4 Minute Mile (2014)

A former track coach decides to train a student with natural athletic talent. Tragedy strikes, forcing the student to confront everything that has been holding him back.

Director:

Charles-Olivier Michaud

Writers:

Jeff Van Wie, Josh Campbell

Stars:

Kelly Blatz, Richard Jenkins, Kim Basinger

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kelly Blatz	...	Drew Jacobs
Richard Jenkins	...	Coleman
Kim Basinger	...	Claire Jacobs
Cam Gigandet	...	Wes Jacobs
Analeigh Tipton	...	Lisa Rickard
Rhys Coiro	...	Eli
Aaron Washington	...	Nate Rickard
Gerald Grissette	...	Peanut
David Brown-King	...	Reese Marino (as David Brown King)
Daniel Oliver	...	Deke Abrams
Dylan Arnold	...	Eric Whitehall
LaVon Hardison	...	Restaurant Waitress
Josh Feinsilber	...	Young Drew Jacobs
Andrew Haggerty	...	Young Wes Jacobs
Ernie Joseph	...	Cop

Storyline

The life of a disenfranchised teen living on the wrong side of the tracks, desperate for a way out, collides with an old reclusive track coach, angry at the world and with no purpose in life, with whom he eventually forms a bond. The two are forced to face their circumstances as they race to save each other and, ultimately, themselves.

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Plot Keywords:

race | train | overdose | brother brother relationship | crying | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes the hardest race of all is the one against yourself.

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Genres:

Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving violence, drinking and drugs, and for smoking and some language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 August 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

4 Minute Mile

Filming Locations:

Seattle, Washington, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

One Square Mile Management Company, Phoenix Rising Motion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Eli threatens Drew with a knife, the knife point touches Drew's chin in one camera angle, but in another the tip is many inches away from his face.

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Quotes

Drew Jacobs: You think a five-minute mile is fast?
Coleman: Uh, you run ten of 'em, yeah, but you can't run with a temper. You gotta be in control or you beat yourself.

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Connections

References The Karate Kid (1984)

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Soundtracks

Rehab
Written by Donny Kulp, Kevin Solomon
Performed by 27 Miles

User Reviews

rare entertainment, no pretentiousness, no agenda, only pure film-making

As a sports film (of which there are many each year, mostly in the B-genre, most you will never hear about) this little gem has more in common with Eastwood's Gran Torino. In other words -- oh this sounds so cliché, but sometimes only a cliché will suffice -- this really isn't a film about winning, or a film about running, but a film about life. Life. The one sport we all have in common. The one sport we compete in each day, whether we want to or not. The 4-minute mile becomes a metaphor for merely living your life with integrity, with impeccability. With its sights set so high, this would be such an easy film to mess up. The balance is so delicate. Heavy-handed direction would make the viewer feel manipulated, or "Disneyed." And too light a touch would miss the mark completely. Canadian director Charles-Olivier Michaud, with very few credits in features, simply nails it. I mean nails it. Pitch perfect direction. About as far from Michael Bay and the Transformers as the Earth is from the Moon. And the cast is uniformly excellent, especially veteran warhorse Richard Jenkins -- who steals his scenes so subtly you don't realize it until the film is over -- and Analeigh Tipton, who has to simultaneously be provocative enough to attract a boy who wasn't looking for a relationship in the first place, yet practical enough to cement that relationship as the seismic tremors in the script come one after another. A gem. A perfect gem.