Run the Race (2018) User Reviews

From a non christian this was a good movie

[F4LS3G0D · 7/10 · 1 August 2019]

The only bad thing i would say was yes this movie did throw a lot of religion at you but let me say that it didn't affect the movie at all and didn't make me get angry.

It's a christian film yes but to be fair the main character is a non believer i think it actually helps the movie and makes it target Christians and non Christians which i think is good.

It also doesn't dive deep into the beliefs it's just the basic beliefs that every person should know already about Christianity, god, Jesus which is also good because that's what makes it feel like it's not shoving it down viewers throats and you will be able to just enjoy the movie for what the movie is.

This movie has family, romance, sports, and drama. It's a good movie period and it shouldn't be passed on just because it's a christian film. It has good messages that every person should live by no matter what religion you believe in which in this movie is basically LOVE and FORGIVENESS.

Inspiring

[ramman347 · 7/10 · 2 January 2020]

Even in the throws of hard luck believing in something or someone can get you to where your suppose to be.

Running to Good Messages and Inspirational Sequences

[rgkarim · 7/10 · 23 February 2019]

Sports movies, they have many presentations and styles that make them so darn popular, but it's often the ones that have the deep motivational themes and heart that really get the attention. We Are Marshall, Pride of the Yankees, and of course Remember the Titans are just some of the films in the hall of film fame that are "timeless" pieces. Yet, unsung heroes often wait on the bench, hoping to have their shot at shining amidst the stars. Tim Tebow's production is hoping to be one of those rookies to make a statement this weekend and this reviewer is ready to share his opinion. Happy Friday folks and welcome to another review, this time on:

Movie: Run The Race (2019)

Director: Chris Dowling Writers: Jake McEntire (screenplay), Jason Baumgardner (screenplay) Stars: Mykelti Williamson, Frances Fisher, Kristoffer Polaha

LIKES:

Well Acted Pretty Cast Sports Fueled Moments Inspirational Deep Decently Paced

SUMMARY:

Run the Race's likes center on some surprising balance in this fairly realistic portrayal of faith and football. The cast of pretty thespians and cute physiques will be eye candy as they bring some decent acting to the mix of the family facing interesting circumstances. Their journey finds ways to bring the sports montage into the mix, crafting the story around the sports without becoming too invested into the mix. It's inspirational, finding some sequences that utilize the movie tricks and crafted speeches to get people going into action in helping face their problems. The film goes deep into trying to teach the religious based life lessons it holds, and can really get some emotion going, as was seen in my audience and showing. And surprisingly, it's got some decent pacing to it as well, finding a means to keep all these elements juggling smoothly, in hopes of getting to the end zone or finish line depending on the sport you like. Nonetheless, the movie's a nice sized package of inspirational messages delivered by poster worthy stars.

DISLIKES:

Plot Inconsistency Sports Avenues Are Not Made Up Rushed solutions Unrealistic Manipulations Preachy Predictable

SUMMARY:

Despite the inspirational components to the movie there are some things that take it away from the majesty of the theater. For me, the plot inconsistency is sort of the start as the race is ran a little too fast for some fo the plot lines to keep up with. Some avenues keep the pace going well, but others like the romance arc, the tension with the dad, and even the rivalry of some of the characters are not quite as present as the main story line, leading to them hastily cleaned up by the end of the movie. In addition, the sports montages are very simplistic, keeping the realistic component with them, but lacking those epic moments that make you want to scream out in delight. Again, while I appreciate the down to Earth approach, this film really could have used some magic to help pep up the exciting sports it bombarded us with, even resorting to unrealistic manipulations of the system that were eye rolling. Instead, the religious aspect is where this film leads, using very preachy dialogue that while strong, motivational, and certainly a spiritual component sets up much of the movie's "surprises". The predictable finish took away much of the emotion component for me and left me a little bored as I waited for the ending. Still, the avenue of preaching the good word is something to be forewarned, and if you don't want a case of faith, then you need to maybe hold off on this one.

The VERDICT:

Overall, Run The Race is actually a decent movie when it comes to religion influenced sports movies. A pretty cast will take on the task of instilling good messages that are deep and inspirational, while trying to develop the characters in the 105 minute run time. Yet, the movie still runs into trouble when it comes to the memorable sports intense films. It lacks the movie magic for one thing, and the preachiness may not be for everyone, especially if case of faith is not your cup of tea. As predictable as it was though, this Friday Night Lights themed movie could have been better with a little more balance in terms of handling the other story themes and may injecting some movie magic as well. Worth a trip to theater? I believe this one is best served for streaming to be honest, but that's just my opinion.

My scores are:

Drama/Sport: 7.0 Movie Overall: 6.0

Inspirational and Well Worth Watching.

