nanksy Review of See How She Runs

See How She Runs (1978 TV Movie)

A woman decides to change her life. She does it by training for and completing the Boston Marathon.

[9/10 · 28 March 2017]

This is not a movie about running. It is an excellent performance by Joanne Woodward about s lonely discontented forty year old teacher who needs to change her life. Joanne played spinsters in several movies and this one shares plot elements with them. However Joanne received a well deserved Emmy for her performance in this version of the role. Betty Quinn is a divorced teacher, mother of two girls whose husband left her for a younger woman. She dreams of far away places and talks about someday traveling when she retires and her girls are grown. One day she accepts the fact that she will never do any of the things that she dreams of and falls into a depression. To avoid despair she decides to jog and lose a few pounds. Everyone she knows laughs at her and tells her she will quit. For once she defies them and slowly begins to lengthen her runs. Running she says, "makes me feel good." As she meets and overcomes obstacles she becomes stronger and finds a new dream. This one she is determined to reach. She runs the Marathon and although she comes in long after the race has finished for the rest of the runners, she does finish and finds support from her family and friends. She has met her goal and has given her girls a role model at the same time. The movie ends with her looking forward to the future instead of dreading it. I was inspired by the movie. I also enjoyed the humor and the excellent supporting cast. Many of the final scenes were actual Marathon footage so we got to see a lot of Boston. That was a plus. I wish this movie was available now. It was one of the better Hallmark movies.