I saw the movie Race yesterday, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. On IMDB, I gave it a middling 5 stars, lower than its 6.9 stars average rating. I felt like the movie suffered from an identity crisis, but I'm not really sure what would have made it better.
Is Race a biopic on Jesse Owens? Yeah, mostly. It did get some basic facts wrong, especially when those facts were inconvenient (for instance, Owens had said repeatedly that Hitler shook his hand after at least one of his wins). Overall, though, my issue here was that the movie actually felt more like a movie about something else, and the director decided to follow Owens's story as a way to tell this something else.
Is Race a feel-good sports triumph story? Perhaps, although the movie sort of leaves the viewer down even after Owens wins his four gold medals with the commentary about race. Owens only got a chance to win the fourth medal because the US Olympic Committee pulled the Jewish athletes out of the race.
Is Race a commentary on race? I think it wanted to be, but it never really came through. Some aspects of race were completely brushed over, and viewers could be forgiven if after seeing this movie they thought the Nazis viewed the Jews as a mere annoyance in life.
My other main issue with Race was that the movie dragged (a person in the theater actually fell asleep and started snoring!) and the moments that were supposed to build up tension felt comical. For instance, the movie tried to make viewers feel as if Owens actually might not go to Berlin to compete in the Olympics. Except I think most people know he did. And the movie markets itself as Owens facing off against Hitler's vision of Aryan supremacy. I tried not to laugh at the ridiculous will-he-or-won't-he moments.
So those were my impressions of the movie. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't one that I'd necessarily go out and recommend to others. I looked at other movies that I gave 5 stars to (such classics as Duplex, Trainwreck, and A Cinderella Story), and yes, I stick by my rating. In case you want to know more about Owens, below is a short video of his role in the 1936 Berlin Olympics:
Is Race a biopic on Jesse Owens? Yeah, mostly. It did get some basic facts wrong, especially when those facts were inconvenient (for instance, Owens had said repeatedly that Hitler shook his hand after at least one of his wins). Overall, though, my issue here was that the movie actually felt more like a movie about something else, and the director decided to follow Owens's story as a way to tell this something else.
Is Race a feel-good sports triumph story? Perhaps, although the movie sort of leaves the viewer down even after Owens wins his four gold medals with the commentary about race. Owens only got a chance to win the fourth medal because the US Olympic Committee pulled the Jewish athletes out of the race.
Is Race a commentary on race? I think it wanted to be, but it never really came through. Some aspects of race were completely brushed over, and viewers could be forgiven if after seeing this movie they thought the Nazis viewed the Jews as a mere annoyance in life.
My other main issue with Race was that the movie dragged (a person in the theater actually fell asleep and started snoring!) and the moments that were supposed to build up tension felt comical. For instance, the movie tried to make viewers feel as if Owens actually might not go to Berlin to compete in the Olympics. Except I think most people know he did. And the movie markets itself as Owens facing off against Hitler's vision of Aryan supremacy. I tried not to laugh at the ridiculous will-he-or-won't-he moments.
So those were my impressions of the movie. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't one that I'd necessarily go out and recommend to others. I looked at other movies that I gave 5 stars to (such classics as Duplex, Trainwreck, and A Cinderella Story), and yes, I stick by my rating. In case you want to know more about Owens, below is a short video of his role in the 1936 Berlin Olympics:
