71
Metascore
22 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 91Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanA richly intimate sports fable.
- 83The A.V. ClubScott TobiasThe A.V. ClubScott TobiasTowne never strains for effect, justifiably confident that his polished staging and wry, sneaky wit will be enough to give resonance to Pre's life.
- 78Austin ChronicleSteve DavisAustin ChronicleSteve DavisIt's a good, solid little film about a man whose story deserves better.
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertSutherland's performance is the film's treasure. Watching the way he gently tries to direct his headstrong young star, we are seeing a version of Phil Jackson's Zen and the art of coaching.
- 75ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliAn effective character study of a figure who has attained an almost-mythical status among track-and-field followers.
- 75Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversTowne defines Pre not by the freak car accident that killed him but by his willful need to keep on pushing. It’s Pre’s defiant spirit that makes Without Limits something worth cheering.
- 70The New York TimesJanet MaslinThe New York TimesJanet MaslinTowne especially excels at the smaller touches that bring such connections to life, whether it's an ear for pop music or a clear familiarity with college girls, circa 1970, or the group of bonsai trees that presumably occupy Bowerman when he isn't measuring feet and molding rubber. His proudly unconventional Without Limits is filled with such souvenirs of the real world.
- 60Time OutTime OutIt's a long time since Towne matched the calibre of his screenplays for Chinatown and The Last Detail, but he's still a solid bet for three-dimensional characters; as a director, his third effort has a fluidity and coherence lacking in Personal Best and Tequila Sunrise.
- 50San Francisco ChronicleEdward GuthmannSan Francisco ChronicleEdward GuthmannIt's not a bad film, but Towne and his star, the charismatic Billy Crudup, never fire the imagination in the way their inspirational, respectful biopic is obviously intended to.
- 50San Francisco ExaminerG. Allen JohnsonSan Francisco ExaminerG. Allen JohnsonYou would think Towne would identify closely with a big young talent who flames out too early. But when Pre turns to Mary and says, "I can endure more pain than anyone I ever met," it seems forced, empty. Towne just doesn't capture his subject.