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IMDbPro

The Terry Fox Story

  • TV Movie
  • 19831983
  • 1h 36m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
660
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
13,093
621
The Terry Fox Story (1983)
BiographyDramaSport
The true story about the Canadian cancer amputee hero who decided to run across Canada on only one leg to raise money for cancer research.The true story about the Canadian cancer amputee hero who decided to run across Canada on only one leg to raise money for cancer research.The true story about the Canadian cancer amputee hero who decided to run across Canada on only one leg to raise money for cancer research.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
660
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
13,093
621
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Ralph L. Thomas
    • Writers
      • John Kastner(story by)
      • Rose Kastner(story by)
      • Edward Hume(screenplay by)
    • Stars
      • Eric Fryer
      • Robert Duvall
      • Chris Makepeace
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Ralph L. Thomas
    • Writers
      • John Kastner(story by)
      • Rose Kastner(story by)
      • Edward Hume(screenplay by)
    • Stars
      • Eric Fryer
      • Robert Duvall
      • Chris Makepeace
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 10User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Awards
      • 8 wins & 5 nominations

    Photos6

    Robert Duvall, Chris Makepeace, Eric Fryer, and Michael Zelniker on set for The Terry Fox Story (1983)
    Robert Duvall, Eric Fryer, and Michael Zelniker in The Terry Fox Story (1983)
    Robert Duvall, Richard Ciupka, and Gavin Mitchell in The Terry Fox Story (1983)
    Robert Duvall and Richard Ciupka in The Terry Fox Story (1983)
    Eric Fryer in The Terry Fox Story (1983)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Eric Fryer
    • Terry Fox
    Robert Duvall
    Robert Duvall
    • Bill Vigars
    Chris Makepeace
    Chris Makepeace
    • Darrell Fox
    • (as Christopher Makepeace)
    Rosalind Chao
    Rosalind Chao
    • Rika Noda
    Michael Zelniker
    Michael Zelniker
    • Doug Alward
    Elva Mai Hoover
    Elva Mai Hoover
    • Betty Fox
    Frank Adamson
    Frank Adamson
    • Rolly Fox
    Marie McCann
    • Judith Fox
    Clyde Rose
    • Fisherman
    Austin Davis
    • NFLD Merchant
    Matt Craven
    Matt Craven
    • Bob Cady
    Jeremy Brown
    • M.C. Nathan Phillips Square
    Sheldon Rybowski
    Sheldon Rybowski
    • Gogie
    Dorothy Wyatt
    • Mayor Wyatt
    Steve Hunter
    • Official at Barrie
    • (as Steven Hunter)
    Robert Desroches
    Robert Desroches
    • French Canadian Driver
    • (as Robert Des Roches)
    Jayne Foster
    • Jeffrey's Mother
    Karen Racicot
    Karen Racicot
    • French Canadian Waitress
    • Director
      • Ralph L. Thomas
    • Writers
      • John Kastner(story by)
      • Rose Kastner(story by)
      • Edward Hume(screenplay by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Eric Fryer is a real-life amputee who, like the title character he portrays in this movie, lost a leg to cancer.
    • Connections
      Referenced in You Don't Have to Die (1988)
    • Soundtracks
      The Runner
      Written and Performed by Ian Thomas

    User reviews10

    Review
    Top review
    5/10
    Sincere But Finally A Drag
    Things start promisingly. Terry Fox is presented as a driven if surly adolescent in a similarly combative family. The contentious relationship between Terry and his parents is handled head on and smartly; we watch with interest as Terry's teen angst, rebellion and boundary challenges brush up against his parents' attempt to rein in his self-pity and grandiose schemes. Unfortunately, this strong conflict and interesting family dynamic is largely jettisoned once Terry hits the road. His parents do reappear later, but only briefly and with no payoff.

    Another big disappointment is the waste of Robert Duvall, who is mostly at sea in his curiously small role as the marketing man who arrives in the third act to properly expose (and motivate) Terry's efforts to a growing throng of fans. Coming so close as it does to Duvall's Oscar winning performance in Tender Mercies, this choice is particularly head--scratching for the uber-talented Duvall, who would seem likely to have had more control over his roles (maybe it was filmed before?)

    The movie ends awkwardly as Terry Fox is forced to drop out of his cross-country run for health reasons. The denouement is a clunky mix of fare-thee-well voice-over and a wistful Terry Fox slowly jogging around a track shortly before his death. This is what we've been building towards? It's hard to say; the movie condenses so much (including the clipped arrival of brother Chris Makepeace, who barely gets a line in the whole movie, though he's in many scenes) and is edited so poorly at the end, we're not sure whether whole sections were left on the cutting room floor.

    It's probably not PC to criticize the candid biopic of a controversial but inspirational amputee who raised millions for Cancer research whilst running across Canada, but the sad truth is that this movie is mostly unpleasant and entirely uninspiring. Worse, THE TERRY FOX STORY is not even particularly moving where it wants to be. There is a sense that the story is building to something, but even that conceit is shot down by the jarringly abrupt and strangely abbreviated anti-climactic finale.

    Whatever the story problems, the central problem is Terry. He is incredibly persevering, yes. But he's also a moody SOB who abuses various undeserving targets, including his parents, brother, sister, run helpers and girlfriend (a pre TNG Rosalind Chao who is young and cute).The movie is so careful to document his "complex" combative nature that it's never really possible to sympathize with him. Fox's constant whining and pettiness may be accurate, but it makes his Canadian trek an uninspiring drag. Also, he never grows from the experience, making us wonder where he's been the whole time. Viewers are better off with a big bag of chips, a comfy LAZY BOY and some old Wide World of Sports reruns than this earnestly conveyed but largely wrong-headed muddle. 4.5/10.
    helpful•3
    9
    • secragt
    • Oct 13, 2003

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 22, 1983 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Canada
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Corazón de campeón
    • Filming locations
      • St. John's, Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
    • Production companies
      • CTV Television Network
      • HBO Premiere Films
      • Home Box Office (HBO)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $2,400,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 36 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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