Steve Prefontaine must have been something special -- everyone says so -- but there's no magic on the screen.
Comment
03/14/07
Prefontaine (1997)
64 %
Reviews Counted: 25 Fresh: 16 Rotten:9 Average Rating: 6.5/10
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins
Synopsis: A naturalistic dramatization of record breaking distance runner Steve Prefontaine's struggle to win, culminating in the 1972 Munich Olympics, this film favors documentary-style character development more than conventional "sports film" hero worship. A feature-film breakthrough... [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Jared Leto, R. Lee Ermey, Ed O'Neill, Amy Locane, Lindsay Crouse
Director: Steve James
Screenwriter: Steve James, Eugene Corr
Composer: Mason Daring
Producer: Pam Dixon Mickelson, Mark Doonan, Peter Gilbert, Shelly Glasser, Jon Lutz, Irby Smith
Screenwriter: Steve James, Eugene Corr
Composer: Mason Daring
Producer: Pam Dixon Mickelson, Mark Doonan, Peter Gilbert, Shelly Glasser, Jon Lutz, Irby Smith
Reviews
Prefontaine gets to the finish line in reasonable shape despite plenty of sloppy running along the way.
03/14/07
Top Critic
With its moving final scenes and well-developed subject, the story of Steve Prefontaine is a decidedly well-told American tale.
10/19/04
One of the better sports movies to come from Hollywood in recent years.
02/19/04
Nothing more than a glorified, profanity-sprinkled made-for-TV movie, from the cast right down to the shallow treatment of its subject.
01/13/04
Top Critic
Now Steve Prefontaine can be immortalized for the complex and shining star that he was.
05/14/03
Click to read the article
11/06/02
Leto is the greatest beneficiary of these moments, seizing upon the opportunity to convincingly capture Prefontaine's egotistical, enigmatic, obsessive, charismatic personality even when the script fails to do so.
06/05/02
A runner learns some invaluable lessons from his defeat in the Olympics.
02/26/02
Though it is always pleasant and agreeable, this film has the bland and undemanding texture that characterizes movies made for network TV.
02/14/01
Top CriticClick to read the article
01/01/00
The film is refreshingly unsentimental, intelligent, and compelling (the race scenes areparticularly effective: even if you know the outcomes, these function as mini-dramas in themselves).
01/01/00
As the handsome Leto becomes more comfortable in the role, James begins to let loose his filmmaking skills, deftly weaving precise period re-creations and documentary footage to add dimension and humanity to Prefontaine.
01/01/00
James tries too hard to bring closure to Pre's life, and, as a result, strays a little too far into melodrama. The tearful reminiscences at the end, not to mention some of the stuff at the funeral, lay it on thickly.
01/01/00
IGN RSS Feeds