Review Summary: Shows surprising uniqueness in storytelling, even with a somewhat wobbly finish.
Faith-based films can either be something special or something unremarkable. By this point, they mostly follow the same strategy. Someone gets into a very relatable situation, and then relies on God to pull him or her out of it. There might be a believable obstacle or two, but we all know where the film is headed. These are always nice to watch, but admittedly, there's been a lot of these stories by now. At the same time, sports films also fall into a similar trap. Obstacles are expected, but we all know what the outcome is. That was my primary concern going into this movie.
Yet, it seems like the filmmakers here realized they needed to change both formulas to a degree. And, for the most part, they succeeded. Run the Race is an inspiring faith-based movie, but there's more to it than one person reconciling with Jesus. At the same time, its' definitely a sports movie, but its' not strictly just a sports movie. The sports elements take a bit of a backseat to a family drama about two brothers and their relationship's ups and downs.
There's no real starpower in the cast, but newcomers Tanner Stine and Evan Hofer believably show chemistry as brothers Zach and Dave Truett. They both have different personas, but they show that they care for one another and look out for each other. Zach's eventual humbling of himself is believably written and acted. In the meantime, Dave's more sensitive and heartfelt character is a highlight. I'm not sure if this was intentional, but I was intrigued that Dave never discussed or showed interest in getting a girlfriend like Zach. Part of that could be due to his medical condition (more on that later), but I found it refreshing that a sports-playing, Christian young man's focus was not on having a relationship at that point in his life (it becomes clear that his focus is to help take care of his brother).
In addition to that, Frances Fisher is given a handful of strong heartfelt moments as their Nanny, Louise. The film's story, as I said earlier, wisely examines the brother's struggles to live together in the midst of a family crisis. Attention is given to the believable tension between them and their alcoholic father. And the father's eventual change of heart is nicely-done. However, some of the character's background information isn't sufficiently introduced. Some narration at the beginning might would have been helpful rather than trying to connect the dots as the film goes on.
The cinematography, lighting and editing are surprisingly strong for a low-budget film. There's some particularly strong moments where these help elevate the emotional impact. And yet, while Jake McEntire's script is rich in character development, sometimes the film does linger a bit too long on some subplots. It does seem like the 101-minute runtime goes on a little longer than it should.
The film also doesn't end the way you think its going to end. This is a good thing, however, its' execution is way too overdone. (Spoiler alert!) The decision to combine shots of one character's victory with another's death was a very odd one (spoiler finished). It's like your heart is jumping for joy and then its ripped right out of your chest. It's a mix of emotions you really don't want to feel in a movie like this, especially the end of it. This probably would have been done much better with just a phone call explaining what happened rather than actual intertwining shots.
In the meantime, the production design and locations are authentic and add a much-needed touch of grimness to the overall proceedings. A couple of Christian songs are nicely added into the background, though Need to Breathe's "Brother" song is overplayed a tad. An appearance by producer Tim Tebow mid-way through the credits proves to be a very nice touch, and leaves the viewers on a very happy note.
Tebow himself was very involved with this production, along with his brother Robby (who was an executive producer). It's true that this particular faith-based film works differently than its brethren, and that's definitely a great thing. Run the Race pulls the heartstrings without shortchanging the characters or focusing too heavily on typical genre trappings.
Now, it has its shortcomings, and it may not convict and inspire audiences like similar films do. However, its' still a genuinely moving film that hits the bullseye way more than it misses.
My Score: 8.0/10
Content Concerns for Family Viewing: Run the Race is rated PG for "thematic content and some teen partying." For older kids (maybe 9 years old) and up, there isn't a whole lot here to be worried about. Parents will need to discuss that one of the teenage characters does party and drink beer cans with groups of friends a few times. Beer pong is played in one scene. Yet, none of this is shown in a positive light per se. Meanwhile, the boys' dad is clearly an alcoholic. We see him drink in a bar and drink a few other times. He looks inebriated in one or two scenes also (he does eventually break this habit).
Zach clearly has an ego, and it leads him to trouble pretty often. He gets into a fight with another student and breaks his knee (we see/hear him winch in pain, and then see him in the hospital). He takes off his shirt before a nurse walks into his hospital room to try and woo her. He flirts with her and asks if his rear end or front side needs to be exposed in a hospital gown.