[MovieMystro · 22 February 2019]

A movie that wears its Christian faith proudly yet isn't ham-fisted is welcome indeed. It does drive home the point that each one of us has a race to run and every one of us will be tested and face devastating set backs and trials. THAT is this movie's strength...showing how faith provides a reservoir of strength and ultimately hope when faced with those trials. The movie itself is dry to start and very vanilla. Yet, I like the right amount of vanilla. It hits its stride with the Christmas moment and peeks when the brother's relationship is fully fleshed out. The performances were masterful by the actors playing the brothers. What seemed strange to me was the ending. After seeing this at the theatre I went home and immediately looked to see if this was based on a true story. If it were, than that ending would have fit. However being a fictional account, I really don't understand the "downer" ending. Yes, for those of true faith it's not really morose but it just isn't the way to end a message film.

Still, well worth seeing.

Well it's not really good

[helomemanuel · 6/10 · 19 March 2019]

It's not even like Run the Race is the first movie to try and use that trick to pull an emotional reaction the audience. Far from it. It's actually a fairly common development in sports dramas. However, what has saved these other movies from the same rebuttal is that they at least allowed the moment to carry weight in the story by bolstering the overall theme of perseverance. Here it's just cheap shock value.

Depressing

[dlspilgrim · 2/10 · 24 February 2019]

I really wanted to like this movie, but it was so unbelievable. First off, the two "high school" boys are in their mid-twenties--even too old to be college students. The girlfriend is even older--late twenties. Supposed to be dating a high school student? Creepy. Then you have two high school students living alone together in a decrepit, remotely-located house with no adult supervision--no one to clean or cook or earn money for them. Nobody seems to think this is any kind of big deal--just tough luck. Church doesn't help out. Didn't anyone ever watch "The Blind Side?" The "boys" never go to school or do any homework, never do laundry, never cook, never shop--even so their clothes are always trendy and clean, they are fed, they have a car--so weird. They have no friends (except the creepy, immature nurse), One brother regularly has seizures, but drives anyway--no way he could have a license. THEN there is the bane of Christian movies--way too many terrible crises at once. Sorry. You can have a deadbeat alchoholic father OR have the star football quarterback sustain a career-ending injury, OR have the mom die young of cancer, OR have the brothers have to survive on their own, OR have one of the brothers die unexpectedly (why didn't they transfer him to a major medical center???)--but not all at once. And then the death is treated so lightly--everybody kinda smiles it off. The Christian message was too pat and fluffy. And there is more--like how did the kid who didn't qualify for the state track meet get to run anyway? Why did the star character's personality keep changing? Sigh. Wish I had skipped this one. Really bummed me out.

surprisingly good

[uberdonkey6 · 7/10 · 27 May 2019]

It starts off predictably, with expected sporting injury hindering career, but the story was surprisingly original with some turns I didn't expect. There lead didn't seem to have the emotional responses to his life where expected ie when he has an injury he's not sad, but then later he gets overwhelmed for no apparent reason. However, on the whole the acting is nice, and though clearly a Christian film, it's not too heavy and not really cheesy at all. I guess it's painting a bigger picture and not milking emotions in the way some Christian films do. I recommend it.

miss leading movie

[natcalgary · 4/10 · 26 May 2019]

Went into it thinking it was a football movie. But nope. Just another movie that doesn't mention anything about religion in the description, nut it is basically an hour and a half of people telling you how god would be better for your life.

I wouldn't have minded but there was no mention of this before hand and I felt like i was manipulated in a similar fashion to those who try to push religion on others. Shame

2.3

Well done

[mtkeg-93640 · 10/10 · 16 May 2020]

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I played football through high school and into college. Finding a good movie about football is difficult. Many are way to corny. This movie set well with me. It was well acted and it had a really welcomed theme. Though many might sway away from a movie with a religious theme- this is much different. Each actor and actress excelled in their roles. Kelsey Reinhardt player her role perfectly. I am a big fan of Tim Tebow and the message he sends and the role model he is. It's really worth watching in these times where We all need Faith and hope.

Good Movie

[juzer03 · 6/10 · 29 May 2019]

Really Liked it. Good movie.. Not the kind of movie i would like to re watch.. However i did enjoy it.

Unlikeable Characters

[ResidentEvil2Fan · 1/10 · 20 April 2021]

I really wanted to like this movie, but I just couldn't. Every single character was unlikeable, which is a shame as I liked Kristoffer Polaha in Where Hope Grows, Mykelti Williamson in Wildcats, and Mario Van Peebles was OK in Jaws: The Revenge. They were saddled with a movie that had no direction and a horrible soundtrack. Just a waste of talent and I'm thankful it didn't seem to kill any of their careers yet.

Now, I love Christian movies and inspirational movies, but this movie should have never seen the light of day, as Facing the Giants and Abel's Field were far better football movies that had a Christian message. Plus, Tim Tebow's presence in a completely unnecessary cameo is vomit inducing, as it showed the film couldn't stand on its own merit, so we might as well give Tebow a part to make people come see it.

Excellent movie, don't listen to the critics go judge it for yourself.

[faback · 10/10 · 2 March 2019]

This movie is about real life, hardships, heartaches, love, trust, faith and forgiveness.

Run the Race

[JoBloTheMovieCritic · 6/10 · 20 July 2019]

6/10 - an entertaining family/sports drama that did feel a little preachy at times

Laughable

[imachampx · 2/10 · 26 February 2019]

Go watch this move if you enjoy watching terrible movies. I had a great time roasting this movie with all my friends. This movie is so bad that I actually think I could make a better movie and I'm a 21 year old college student who knows nothing about film. They tried so hard to make the movie emotional that it became extremely unrealistic. It felt like when they sat down to write the move they just took every suggestion about the story. This is the situation that these two "High-school" kids are in: Their mom just died, their dad is an alcoholic, they live together in an old house in the middle of nowhere without adult supervision, one of the brothers has seizures and the other one tore his ACL. Nothing about this story makes sense to me. The ending is dumb and unnecessary. There were a few side plots that could have been completely taken out of the movie. For example, they should not have put the nurse back in the story until the end when the main character "got right with God." Lastly, the movie is supposed to be about Christianity but when I watched it the movie felt like it was written by someone who has never met a Christian or ever been to church. So in conclusion, watch this move if watching bad Christian movies is your thing. If that's not your thing you will hate it.

I will say that I actually thought the cinematography was pretty good though.

Surprise Appearance by Tim Tebow!

[lavatch · 6/10 · 30 June 2019]

"Run the Race" opens with a bang-bang football play as a high school RB dashing for a touchdown. At that point, we know that ol' Number 2, Zach Truett, will be the focus of the film, as he aspires to get out of the squalid conditions of small-town Bessemer and earn a football scholarship to the University of Florida.

But the film is much more than the trials and tribulations of Zach joining Gator Nation. The genuine focus of the film is the relationship of Zach with his younger brother Dave, who pull themselves up from their bootstraps out of a dysfunctional family.

Zach is the star halfback at Bessemer High, and Dave is the quarterback,. In the first half of the film, Zach incurs a torn ACL when he engages a rival athlete in a brawl at a picnic. Dave has a head injury that results in ongoing seizures. There was a flaw in the film that Dave's injury was never shown; it was only mentioned late in the film in expository dialogue.

There is a romantic subplot in the film that never really works. Zach strikes up a relationship with Ginger, a hospital intern. Ginger's parents are devoutly religious, and they subject Zach to the grand inquisition. As he is leaving the home, Ginger continues to grill Zach about his doubts, and she is offended, breaking off the relationship. This part of the film was not convincing because Zach was giving genuine answers to all of the family's invasive questions. The parents really liked Zach's honesty, but, for some reason, Ginger lacked their patience and seemed insistent that he become a true believer or she wouldn't have anything to with him.

The film was more successful with supporting roles such as the caring high school football/track coach; the estranged father of the boys who is the town drunkard; and the devoted godmother of the two boys named "Nanny." It appeared as though Zach and Dave fended for themselves on the poor side of town in substandard living conditions. The coffee pot was broken, and it was unclear if the two boys even slept in beds. Why did "Nanny" never appear with them in the home?

In this Christian-based film, there was the obligatory character of the local preacher. Thankfully, his sermons were brief and to the point. The game-changer was when he described for the small congregation "the moment" when the devotee learns of "the plan." Tim Tebow executive produced the film and makes a surprise return to Gatorland in the film's closing credits. One of the best parts of the film film was the attention paid to the sports action scenes, including wide-open play-calling on the gridiron and a breath-taking track sequence.

Evangelical BS

[carlospeterson96 · 1/10 · 26 March 2019]

Love what Tim Tebow did at UF but he clearly took no classes in film when in Gainesville because this was outrageous scenario after another. I suppose you'll love it if you're a gullible sap in the Bible Belt

Family struggles after mom dies of cancer.

[TxMike · 31 August 2019]

My wife and I watched this at home on BluRay from our public library. Based on the relatively few votes it doesn't seem that very many have seen it.

Two high school brothers (filmed in in Alabama) lost their mom two years earlier to cancer and their dad coped with it badly, abandoning the two brothers and drinking too much. One brother had been a football player but a bad concussion has limited his activities. The other brother is an all star running back, hopes to get a football scholarship to a Florida university as a way to get out of their small town.

