D
Digitonomy
Guest
Has anyone heard of this movie? Sounds like a good flick rooted in a Catholic setting.
csmonitor.com/2005/0805/p15s01-almo.html
csmonitor.com/2005/0805/p15s01-almo.html
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M
Maccabees
Guest
I was kinda shocked to find a movie about a 14 year old boy and a boston priest to be something positive about catholcism. But it is no priest abuse scandal that the movies and cable have hit us over the head with the past 10 years starting with the Richard Gere movie Primal Fear and to this day no doubt helped by recent events. Many young boys looking for a role model were helped by catholic preist but we forget all that and focus on the minority who were creeps hopefully movies like this remind us of the wheat we are all to reminded of the tares.
D
Digitonomy
Guest
The review is no longer available at the site linked above, but it went a little like this:
Roeper:
Ok, now, our next movie is Saint Ralph, and it’s corny, and clichéd, and predictable, and you know what? I loved it! Now from Coach Carter to Madison to Cinderella Man to The Longest Yard to Kicking and Screaming to Rebound to the Bad News Bears, we have had a lot - A LOT - of sports movies this year that have ended with the big game, the big fight, the big race, but I got more caught up in the finish of Saint Ralph than with any other sports movie this year.
Adam Butcher is wonderful as an undersized Canadian schoolboy who in 1954 vows to win the Boston Marathon. If he does, he thinks it’ll be a miracle, and his comatose mother will recover.
Campbell Scott plays the priest who reluctantly begins to coach Ralph, but then finds himself caught up in the boy’s unrelenting dedication.
You know Roger, it’s nice to see a film depicting a priest as a positive influence on a young man, it actually does happen. Over the last ten years the Catholic Church has been kicked around in the movies more than any other faith, with priests and nuns playing villains much more than heroes. There is a tough pastor in Saint Ralph, but even he is no cartoon bad guy. Ralph himself is also no saint; he’ll scheme and con when necessary, but at heart he’s just a good kid who doesn’t want to get sent to an orphanage.
Saint Ralph is funny, touching, uplifting. Thumbs up.
Ebert:
Thumbs up for me too.
And you know, even that bad priest is bad only in the sense that he’s too concerned with protecting the image of the Church. And if Ralph doesn’t get his miracle, and doesn’t save his mother’s life, then maybe the Church will look bad because the miracle didn’t happen; and the priest says you know, you can’t count on miracles.
Roeper:
Yeah, yeah, he’s a tough guy, but he’s still a good guy, this priest, and I think he’s protecting the boy as well.
Ebert:
Something else I liked about this movie, it’s set in Hamilton, Ontario. And you know, Canadians - I hate to make generalizations about a whole country - but especially in the 50s, and even now, tend to be a little more polite, and a little nicer, in their dealings with each other. And a little more laid back and calm and reserved. And the movie gets that feeling. It’s not one of these gung ho American sports movies where you have to win at any cost, it has a gentleness to it.
Roeper:
Well, I’m so glad to hear you liked the movie, it’s just, I don’t know how you can not get caught up in this kid’s quest, especially the big race.
Roeper:
Ok, now, our next movie is Saint Ralph, and it’s corny, and clichéd, and predictable, and you know what? I loved it! Now from Coach Carter to Madison to Cinderella Man to The Longest Yard to Kicking and Screaming to Rebound to the Bad News Bears, we have had a lot - A LOT - of sports movies this year that have ended with the big game, the big fight, the big race, but I got more caught up in the finish of Saint Ralph than with any other sports movie this year.
Adam Butcher is wonderful as an undersized Canadian schoolboy who in 1954 vows to win the Boston Marathon. If he does, he thinks it’ll be a miracle, and his comatose mother will recover.
Campbell Scott plays the priest who reluctantly begins to coach Ralph, but then finds himself caught up in the boy’s unrelenting dedication.
You know Roger, it’s nice to see a film depicting a priest as a positive influence on a young man, it actually does happen. Over the last ten years the Catholic Church has been kicked around in the movies more than any other faith, with priests and nuns playing villains much more than heroes. There is a tough pastor in Saint Ralph, but even he is no cartoon bad guy. Ralph himself is also no saint; he’ll scheme and con when necessary, but at heart he’s just a good kid who doesn’t want to get sent to an orphanage.
Saint Ralph is funny, touching, uplifting. Thumbs up.
Ebert:
Thumbs up for me too.
And you know, even that bad priest is bad only in the sense that he’s too concerned with protecting the image of the Church. And if Ralph doesn’t get his miracle, and doesn’t save his mother’s life, then maybe the Church will look bad because the miracle didn’t happen; and the priest says you know, you can’t count on miracles.
Roeper:
Yeah, yeah, he’s a tough guy, but he’s still a good guy, this priest, and I think he’s protecting the boy as well.
Ebert:
Something else I liked about this movie, it’s set in Hamilton, Ontario. And you know, Canadians - I hate to make generalizations about a whole country - but especially in the 50s, and even now, tend to be a little more polite, and a little nicer, in their dealings with each other. And a little more laid back and calm and reserved. And the movie gets that feeling. It’s not one of these gung ho American sports movies where you have to win at any cost, it has a gentleness to it.
Roeper:
Well, I’m so glad to hear you liked the movie, it’s just, I don’t know how you can not get caught up in this kid’s quest, especially the big race.
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