	....	key craft service
Jill Carter	....	script supervisor
Andrea Eisen	....	tutor
Aaron Horton	....	production assistant
Dennis Jacobson	....	first assistant accountant
Susan James	....	production coordinator
Jane Kim	....	production assistant
Chandra-Li Paul	....	accommodation coordinator
Steena Petersen	....	craft service head
Irene Phelps	....	production accountant
Catherine Sample	....	assistant production coordinator
Carrie Paupst Shaughnessy	....	story editor
James Stevens	....	assistant location manager
Vess Stoeva	....	third assistant accountant
Michael Tough	....	location manager
Rick Whalen	....	location production assistant

Production Companies

• Alliance Atlantis Communications
• Amaze Film + Television

Distributors

• Alliance Atlantis Communications (worldwide) (theatrical)
• Ascot Elite Entertainment Group (2005) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Distribution Company (2008) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Samuel Goldwyn Films (2005) (USA) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (2009) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Bazuca Films (2008) (Chile) (all media)
• Concorde Home Entertainment (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• EuroVideo (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Odeon Films
• SND (2005) (France) (all media)

Other Companies

• Film Effects  titles and opticals
• S.L. Feldman & Associates  music supervision

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:

Father George Hibbert: [as Ralph shows up for his first Cross Country workout] We run in Cross Country, Ralph... Run.
Ralph Walker: How in Christ did I ever end up here?
Father George Hibbert: I ask myself that every day.

Soundtrack:

Dark Angel

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.