It is a faith-based story, Tim Tebow is one of the producers. The arc of the story is to mend family relationships and to deal with adversity after the other brother has a bad injury requiring ACL surgery and rehab.

It is a pleasant movie, the overall message is worthwhile. The actors have experience in TV and TV movies, they do an acceptable job.

A pleasant film.

[zutterjp48 · 7/10 · 4 July 2020]

For Zach Truett the life is quite hard, he and his brother lost her mother and their father is drinking too much.Zach is an American football player who hopes to go out of this small town of Alabama getting a scholarship for the university of Florida.One night in a meeting of young people there is a fight and his knee ligament gets injured.He has now more reasons to be bitter .His brother Dave is more quiet, he tries to maintain a relationship with his father who abandoned them and to go forward.Then comes the encounter of Zach and Ginger in the hospital: she is nurse trainee, Zach tries to court her,but she is a very serious woman.Little by little their relationship will grow with ups and downs.Zach and his brother will have the support of their godmother. Of course "Run the race" is Christian film, but a film in which people like Zach who lost his mother, who sees broken his hope to play for a good team have doubts, have many and strong doubts.Little by little Zach will find the intern peace and the strength to go forward. The performances of Tanner Stine (Zach), Evan Hofer (Dave ) and Kelsey Reinhardt (Ginger) are good.

Another scam, its not about sport! Beware!

[edgy-827-486965 · 1/10 · 23 February 2019]

I don't want say anything bad about Christians (actually I do, they just steal 1,5 hour of my life), but really if you want film about faith just make film about faith. Stop mislead everyone with your fake themed movies about football or car racing or firefighters or christian Zorro - name it! There is LITERALLY no any football here, c'mon! Have some respect to others! Like you don't believe, but there are many people here that want to see real sport drama, not another christian fake. Does the Bible don't say anything about lies? Like its bad or something?

Feel Good Movie

[gdecker-74343 · 10/10 · 17 July 2019]

Faith based movie that leaves you thinking. The movie shows two brothers who seem to be on a different path but reality shows you they are just at a different pace. The movie reminds you Jesus is with you not only in the good times but is also there for us during the bad.

Less drama, needs more realism.

[lastfaking · 1/10 · 26 February 2019]

The movie was not very realistic seeing as how on a real high school football team you can't just switch out with someone who isn't on the team, nor can you transfer scholarships to your sibling. The actor who played "Dave" is also pretty stuck up and is more fake in real life than he is in his movies. I honestly don't recommend this movie to anyone who actually cares about sports, christianity, or even emotions.

😭

[rutbachoudhury · 8/10 · 3 November 2019]

Watched this right after I woke up without even brushing my teeth or anything, and now my face is wet from crying

Not impressed/ Not inspiring!

[mellyrhodes · 4/10 · 10 April 2020]

I'm a 30 yr old Christian woman who was raised in church, lived a fairly normal human existence and then got truly saved at the age of 15. "Got saved" for me = God became more real in my life than anything else and I fell in love with Jesus in a very real, undeniable way. OK, why am I saying all this? I do not think that this movie is helpful for people who don't know God or (dont) have 100% undeniable faith. It seems like that is the key underlining thing they are trying to get at, but it falls flat. Very flat. I did not expect it to end the way it did and it was sad and disappointing. To be clear- it wasn't the acting or even the scenery/cinematography that was a disappointment. It was the plot, the story itself. It seems like it was sloppily put together. Like it was not given enough time. These days there seems to be "Christian Movie" writers who just want to hurry up and throw something together to make money, Not to actually make an impactful film! That is very sad to me, and while it was not the worst movie I've seen, it definitely fell short of what I would deem a good movie or something I would recommend to anyone I know, sadly :(

Faith is not a prelude to Chick's & Football

[booneboy5000 · 3/10 · 22 April 2021]

****Warning Spoilers***

Whether a person believes in Jesus or not does not give us a right to judge anyone. And you certainly shouldn't teach your child to withhold love or companionship from someone based on a level of faith they may or may not have. For instance, after going to dinner to meet his girlfriend's parents, he was judged in shunned, not because he didn't believe in God but because he didn't believe in Him enough to be apart of their family. "You know this is important to me, Zach," she said to him after dinner. This movie teaches that being truthful takes a backseat according to the level of fath one has. Basically, this movie is saying, if you don't believe enough in God honesty account's for nothing. Both of these boys were good boys and believed in God. They were both truthful and honest. And I don't believe that we should be teaching one another to apologize for the level of faith we have. She actually said, after he came to the hospital and apologized to her, "You hurt me." "You get the girl if you believe a lot," should've been the name of this movie.

Nice message, but story falls short.

[atarian-42395 · 4/10 · 21 March 2020]

It has a nice message but the story falls short on many levels, from slow pacing to story holes. Acting is not the strongest either.